Forecasting the Water Flooding for the Production Wells of a Gas Condensate Field with a Fractured Reservoir Type

Abstract

As is known, fractured reservoirs compared to conventional reservoirs have such features as complex pore volume structure, high heterogeneity of the porosity and permeability properties etc. Apart from this, the productivity of a specific well is defined above all by the number of natural fractures penetrated by the wellbore and their properties. Development of fractured reservoirs is associated with a number of issues, one of which is related to uneven and accelerated water flooding due to water breakthrough through fractures to the wellbores, for this reason it becomes difficult to forecast the well performance. Under conditions of lack of information on the reservoir structure and aquifer activity, the 3D digital models of the field generated using the hydrodynamic simulators may feature insufficient predictive capability. However, forecasting of breakthroughs is important in terms of generating reliable HC and water production profiles and decision-making on reservoir management and field facilities for produced water treatment. Identification of possible sources of water flooding and planning of individual parameters of production well operation for the purpose of extending the water-free operation period play significant role in the development of these reservoirs. The purpose of this study is to describe the results of the hydrochemical monitoring to forecast the water flooding of the wells that penetrated a fractured reservoir on the example of a gas condensate field in Bolivia. The study contains data on the field development status and associated difficulties and uncertainties. The initial data were results of monthly analyses of the produced water and the water-gas ratio dynamics that were analyzed and compared to the data on the analogue fields. The data analysis demonstrated that first signs of water flooding for the wells of the field under study may be diagnosed through the monitoring of the produced water mineralization - the water-gas ratio (WGR) increase is preceded by the mineralization increase that may be observed approximately a month earlier. However, the data on the analogue fields shows that this period may be longer – from few months to two years. Thus, the hydrochemical method within integrated monitoring of development of a field with a fractured reservoir could be one of the efficient methods to timely adjust the well operation parameters and may extend the water-free period of its operation.