Fractured Reservoirs Lecture -4

Formulation of the Fluid Flow Equations in Fractured Reservoirs

Several reservoir idealizations of the dual-porosity reservoir systems have been introduced for
modeling and describing the in naturally fractured reservoirs. Warren and Root
(1963) presented an extensive theoretical work on the behavior of naturally fractured reservoirs.
They assume that the formation from the matrix system into the fractures under
pseudo-steady- state conditions with the fractures acting like conduits to the wellbore.
Mathematically, Warren and Roots introduced the matrix fracture transfer function as
by the following relationship:

Where km matrix permeability block-shape factor viscosity

V matrix rock volume pm matrix pressure pf fracture pressure

The shape factor is a geometric factor that depends on the geometry and the characteristic
shape of the matrix system, and has the dimension of a reciprocal of the area and is
expression:

Where A surface area of the matrix block, ft2 V volume of the matrix block
x characteristic length of the matrix block, ft

Kazemi (1969) developed a widely used expression for determining the shape factor based on
-difference as given by:

where Lx, Ly, and Lz represent the dimensions of a matrix block.

In addition to permeability and skin, which control the behavior of double-porosity systems,
Warren and Root introduced two other characteristic parameters to describe fully the
exchange between the matrix and fractures. These two parameters are called storativity ratio
and interporosity and below:
The dimensionless parameter the storativity of the fractures as a ratio to that of the
total reservoir. Mathematically, it is given

where storativity ratio h thickness ct total compressibility, psi 1 porosity

Fractured Reservoirs Lecture -4

The subscripts f and m refer to the and matrix, respectively.

A typical range of is 0.1 to 0.001.

The second parameter is the , which describes the ability of the

and is by the following relationship:

km = matrix permeability kf = fracture

permeability rw = wellbore radius -shape factor
Most of the proposed models assume that the matrix fissures system can be represented by one
the following four block-shape factor geometries: Cubic matrix blocks separated by fractures

where Lm is the length of a block side.

Spherical matrix blocks separated by fractures with as given by

where rm is the radius of the sphere.

Fractured Reservoirs Lecture -4

Horizontal strata (rectangular slab) matrix blocks separated by frac tures with as given by:

where hf is the thickness of an individual fracture or high permeability layer.

Vertical cylinder matrix blocks separated by fractures with as given
by:

where rm is the radius of each cylinder.

3 and 10 9. Cinco and

interporosity conditions:
Restricted interporosity , which corresponds to a high skin between the least permeable

pseudosteady-state solution, i.e., the Warren and Root model.

Fractured Reservoirs Lecture -4

Unrestricted interporosity , which corresponds to zero skin between the most and high
permeable media and is described as the unsteady-state (transient) solution.
Warren and Root proposed the method of the double- porosity system, as
shown by the drawdown semilog plot of Figure 17-5. The curve is characterized by two
parallel straight lines because of the two separate porosities in the reservoir. Secondary
having greater transmissivity and being connected to the wellbore,

Figure 17-5. Pressure drawdown according to the model by Warren and Root. (Copyright
©1969, SPE, Kazemi, SPEJ.)

responds as described by the semilog straight line. Primary porosity (matrix), having a
much lower transmissivity, responds much later. The combined effect of the two porosities gives
rise to the second semilog straight line. The two straight lines are separated by a transition
period during which pressure tends to stabilize.
its slope is
used to determine the system permeability thickness product. However, because the fracture
storage is small, the in the fractures is quickly depleted with a combined rapid pressure
decline
matrix into the fractures, which causes a slowdown in the pressure decline rate (as shown in
Figure 17-5 by the transition period). As the matrix pressure approaches the pressure of the
fractures, the pressure is stabilized in the two systems and yields the second semilog straight line.
overshadowed by wellbore
storage effects and might not be recognized.
Fractured Reservoirs Lecture -4

Figure 17-6. Buildup curve from a fractured reservoir. (After Warren and Root,1963.)

Therefore, in practice, only parameters characterizing the homogeneous behavior of the total
system kf h can be obtained.
Figure 17-6 shows the pressure-buildup data for a naturally fractured reservoir. As for the
drawdown, wellbore storage effects may obscure the
straight lines develop, analysis of the total permeability thickness product is estimated from the
slope m of either straight line and the use of Equation 6-178 in Chapter 6, that is:

The skin factor s and the false pressure p* are calculated by using the second straight line.
Warren and Root indicated that the storativity ratio can be determined from the vertical
displacement between the two p in Figures 17-5 and 17-6, by the
following express
Bourdet and Gringarten (1980) indicated that by drawing a horizontal line through the middle
of the transition curve to intersect with both semilog straight lines, as shown in Figure 17-5 for
a pressure drawdown test and Figure 17-6 for a pressure-
can then be determined by reading the corresponding time at the intersection of
-line inter- section t1 or second-line intersection t2, and
applying the following relationships:
Fractured Reservoirs Lecture -4

The subscripts 1 and 2 (e.g., t1 - and second-line time intersection, respectively,

with the horizontal line drawn through the middle of the transition region pressure response
during drawdown or buildup tests.
The above relationships indicate that the value of is dependent on the value of . Since is
the ratio of fracture to matrix storage, as
in terms of the total and by
Equation 17-1, it can be expressed as:

The above mathematical expression indicates that storativity ratio is also dependent on the
when the oil contained in the fracture is
below the bubble-point, the oil contained in the matrix is above the bubble-point. Thus, is
pressure dependent and therefore is greater than 10 3, the level of heterogeneity is
-porosity effects to be of importance and the reservoir can be treated with a
single porosity.

Based on the Warren and Root double-porosity theory, Bourdet and Gringarten (1980)
Fractured Reservoirs Lecture -4

developed specialized pressure type curves that can be used for analyzing well test data in dual-
porosity systems. They showed that double-porosity behavior is controlled by the following
independent variables:

2s

with the dimensionless time tD, dimensionless pressure pD, and dimensionless wellbore-
storage coefficient CD as defined below
Fractured Reservoirs Lecture -4

It should be noted that all type-curve solutions are obtained for the drawdown solution.
Therefore, these type curves cannot be used for buildup tests without restriction or
P, before shut-in must be
somewhat large. However, Agarwal (1980) empirically found that by plotting the buildup data
(pws pwf@ t 0) versus equivalent time te instead of the shut-in time t, on a log log scale,
the type-curve analysis can be made without the
-in. Agarwal introduced the
equivalent time te as by:
Fractured Reservoirs Lecture -4

The following additional reservoir and properties are available: pi 6789.5 psi
pwf@ t 0 6352 psi
Qo 2554 STB/day Bo 2.3 bbl/STB
0 1 cp
tp 8611 hours rw 0.375 ft
ct 8.17 10 6 psi 1
m 0.21 km 0.1 md hm 17 ft

a. Estimate and
b. Storativity of the fractures ( hct)f
Fractured Reservoirs Lecture -4