Integrated reservoir characterization and simulation approach to enhance production of tight sandstone gas reservoir, Sulige gas field, Ordos Basin, China

Abstract

The tight gas reservoir is a significant unconventional hydrocarbon resource of energy worldwide. However, the complex nature and heterogeneity make it challenging during exploration and production. Moreover, constructing and updating 3D reservoir model is vital for reservoir monitoring and surveillance. Such reservoirs require precise simulation strategies to accurately assess the hydrocarbon potential and formulate effective field development plans. Hence, this study delivers an efficient workflow integrating 3D reservoir modeling, history matching, and feasible development scenarios to enhance the gas recovery of the tight gas reservoir, block Su-6 of the Sulige gas field, China. Initially, history matching was verified so that the model aligned with the actual production data, reflecting a more accurate depiction of fluid flow dynamics within the reservoir. Manual matching was utilized by adjusting parameters, e.g., the relative permeability, pore volume, and transmissibility multiplier, by limited simulation runs to attain a good history match. Next, the most reliable matching model can serve as the base case to predict reservoir performance via the field development strategy. The optimal scenario, identified in the 3D gas reservoir model, was to add five infill horizontal wells, which generate 8.2 % extra gas recovery related to the reference case. This finding reveals that the accurate field development strategy is to enhance the effectiveness of the production via infill a horizontal well in the unswept area of the reservoir. The primary contribution of this research indicates the worth of the field development strategy of complex tight reservoirs. Moreover, it assists operators in understanding the fluid flow dynamics and production enhancement utilizing the production history portrait and field development scenarios of the tight sandstone gas reservoir of China or elsewhere.