Numerical study of vug effects on acid-rock reactive flow in carbonate reservoirs

Zhaoqin Huang, Hongchuan Xing, Xu Zhou, Haoyu You

Abstract view|347|times       PDF download|250|times

Abstract


     

Matrix acidizing is one of the most practical stimulation technologies for carbonate reservoirs, which effectively improve the region permeability near the wellbore. In addition to solid matrix, vugs are also very common in carbonate reservoirs. However, a few studies have been addressed with existence of vugs on carbonate acidizing process. In this work, a two-scale model is developed using dual domain method and discrete vugs model to study effect of vugs on acidizing process. Darcy equation is employed in solid matrix region. Navier Stokes equation is adopted for free flow region in vugs. The two regions are coupled by modified Beavers-Joseph-Saffman boundary condition. Numerical cases are conducted to present the effect of vug characteristics on acid-rock reaction process. The results show that acid solution has the largest effective reducing distance and the smallest breakthrough volume in circular vugs. Dominant wormhole is created when acid injection direction is parallel or vertical to the azimuth angle of vugs. Increasing amount of vugs in horizontal effectively reduces the flow distance and breakthrough volume of acid solution. Vugs with random distribution increases effective flow distance and breakthrough volume of acid solution compared to vugs with orderly distribution.

Cited as: Huang, Z., Xing, H., Zhou, X., You, H. Numerical study of vug effects on acid-rock reactive flow in carbonate reservoirs. Advances in Geo-Energy Research, 2020, 4(4): 448-459, doi: 10.46690/ager.2020.04.09


Keywords


Acid-rock reaction, Navier-Stokes/Darcy Equations, two-scale model, acidizing process

Full Text:

PDF

References


Ali, M.T., Ezzat, A.A., Nasr-El-Din, H.A. A model to simulate matrix-acid stimulation for wells in dolomite reservoirs with vugs and natural fractures. SPE J. 2020, 25(2): 609-631.

Balakotaiah, V., West, D.H. Shape normalization and analysis of the mass transfer controlled regime in catalytic monoliths. Chem. Eng. Sci. 2002, 57(8): 1269-1286.

Beavers, G.S., Joseph, D.D. Boundary conditions at a naturally permeable wall. J. Fluid Mech. 1967, 30(1): 197-207.

Cai, J., Hu, X. Petrophysical Characterization and Fluids Transport in Unconventional Reservoirs. Amsterdam, Netherlands, Elsevier, 2019.

Daccord, G., Lenormand, R., Li ´etard, O. Chemical dissolution of a porous medium by a reactive fluid-I. Model for the ”wormholing” phenomenon. Chem. Eng. Sci. 1993, 48(1): 169-178.

Fredd, C.N., Fogler, H.S. Influence of transport and reaction on wormhole formation in porous media. AIChE J. 1998, 44(9): 1933-1949.

Fredd, C.N., Fogler, H.S. Optimum conditions for wormhole formation in carbonate porous media: Influence of transport and reaction. SPE J. 1999, 4(3): 196-205.

Fredd, C.N., Miller, M.J. Validation of carbonate matrix stimulation models. Paper SPE 58713 Presented at SPE International Symposium on Formation Damage Control, Lafayette, Louisiana, 23-24 February, 2000.

Fredd, C.N., Tjia, R., Fogler, H.S. The existence of an optimum damkohler number for matrix stimulation of carbonate formations. Paper SPE 38167 Presented at SPE European Formation Damage Conference, Hague, Netherlands, 2-3 June, 1997.

Ghommem, M., Zhao, W., Dyer, S., et al. Carbonate acidizing: Modeling, analysis, and characterization of wormhole formation and propagation. J. Pet. Sci. Eng. 2015, 131: 18-33.

Huang, Z. Theoretical study on multiscale modeling of two-phase flow based on discrete fracture-vug model. Qingdao, China University of Petroleum (East China), 2012. (in Chinese)

Huang, Z., Gao, B., Yao, J. On the interface boundary conditions for the stokes-darcy coupling problem. Scientia Sinica Physica, Mechanica & Astronomica 2014, 44(2): 212-220. (in Chinese)

Huang, Z., Yao, J., Li, Y., et al. Permeability analysis of fractured vuggy porous media based on homogenization theory. Science China Technological Sciences 2010, 53(3): 839-847. (in Chinese)

Huang, Z., Yao, J., Li, Y., et al. Numerical calculation of equivalent permeability tensor for fractured vuggy porous media based on homogenization theory. Commun. Comput. Phys. 2011, 9(1): 180-204.

Izgec, O., Zhu, D., Hill, A.D. Numerical and experimental investigation of acid wormholing during acidization of vuggy carbonate rocks. J. Pet. Sci. Eng. 2010, 74(1-2): 51-66.

Kalia, N., Balakotaiah, V. Effect of medium heterogeneities on reactive dissolution of carbonates. Chem. Eng. Sci. 2009, 64(2): 376-390.

