Ifp Energies Nouvelles

Matthieu Delorme

Nina Khvoenkova

Bernard Bourbiaux

The invention is a method for optimizing the development of a fluid reservoir using a fractured medium mesh generated from a first-order balanced octree technique is disclosed. A mesh of a discrete fracture network generated by defining a set of cells for each fracture and then a mesh of the matrix medium is generated by dividing each cell by an octree technique, wherein a cell is divided into eight cells. The transmissivities between the cells of the fracture mesh, transmissivities between the cells of the matrix medium mesh and transmissivities between cells of the fracture mesh and cells of the matrix medium mesh are then determined. Finally, the cells and the transmissivities are used for generating an image of the fluid reservoir from which the development of the fluid reservoir is optimized.

Method for generating a fractured reservoir mesh with a limited number of nodes in the matrix medium

Method for optimizing the development of a fluid deposit using a fracture network grid constructed from a Voronoi diagram. Based on observations of the deposit a discrete fracture network is constructed in which each fracture is represented by an isotropic polygonal finite plane in terms of its dynamic properties, a plane comprising segments of intersection with other network fractures. A Voronoi diagram is constructed on each fracture plane by positioning Voronoi cell centers on the segments of intersection, and the transmissivities are calculated between centers of neighboring cells from the ratio between the surface area of the neighboring cells and the distance between the neighboring cells. The cells and transmissivities can then be used to construct an image of the fluid deposit. Finally, this image and a flow simulator are used to optimize the development of the fluid deposit.

Method for constructing a fracture network grid from a Voronoi diagram

A method for optimizing the development of a fractured hydrocarbon reservoir wherein the network permeability is determined using a reliable compromise between numerical and analytical methods which has application to oil reservoir development. The reservoir is discretized into a set of grid cells and a geometrical description of the fracture network in each cell is elaborated. A connectivity index is then deduced within each cell for the fractures. The permeability of the fracture network of the cells whose connectivity index is above a first threshold is determined and a zero permeability value is assigned in the other cells. Other thresholds can be determined so as to choose between a numerical method and an analytical method to determine the permeability. These permeabilities are exploited in a flow simulator so as to optimize the development of the reservoir.

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Rueil-Malmaison, France

Matthieu Delorme