US2015039276A1PendingUtilityA1

Systems and Methods for Estimating Fluid Breakthrough Times at Producing Well Locations

Assignee: LANDMARK GRAPHICS CORPPriority: Feb 10, 2012Filed: Feb 10, 2012Published: Feb 5, 2015
Est. expiryFeb 10, 2032(~5.5 yrs left)· nominal 20-yr term from priority
Inventors:Marko Maucec
Y02A10/40E21B 47/10E21B 43/20E21B 49/00
49
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Claims

Abstract

Systems and methods for estimating fluid breakthrough times at producing well locations based on fluid propagation simulation.

Claims

exact text as granted — not AI-modified
1 . A method for estimating a fluid breakthrough time at a production well based on fluid propagation simulation data, comprising:
 identifying streamline tracking data;   calculating an average streamline travel time in each grid-cell based on the streamline tracking data;   identifying a shortest or fastest streamline for the production well using the average streamline travel time in each grid-cell;   calculating an average time-of-flight for the shortest or fastest streamline over each traversed grid-cell using a computer processor; and   estimating the fluid breakthrough time at the production well using the fluid propagation simulation data and the average time-of-flight for the shortest or fastest streamline.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the fluid propagation simulation data comprises a fluid invasion time represented by a number of simulation iterations needed for a fluid to reach the production well from an injection well through one or more grid-cells representing a reservoir property model. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the streamline tracking data comprises a number of streamline segments traversing each grid-cell, a travel time for each streamline segment in each grid-cell, indices for each grid-cell and a total number of grid-cells traversed by all streamlines connecting an injection well with a production well. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the average streamline travel time in each grid-cell is calculated by: 
       
         
           
             
               
                 ∂ 
                 
                   τ 
                   ~ 
                 
               
               = 
               
                 
                   1 
                   
                     N 
                     SLN 
                   
                 
                  
                 
                   
                     ∑ 
                     
                       n 
                       = 
                       1 
                     
                     
                       N 
                       SLN 
                     
                   
                    
                   
                     ∂ 
                     
                       τ 
                        
                       
                         ( 
                         
                           ψ 
                           
                             m 
                             , 
                             n 
                           
                           
                             i 
                             , 
                             j 
                             , 
                             k 
                           
                         
                         ) 
                       
                     
                   
                 
               
             
           
         
       
       wherein (N SLN ) represents the number of streamline segments traversing each (∂τ(ψ m,n   i,j,k )) grid-cell and represents the travel time for each streamline segment in each grid-cell. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the shortest or fastest streamline for the production well represents a streamline with a lowest sum of average streamline travel times in grid-cells the streamline traverses between an injection well and the production well. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the average time-of-flight for the shortest or fastest streamline is calculated over each traversed grid-cell using the lowest sum of average streamline travel times for the shortest or fastest streamline and a total number of grid-cells traversed by the shortest or fastest streamline. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the average time-of-flight for the shortest or fastest streamline is calculated by: 
       
         
           
             
               
                 
                   〈 
                   TOF 
                   〉 
                 
                 
                   m 
                    
                   
                       
                   
                    
                   i 
                    
                   
                       
                   
                    
                   n 
                 
               
               = 
               
                 
                   1 
                   
                     
                       N 
                       ^ 
                     
                     GC 
                     
                       m 
                        
                       
                           
                       
                        
                       i 
                        
                       
                           
                       
                        
                       n 
                     
                   
                 
                  
                 
                   
                     ∑ 
                     
                       u 
                       = 
                       1 
                     
                     
                       
                         N 
                         ^ 
                       
                       GC 
                       
                         m 
                          
                         
                             
                         
                          
                         i 
                          
                         
                             
                         
                          
                         n 
                       
                     
                   
                    
                   
                     ∂ 
                     
                       
                         τ 
                         ~ 
                       
                       u 
                       
                         m 
                          
                         
                             
                         
                          
                         i 
                          
                         
                             
                         
                          
                         n 
                       
                     
                   
                 
               
             
           
         
       
       wherein ({circumflex over (N)} GC   min ) represents the total number of all grid-cells traversed by the shortest or fastest streamline, (∂{tilde over (τ)} min ) represents the lowest sum of average streamline travel times for the shortest or fastest streamline and (u) represents a number of runs over all indices of grid-cells traversed by the shortest or fastest streamline. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the fluid breakthrough time at the production well is estimated by: 
       
         
           
             
               
                 T 
                 BT 
               
               = 
               
                 
                   
                     〈 
                     TOF 
                     〉 
                   
                   
                     m 
                      
                     
                         
                     
                      
                     i 
                      
                     
                         
                     
                      
                     n 
                   
                 
                 × 
                 
                   
                     t 
                     INV 
                     
                       i 
                       , 
                       j 
                       , 
                       k 
                     
                   
                   
                     N 
                     p 
                   
                 
                 × 
                 
                   
                     N 
                     SLN 
                     m 
                   
                   
                     N 
                     xyz 
                   
                 
               
             
           
         
       
       wherein (N xyz ) and (N p ) represent a total size of the reservoir property model and a total number of production wells, respectively, (<TOF> min ) represents the average time-of-flight for the shortest or fastest streamline, (N SLN   m ) represents a total number of grid-cells traversed by all streamlines connecting an injection well with the production well and (t INV   i,j,k ) represents the fluid invasion time. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising repeating the steps in  claim 1  for each production well. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the reservoir property model is a permeability model. 
     