Kang, Z., Yang, L., Ji, B., et al. Key technologies for eor in fractured-vuggy carbonate reservoirs. Oil & Gas Geology 2020, 41(2): 434-441. (in Chinese)

Li, Y. Development Theories and Methods of Fracture-vug Carbonate Reservoirs. Pittsburgh, USA, Academic Press, 2017.

Liu, P., Xue, H., Zhao, L., et al. Simulation of 3D multi-scale wormhole propagation in carbonates considering correlation spatial distribution of petrophysical properties. J. Nat. Gas Sci. Eng. 2016, 32: 81-94.

Lund, K., Fogler, H.S., McCune, C.C. Acidization-I. The dissolution of dolomite in hydrochloric acid. Chem. Eng. Sci. 1973, 28(3): 691-700.

Lund, K., Fogler, H.S., McCune, C.C., et al. Acidization-II. The dissolution of calcite in hydrochloric acid. Chem. Eng. Sci. 1975, 30(8): 825-835.

Ma, Y., He, D., Cai, X., et al. Distribution and fundamental science questions for petroleum geology of marine carbonate in china. Acta Petrologica Sinica 2017, 33(4): 1007-1020. (in Chinese)

MacQuarrie, K.T.B., Mayer, K.U. Reactive transport modeling in fractured rock: A state-of-the-science review. Earth-Sci. Rev. 2005, 72(3-4): 189-227.

Maheshwari, P., Ratnakar, R., Kalia, N., et al. 3-D simulation and analysis of reactive dissolution and wormhole formation in carbonate rocks. Chem. Eng. Sci. 2013, 90: 258-274.

McDuff, D., Shuchart, C.E., Jackson, S., et al. Understanding wormholes in carbonates: Unprecedented experimental scale and 3D visualization. J. Pet. Technol. 2010, 62(10): 78-81.

Mosthaf, K., Baber, K., Flemisch, B., et al. A coupling concept for two-phase compositional porous-medium and single-phase compositional free flow. Water Resour. Res. 2011, 47(10): W10522.

Nield, D.A., Bejan, A. Convection in Porous Media. Berlin, Germany, Springer, 2013.

Panga, M.K.R, Balakotaiah, V., Ziauddin, M. Modeling, simulation and comparison of models for wormhole formation during matrix stimulation of carbonates. Paper SPE 77369 Presented at SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, San Antonio, Texas, 29 September-2 October, 2002.

Panga, M.K.R., Ziauddin, M., Balakotaiah, V. Two-scale continuum model for simulation of wormholes in carbonate acidization. AIChE J. 2005, 51(12): 3231-3248.

Qi, N., Chen, G., Liang, C., et al. Numerical simulation and analysis of the influence of fracture geometry on wormhole propagation in carbonate reservoirs. Chem. Eng. Sci. 2019, 198: 124-143.

Saffman, P.G. On the boundary condition at the surface of a porous medium. Stud. Appl. Math. 1971, 50(2): 93-101.

Taylor, G. A model for the boundary condition of a porous material. Part 1. J. Fluid Mech. 1971, 49(2): 319-326.

Wang, S., Han, X., Dong, Y., et al. Mechanisms of reservoir pore/throat characteristics evolution during long-term waterflooding. Adv. Geo-Energy Res. 2017, 1(3): 148-157.

Wang, Y., Hill, A.D., Schechter, R.S. The optimum injection rate for matrix acidizing of carbonate formations. Paper SPE 26578 Presented at SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Houston, Texas, 3-6 October, 1993.

Yang, L. The theory and method for development of carbonate fractured-cavity reservoirs in tahe oilfield. Acta Petrologica Sinica 2013, 34(1): 115-121. (in Chinese)

Yao, J., Huang, Z., Wang, Z., et al. Mathematical model of fluid flow in fractured vuggy reservoirs based on discrete fracture-vug network. Acta Petrologica Sinica 2010, 31(5): 815-819+824. (in Chinese)

Yuan, T., Wei, C., Zhang, C.S., et al. A numerical simulator for modeling the coupling processes of subsurface fluid flow and reactive transport processes in fractured carbonate rocks. Water 2019, 11(10): 1957.

Zhang, T., Li, Z., Adenutsi, C.D., et al. A new model for calculating permeability of natural fractures in dual-porosity reservoir. Adv. Geo-Energy Res. 2017, 1(2): 86-92.

Zhao, L., Wang, R., Liu, P., et al. Numerical simulation of wormhole propagation considering natural micro-fractures. Reservoir Evaluation and Development 2020, 10(2): 76-82. (in Chinese)

Zheng, S., Yang, L., Zhang, H. Network model of fractured vuggy carbonate reservoir. Journal of China University of Petroleum (Edition of Natural Science) 2010, 34(3): 72-75+79. (in Chinese)




DOI: https://doi.org/10.46690/ager.2020.04.09

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2020 The Author(s)

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Copyright ©2018. All Rights Reserved