Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company

Exxonmobil Upstream Research—law Department

Jing Wan

Hao Bin Huang

Sheng-Yuan Hsu

Jon M Wallace

Bruce A Dale

Kevin H Searles

Yahan Yang

Eric R Grueschow

Timothy K Ellison

Marcus Asmann

Marcel A Grubert

Richard Thomas Mifflin

Jennifer A Hommema

David E Courtnage

Qian-Yong Chen

Richard T Mifflin

A zonal isolation apparatus for an open-hole wellbore completed with a gravel pack having sections of blank pipe intermediate selected sections of sand screen, comprising a blank liner, with a first packer and second packer disposed therein. The first and second packers are set adjacent to sections of blank pipe and seal an annular area formed between the blank liner and the surrounding sections of sand screen at the first and second sections of blank pipe. The flow of fluids into the wellbore intermediate the first and second sections of blank pipe is inhibited.

Apparatus and method for isolating fluid flow in an open hole completion

Methods for creating and using discretized physics-based models of subsurface regions, which may contain a hydrocarbon reservoir or other subsurface feature(s). The methods may include selecting a pre-solved model, applying a mesh to the pre-solved model, defining the shape of the subsurface region to be modeled, and transforming the pre-solved model, to which the mesh has been applied, to the shape of the subsurface region. In some methods, the pre-solved model is an idealized model. In some methods, the mesh is applied to a solution of potential field lines associated with the pre-solved model, and in some methods, the solution of potential field lines is a composite solution of a plurality of solutions of potential field lines. In some methods, one or more supershapes are used to define the shape of the subsurface region. In some methods, a hyperelastic strain deformation calculation is utilized for the transforming.

Discretized physics-based models and simulations of subterranean regions, and methods for creating and using the same

Methods for creating and using space-time surrogate models of subsurface regions, such as subsurface regions containing at least one hydrocarbon formation. The created surrogate models are explicit models that may be created from implicit models, such as computationally intensive full-physics models. The space-time surrogate models are parametric with respect to preselected variables, such as space, state, and/or design variables, while also indicating responsiveness of the preselected variables with respect to time. In some embodiments, the space-time surrogate model may be parametric with respect to preselected variables as well as to time. Methods for updating and evolving models of subsurface regions are also disclosed.

Space-time surrogate models of subterranean regions

A method for modeling a reservoir response in a subsurface system is provided. The subsurface system has at least one subsurface feature. Preferably, the subsurface system comprises a hydrocarbon reservoir. The method includes defining physical boundaries for the subsurface system, and locating the at least one subsurface feature within the physical boundaries. The method also includes creating a finite element mesh within the physical boundaries. The finite element mesh may have elements that cross the at least one subsurface feature such that the subsurface feature intersects elements in the mesh. A computer-based numerical simulation is then performed wherein the effects of the subsurface feature are recognized in the response. The reservoir response may be, for example, pore pressure or displacement at a given location within the physical boundaries.

Modeling of hydrocarbon reservoirs containing subsurface features

Methods and systems to reduce or eliminate numerical oscillations in solutions that occur when using conventional MPFA when modeling flow in a reservoir are provided. The technique may be referred to as enriched multi-point flux approximation (EMPFA) and may be used to improve the consistency and accuracy in constructing pressure interpolations in cells for the purpose of determining flux equations used in predicting flow in a reservoir.

Enriched multi-point flux approximation

Growing community of inventors

Sugar Land, TX, United States of America

Jing Wan