Simulation of water coning phenomenon and effective factors on it using ECLIPSE simulator
Subject Areas : Journal of Simulation and Analysis of Novel Technologies in Mechanical Engineering
Ali Rahmani
1
,
Mojtaba Rahimi
2
*
,
Yahya Sanjoory
3
1 - Department of Mechanical, Civil, and Architectural Engineering, Khomeinishahr Branch, Islamic Azad University, Khomeinishahr/Isfahan, Iran
2 - Department of Mechanical, Civil, and Architectural Engineering, Khomeinishahr Branch, Islamic Azad University, Khomeinishahr/Isfahan, Iran
3 - Department of Mechanical, Civil, and Architectural Engineering, Khomeinishahr Branch, Islamic Azad University, Khomeinishahr/Isfahan, Iran
Keywords: Reservoir simulation, Water conning, Water production, ECLIPSE,
Abstract :
One of the major and important problems in the production of oil and gas from reservoirs is unwanted water production. Fluids tend to flow through highly permeable areas. The problem of water production is very acute, especially in reservoirs with active aquifers. Furthermore, this problem in oil wells not only increases the cost of separating water from oil and the cost of repairing and maintaining surface equipment but also causes oil production to stop in much worse cases. Due to the current conditions of some oil production wells, the problem of water production will increase in the future. Therefore, studying the factors effective on water coning and finding ways to manage and control it is one of the main objectives of this research. In this regard, by simulating an oil reservoir located in the south of Iran that has a water production problem, the field model is simulated with the help of reservoir simulation software, ECLIPSE. First, the phenomenon of water coning and its effective factors in the oil reservoir are investigated, and then, to better investigate the factors affecting the coning phenomenon, sensitivity analysis is performed on various parameters. The following results were obtained according to the simulation: 1) As the density of oil increases, the phenomenon of water coning occurs faster, 2) Increasing the thickness of the oil permeable zone is an important factor in preventing the occurrence of the phenomenon of coning, 3) With the increase of oil production flow rate, the time of occurrence of water coning phenomenon decreases, 4) The time of occurrence of this phenomenon strongly depends on the vertical permeability of the reservoir, and 5) In presence of a fracture, the probability of rapid occurrence of the coning phenomenon is much greater.
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