Analysis of Finite-Conductivity Fractures Intercepting Multilayer Commingled Reservoirs

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Summary: The response of a fractured well in a multilayered reservoir is the primary subject of this study. Both analytical approximations and numerical results are presented. The analytical solutions served three important functions: (1) they enabled us to verify the numerical solutions used in this study; (2) they provided information on the structure of the solution and thus increased physical understanding; and (3) most importantly, they suggested a method whereby we were able to correlate multilayer solutions with single-layer solutions. We introduce the concept of dimensionless reservoir conductivity and show that in most realistic cases this parameter can be used to correlate commingled-reservoir solutions with the single-layer solutions available in the literature throughout the infinite-acting period. This concept and its utility in correlating solutions are the main contributions of this work. We also consider the analysis of buildup data following a short producing time. As in the drawdown case, we show that the multilayer buildup solutions can be correlated with single-layer buildup solutions through the concept of dimensionless reservoir conductivity.