Dynamic evaluation method of water-sealed gas for ultra-deep buried fractured tight gas reservoir in Kuqa Depression, Tarim Basin, China

The ultra-deep-buried fractured tight gas reservoir in the Kuqa Depression of the Tarim Basin has developed edge and bottom water. Faults and fractures have become “highways” for water invasion, resulting in the “water sealed gas” effect and reducing gas reservoir recovery. At present, there is a lack of effective evaluation methods. Therefore, based on an analysis of water invasion characteristics of the gas reservoir, a dynamic evaluation method for water-sealed gas in a fractured gas reservoir is established. This method considers two factors: fracture development scale and peripheral water body strength. It is then applied to three developed blocks in the Kuqa ultra-deep layer. The effectiveness of the evaluation results is verified by static and dynamic combination, and countermeasures to improve gas reservoir recovery are proposed. The results indicate that: (1) The non-uniform water invasion of fractures is jointly controlled by structural position, fracture development degree, and fracture network combination, which can be divided into three modes: edge water channeling along the large fracture in the core, edge and bottom water invading along the fracture in the wing, and rapid, violent water flooding of the bottom water along the fracture/small fault in the low part. (2) The replacement coefficient of water invasion in the three typical blocks is 0.2–0.3, indicating that they are sub active water-gas reservoirs. However, the severity of water-sealed gas varies greatly. The more severe the water-sealed gas is, the lower the recovery factor of the gas reservoir. (3) For directionally penetrating large fracture gas reservoirs, water shutoff should be carried out. For fracture network gas reservoirs with high fracture density, mild exploitation can control water, and early drainage can reduce the impact of water invasion, improving gas reservoir recovery. It is concluded that the new method of water-sealed gas dynamic evaluation can provide a reliable basis for evaluating fracture non-uniform water invasion dynamics of the ultra-deep gas reservoir and enhancing oil recovery of the gas reservoir in the Kuqa Depression. This method also supports the formulation of water control policies and the economic and efficient development of ultra-deep gas reservoirs in the Kuqa Depression.