Methodology for design and operations of field-wide and multi-well enhanced oil recovery of unconventional hydrocarbon assets

Abstract

A methodology using an interwell connectivity model for hydrocarbon management is disclosed. The interwell connectivity model may include interwell connectivity metrics indicative of fluid interconnectivity amongst pairs of wells and may be used as predictive or prescriptive for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). As predictive, the interwell connectivity model may be used to determine an effect of gas injection into the reservoir on one or more aspects of EOR, such as reservoir pressure or production rates. As prescriptive, the interwell connectivity model may be used to improve or optimize various stages of EOR, such as during drilling or construction of the extraction site, during primary depletion, or during one or more huff-and-puff cycles.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for hydrocarbon extraction comprising:
 accessing an interwell connectivity model that is indicative of fluid connectivity of a plurality of wells;   determining, based on the interwell connectivity model, one or more aspects of one or both of control or configuration of the plurality of wells; and   using the one or more aspects of one or both of control or configuration of the plurality of wells for hydrocarbon management of a reservoir.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining the one or more aspects of one or both of control or configuration of the plurality of wells comprises determining one or more aspects associated with one or both of a drilling phase or a construction phase of hydrocarbon management. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the one or more aspects associated with one or both of the drilling phase or the construction phase of hydrocarbon management comprise one or more of: a number of the plurality of wells; a placement of the plurality of wells; fracturing associated with the plurality of wells; or at least one of a compressor for pumping regarding the wells or piping to the wells. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining the one or more aspects of one or both of control or configuration of the plurality of wells comprises determining one or more aspects associated with a primary depletion phase of hydrocarbon management. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein determining the one or more aspects associated with the primary depletion phase of hydrocarbon management comprises determining a time when to end primary depletion. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining the one or more aspects of one or both of control or configuration of the plurality of wells comprises determining, based on the interwell connectivity model, one or both of whether or when to begin injecting gas into at least one of the plurality of wells. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the interwell connectivity model in combination with an optimization model are used to determine whether to inject the gas into tubing or into an annulus of one or more wells. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the plurality of wells comprises one or more injector wells into which gas is injected into the tubing; and
 wherein the interwell connectivity model in combination with the optimization model determine whether to inject the gas into tubing by analyzing a time delay of an effect of injecting the gas into the one or more injector wells on one or more offset wells.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the one or more injector wells comprises a first injector well and a second injector well; and
 wherein the interwell connectivity model in combination with the optimization model are used to determine, based on the time delay, one or both of a timing of injection of the gas into the tubing based on the gas injected into the tubing of the first injector well.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the plurality of wells comprises one or more injector wells into which gas is injected into the tubing and one or more offset wells in which gas is not injected into the tubing; and
 wherein the interwell connectivity model in combination with the optimization model are used to determine for the one or more offset wells one or more aspects of injecting the gas into the annulus of the one or more offset wells based on the gas injected into the tubing of the one or more injector wells.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the interwell connectivity model in combination with the optimization model are used to determine, based on a time delay of an effect of injecting the gas into the tubing of the one or more injector wells on the one or more offset wells, when to inject the gas into the annulus of the one or more offset wells. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein hydrocarbons are extracted from a subsurface via the one or more offset wells;
 wherein the effect of injecting the gas into the tubing of the one or more injector wells comprises a mixing of the gas with the hydrocarbons in the subsurface;   wherein the interwell connectivity model in combination with the optimization model are used to determine when to begin injecting gas into an annulus of the one or more offset wells based on the time delay of the effect of injecting the gas into the tubing of the one or more injector wells.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising, responsive to receiving production data, updating one or more of parameters, bias or time delay of the interwell connectivity model. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the time delay is indicative of an effect of injecting gas into at least a part of a well; and
 wherein updating the time delay of the interwell connectivity model comprises using production data and data indicative of previous injection of gas into the at least a part of the well.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein hydrocarbon is extracted using a plurality of cycles of injecting gas into the at least a part of the well; and
 wherein the interwell connectivity model is updated based on the production data and the data from a previous cycle of injecting gas into the at least a part of the well.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13 , the interwell connectivity model includes: (i) discrete or categorical variables; and (ii) continuous variables; and
 wherein updating the interwell connectivity model includes updating both the discrete or categorical variables and the continuous variables.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the interwell connectivity model in combination with an optimization model are used to determine when to begin injecting gas or how much of the gas to inject into at least a part of the reservoir. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the interwell connectivity model in combination with an optimization model are used to determine in which one or more of the plurality of wells to inject the gas into tubing of the one or more of the plurality of wells in order to disperse gas in at least a part of the reservoir. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the one or more of the plurality of wells comprise one or more injector wells;
 wherein one or more offset wells comprise one or more remainder wells in which gas is not injected into the tubing of the one or more offset wells; and   wherein operation of at least one aspect of the one or more offset wells is performed based on injecting gas into the tubing of the one or more injector wells.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein artificial lift comprises injecting the gas in an annulus;
 wherein huffing comprises injecting the gas in the tubing; and   wherein one or more aspects of the artificial lift in the one or more offset wells is determined based on the huffing in one or more injector wells.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein one or both of a time to stop injecting the gas into the annulus of the one or more offset wells for the artificial lift or a volume of the gas injected into the annulus for the artificial lift is determined based on the injecting of gas into the tubing of the one or more injector wells. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein determining the one or more aspects of the artificial lift based on the huffing in the one or more injector wells comprises:
 determining a migration of the gas through the tubing in the one or more injector wells in the reservoir;   determining an effect of the migration of the gas in the reservoir on the one or more offset wells; and   selecting, based on the effect of the migration of the gas in the reservoir on the one or more offset wells, the one or more aspects of the artificial lift in the one or more offset wells.   
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining the one or more aspects of one or both of control or configuration of the plurality of wells comprise determining two or more cycles of: injecting one or more gases into tubing of at least one of the plurality of wells; and injecting the one or more gases into an annulus of one or more of the plurality of wells. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the two or more cycles comprise:
 injecting the one or more gases into the tubing of a plurality of injector wells; and   injecting the one or more gases into the annulus of one or more of the plurality of injector wells and one or more offset wells.