Evaluating production performance of horizontal oil producers equipped with inflow control devices using high resolution dynamic model

Abstract

An inflow-control devices (ICDs) in the horizontal well are designed and specified using a single medium high-resolution dynamic model. Accordingly, the well completion operation of the horizontal well is performed according to the ICD specification. The high-resolution dynamic model incorporates actual petrophysical log data (e.g., logging-while-drilling (LWD) log) from a newly drilled horizontal well to ensure representative prediction of production performance of the horizontal well equipped with ICDs. In contrast to the current practice in the petroleum industry, the high-resolution dynamic model incorporates all geological heterogeneities in the formation and predicts production performance at contiguous time-steps.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . A method to perform well completion in a field, comprising:
 obtaining a plurality of well logs of a candidate horizontal well and associated vertical offset wells, the plurality of well logs comprising petrophysical properties of a formation in the field;   generating, based on the petrophysical properties of the plurality of well logs, a static geological model of the formation;   generating, by performing reservoir simulation based on the static geological model, a dynamic geological model;   generating a plurality of inflow control device (ICD) models for the candidate horizontal well;   generating, using a statistical algorithm and based on the dynamic geological model, a plurality of statistical predictions of production performance of the candidate horizontal well corresponding to the plurality of ICD models;   selecting, based on a ranking of the plurality of statistical predictions of production performance of the candidate horizontal well, an optimal ICD model; and   installing, based on the optimal ICD model, a plurality of ICDs in the candidate horizontal well.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 performing, using at least the plurality of ICDs, a production operation of the candidate horizontal well as a completed producing well.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein generating the plurality of statistical predictions of production performance of the candidate horizontal well comprises:
 generating, using a statistical algorithm and for each ICD model of the plurality of ICD models, a plurality of statistical realizations of production performance of the candidate horizontal well; and   identifying, from the plurality of statistical realizations for said each ICD model, a statistical measure as a statistical prediction of production performance of the candidate horizontal well for said each ICD model.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 ,
 wherein the statistical algorithm comprises a Monte Carlo method, and   wherein the statistical measure comprises a most-likely outcome of the plurality of statistical realizations.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 ,
 wherein said each ICD model comprises a vertical lift model that represents a relationship between fluid flow rate and pressure.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the static geological model is used as a starting point of the reservoir simulation to generate the dynamic geological model.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the candidate horizontal well comprises a horizontal wellbore that is divided into a plurality of segments,   wherein the plurality of well logs comprise a logging-while-drilling (LWD) log of the candidate horizontal well, the LWD log comprising petrophysical properties of each of the plurality of segments, and   wherein each ICD model of the plurality of ICD models comprises an ICD location, an ICD type, and an ICD characteristic parameter in each of the plurality of segments.   
     
     
         8 . An inflow control device (ICD) analyzer to perform well completion in a field, comprising:
 a computer processor; and   memory storing instructions, when executed by the computer processor comprising functionality for:
 obtaining a plurality of well logs of a candidate horizontal well and associated vertical offset wells, the plurality of well logs comprising petrophysical properties of a formation in the field; 
 generating, based on the petrophysical properties of the plurality of well logs, a static geological model of the formation; 
 generating, by performing reservoir simulation based on the static geological model, a dynamic geological model; 
 generating a plurality of inflow control device (ICD) models for the candidate horizontal well; 
 generating, using a statistical algorithm and based on the dynamic geological model, a plurality of statistical predictions of production performance of the candidate horizontal well corresponding to the plurality of ICD models; 
 selecting, based on a ranking of the plurality of statistical predictions of production performance of the candidate horizontal well, an optimal ICD model; and 
 installing, based on the optimal ICD model, a plurality of ICDs in the candidate horizontal well. 
   
     
     
         9 . The ICD analyzer of  claim 8 , the instructions, when executed by the computer processor further comprising functionality for:
 performing, using at least the plurality of ICDs, a production operation of the candidate horizontal well as a completed producing well.   
     