     
         11 . A non-transitory carrier device tangibly carrying computer executable instructions for estimating a fluid breakthrough time at a production well based on fluid propagation simulation data, the instructions being executable to implement:
 identifying streamline tracking data;   calculating an average streamline travel time in each grid-cell based on the streamline tracking data;   identifying a shortest or fastest streamline for the production well using the average streamline travel time in each grid-cell;   calculating an average time-of-flight for the shortest or fastest streamline over each traversed grid-cell; and   estimating the fluid breakthrough time at the production well using the fluid propagation simulation data and the average time-of-flight for the shortest or fastest streamline.   
     
     
         12 . The program carrier device of  claim 11 , wherein the fluid propagation simulation data comprises a fluid invasion time represented by a number of simulation iterations needed for a fluid to reach the production well from an injection well through one or more grid-cells representing a reservoir property model. 
     
     
         13 . The program carrier device of  claim 11 , wherein the streamline tracking data comprises a number of streamline segments traversing each grid-cell, a travel time for each streamline segment in each grid-cell, indices for each grid-cell and a total number of grid-cells traversed by all streamlines connecting an injection well with a production well. 
     
     
         14 . The program carrier device of  claim 13 , wherein the average streamline travel time in each grid-cell is calculated by: 
       
         
           
             
               
                 ∂ 
                 
                   τ 
                   ~ 
                 
               
               = 
               
                 
                   1 
                   
                     N 
                     SLN 
                   
                 
                  
                 
                   
                     ∑ 
                     
                       n 
                       = 
                       1 
                     
                     
                       N 
                       SLN 
                     
                   
                    
                   
                     ∂ 
                     
                       τ 
                        
                       
                         ( 
                         
                           ψ 
                           
                             m 
                             , 
                             n 
                           
                           
                             i 
                             , 
                             j 
                             , 
                             k 
                           
                         
                         ) 
                       
                     
                   
                 
               
             
           
         
       
       wherein (N SLN ) is the number of streamline segments traversing each grid-cell and (∂τ(ψ m,n   i,j,k )) represents the travel time for each streamline segment in each grid-cell. 
     
     
         15 . The program carrier device of  claim 11 , wherein the shortest or fastest streamline for the production well represents a streamline with a lowest sum of average streamline travel times in grid-cells the streamline traverses between an injection well and the production well. 
     
     
         16 . The program carrier device of  claim 15 , wherein the average time-of-flight for the shortest or fastest streamline is calculated over each traversed grid-cell using the lowest sum of average streamline travel times for the shortest or fastest streamline and a total number of grid-cells traversed by the shortest or fastest streamline. 
     
     
         17 . The program carrier device of  claim 16 , wherein the average time-of-flight for the shortest or fastest streamline is calculated by: 
       
         
           
             
               
                 
                   〈 
                   TOF 
                   〉 
                 
                 
                   m 
                    
                   
                       
                   
                    
                   i 
                    
                   
                       
                   
                    
                   n 
                 
               
               = 
               
                 
                   1 
                   
                     
                       N 
                       ^ 
                     
                     GC 
                     
                       m 
                        
                       
                           
                       
                        
                       i 
                        
                       
                           
                       
                        
                       n 
                     
                   
                 
                  
                 
                   
                     ∑ 
                     
                       u 
                       = 
                       1 
                     
                     
                       
                         N 
                         ^ 
                       
                       GC 
                       
                         m 
                          
                         
                             
                         
                          
                         i 
                          
                         
                             
                         
                          
                         n 
                       
                     
                   
                    
                   
                     ∂ 
                     
                       
                         τ 
                         ~ 
                       
                       u 
                       
                         m 
                          
                         
                             
                         
                          
                         i 
                          
                         
                             
                         
                          
                         n 
                       
                     
                   
                 
               
             
           
         
       
       wherein ({circumflex over (N)} GC   min ) represents the total number of all grid-cells traversed by the shortest or fastest streamline, (∂{tilde over (τ)} min ) represents the lowest sum of average streamline travel times for the shortest or fastest streamline and (u) represents a number of runs over all indices of grid-cells traversed by the shortest or fastest streamline. 
     
     
         18 . The program carrier device of  claim 12 , wherein the fluid breakthrough time at the production well is estimated by: 
       
         
           
             
               
                 T 
                 BT 
               
               = 
               
                 
                   
                     〈 
                     TOF 
                     〉 
                   
                   
                     m 
                      
                     
                         
                     
                      
                     i 
                      
                     
                         
                     
                      
                     n 
                   
                 
                 × 
                 
                   
                     t 
                     INV 
                     
                       i 
                       , 
                       j 
                       , 
                       k 
                     
                   
                   
                     N 
                     p 
                   
                 
                 × 
                 
                   
                     N 
                     SLN 
                     m 
                   
                   
                     N 
                     xyz 
                   
                 
               
             
           
         
       
       wherein (N xyz ) and (N p ) represent a total size of the reservoir property model and a total number of production wells, respectively, (<TOF> min ) represents the average time-of-flight for the shortest or fastest streamline, (N SLN   m ) represents a total number of grid-cells traversed by all streamlines connecting an injection well with the production well and t INV   i,j,k  represents the fluid invasion time. 
     
     
         19 . The program carrier device of  claim 11 , further comprising repeating the steps in  claim 1  for each production well. 
     
     
         20 . The program carrier device of  claim 11 , wherein the reservoir property model is a permeability model.

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