Reservoir Pressure Equalization Algorithm for Gas Injection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional streamline simulation packages in the oil and gas industry are limited to handling slightly-compressible injected fluids and cannot effectively manage the injection of miscible gases into hydrocarbon reservoirs, leading to inefficient pressure distribution and reduced hydrocarbon recovery.
Innovation Solution
The approach involves a hydrocarbon reservoir model simulation to distribute gas among injectors, using streamline tracing and a reservoir pressure equalization algorithm to achieve an assigned voidage replace ratio (VRR) across regions, thereby optimizing gas injection and reducing pressure differences within the reservoir, employing tools like DESTINY and ECLIPSE simulators.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional streamline simulation packages are used for gas injection, then the simulation can be performed with existing tools, but the injection of miscible gases cannot be effectively managed and pressure distribution becomes inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the streamline simulation approach by incorporating compressibility factors and equation-of-state calculations specifically for miscible gas injection. This allows the simulation to accurately model gas behavior and pressure distribution in hydrocarbon reservoirs, transforming an inadequate tool into an effective management system for gas injection operations.
2Ease of operation
If gas is injected uniformly into the reservoir, then the injection process is simple to implement, but pressure differences between regions increase and lead to over-pressurization of certain areas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements region-specific gas injection strategies where the reservoir is divided into multiple regions with different pressure characteristics. Gas injection rates and pressures are customized for each region based on its specific needs, allowing low-pressure areas to receive more gas while high-pressure areas receive less or no gas, thereby achieving uniform pressure distribution across the entire reservoir.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors reservoir pressure in different regions and uses this feedback information to dynamically adjust gas injection rates. The streamline simulation model calculates pressure distribution and guides real-time adjustments to injection parameters, ensuring that pressure differences between regions are minimized and over-pressurization is prevented.
3Stress or pressure
If gas injection rate is increased to maintain reservoir pressure, then pressure maintenance is improved, but gas injection efficiency decreases and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial gas injection to only those regions that require pressure support, rather than injecting gas uniformly across the entire reservoir. The streamline simulation identifies specific low-pressure regions that need gas injection while excluding high-pressure regions, thereby reducing total gas consumption while still maintaining overall reservoir pressure and improving injection efficiency.
Data Source
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AI summary
A hydrocarbon reservoir model simulation is executed to distribute gas among available gas injectors associated with a hydrocarbon reservoir. Using the result of the executed hydrocarbon reservoir simulation, streamline tracing is executed to calculate hydrocarbon flow fields. Using the results of the executed hydrocarbon reservoir simulation and the executed streamline tracing, a reservoir pressure equalization (RPE) algorithm is executed to distribute an amount of gas according to an injection strategy to satisfy an assigned voidage replace ratio (VRR) for each region of the hydrocarbon reservoir. Post-processing of the results of the RPE algorithm is performed. Using the result of the post-processing, gas injection in the hydrocarbon reservoir is performed with the available gas injectors.