     
         10 . The ICD analyzer of  claim 8 , wherein generating the plurality of statistical predictions of production performance of the candidate horizontal well comprises:
 generating, using a statistical algorithm and for each ICD model of the plurality of ICD models, a plurality of statistical realizations of production performance of the candidate horizontal well; and   identifying, from the plurality of statistical realizations for said each ICD model, a statistical measure as a statistical prediction of production performance of the candidate horizontal well for said each ICD model.   
     
     
         11 . The ICD analyzer of  claim 10 ,
 wherein the statistical algorithm comprises a Monte Carlo method, and   wherein the statistical measure comprises a most-likely outcome of the plurality of statistical realizations.   
     
     
         12 . The ICD analyzer of  claim 10 ,
 wherein said each ICD model comprises a vertical lift model that represents a relationship between fluid flow rate and pressure.   
     
     
         13 . The ICD analyzer of  claim 8 ,
 wherein the static geological model is used as a starting point of the reservoir simulation to generate the dynamic geological model.   
     
     
         14 . The ICD analyzer of  claim 8 ,
 wherein the candidate horizontal well comprises a horizontal wellbore that is divided into a plurality of segments,   wherein the plurality of well logs comprises a logging-while-drilling (LWD) log of the candidate horizontal well, the LWD log comprising petrophysical properties of each of the plurality of segments, and   wherein each ICD model of the plurality of ICD models comprises an ICD location, an ICD type, and an ICD characteristic parameter in each of the plurality of segments.   
     
     
         15 . A system comprising:
 a wellsite for performing well production in a field, the wellsite comprising a candidate horizontal well and associated vertical offset wells; and   an ICD analyzer comprising a computer processor and memory storing instructions, when executed by the computer processor comprising functionality for:
 obtaining a plurality of well logs of the candidate horizontal well and the associated vertical offset wells, the plurality of well logs comprising petrophysical properties of a formation in the field; 
 generating, based on the petrophysical properties of the plurality of well logs, a static geological model of the formation; 
 generating, by performing reservoir simulation based on the static geological model, a dynamic geological model; 
 generating a plurality of inflow control device (ICD) models for the candidate horizontal well; 
 generating, using a statistical algorithm and based on the dynamic geological model, a plurality of statistical predictions of production performance of the candidate horizontal well corresponding to the plurality of ICD models; 
 selecting, based on a ranking of the plurality of statistical predictions of production performance of the candidate horizontal well, an optimal ICD model; and 
 installing, based on the optimal ICD model, a plurality of ICDs in the candidate horizontal well. 
   
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , the instructions, when executed by the computer processor further comprising functionality for:
 performing, using at least the plurality of ICDs, a production operation of the candidate horizontal well as a completed producing well.   
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein generating the plurality of statistical predictions of production performance of the candidate horizontal well comprises:
 generating, using a statistical algorithm and for each ICD model of the plurality of ICD models, a plurality of statistical realizations of production performance of the candidate horizontal well; and   identifying, from the plurality of statistical realizations for said each ICD model, a statistical measure as a statistical prediction of production performance of the candidate horizontal well for said each ICD model.   
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 ,
 wherein the statistical algorithm comprises a Monte Carlo method, and   wherein the statistical measure comprises a most-likely outcome of the plurality of statistical realizations.   
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 17 ,
 wherein said each ICD model comprises a vertical lift model that represents a relationship between fluid flow rate and pressure.   
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 15 ,
 wherein the candidate horizontal well comprises a horizontal wellbore that is divided into a plurality of segments,   wherein the plurality of well logs comprises a logging-while-drilling (LWD) log of the candidate horizontal well, the LWD log comprising petrophysical properties of each of the plurality of segments, and   wherein each ICD model of the plurality of ICD models comprises an ICD location, an ICD type, and an ICD characteristic parameter in each of the plurality of segments.