Modeling of technological processes in the tNavigator software package

Abstract

The paper examines the modeling of technological processes in hydrocarbon field development using the tNavigator software package by the example of simulating hydraulic fracturing and potential hydrate formation zones. The relevance of modeling is associated with the need to improve the efficiency of field development man-agement, reduce costs and risks in hydrocarbon production. It is noted that, by ensuring mathematical environmental safety, modeling allows for the verification of the feasibility of technological solutions for developing complex reservoirs using a digital 3D hydrodynamic model. It is substantiated that the model allows for evaluating the effectiveness of the proposed inflow stimulation method, the impact of specific parameters on development success, and a comparison with other solutions, including the creation of a predictive version of the model for planning high-quality field development. The purpose of modeling technological processes in the tNavigator software package, for example, to identify potential hydrate formation zones, is to construct an equilibrium curve for hydrate formation, define logical expressions, and create special properties. The following methods are used to simulate hydraulic fracturing (GRP): skin factor, perforation productivity factor modification, virtual perforation creation, and wellbore grid refinement. The skin factor method is used for small fractures smaller than the cell size. The fracture is accounted for by penetrating the overlying and underlying modeling objects, but does not account for the horizontal orientation of the HF fracture. The virtual perforation method creates additional virtual perforation intervals in the cells through which the fracture passes. Perforation conductivity coefficients are calculated using semi-empirical relationships that take into account cell and fracture parameters. The tNavigator software package lacks functionality for identifying and displaying potential hydrate formation zones in a 3D model. To address this issue, a custom property was created, in which a logical expression was defined in the Python programming language, allowing for the identification of the required zones. An equilibrium hydrate formation curve was constructed using a compositional thermal model for a given gas composition. Using MS Excel 2010 software, the equilibrium hydrate formation curve was plotted using coordinates exported from tNavigator. The dependence of the equilibrium hydrate formation temperature on the equilibrium hydrate formation pressure was determined, described by a logarithmic equation. tNavigator can be used to simulate hydraulic fracturing, near-wellbore treatment technologies, enhanced oil and gas recovery methods, and other interventions. Several hydraulic fracturing modeling methods are considered, including skin factor simulation, virtual perforation generation, and wellbore grid reduction. A methodology for constructing an equilibrium hydrate formation curve in tNavigator is discussed. A calculation was performed to determine the equation describing the hydrate formation curve. Using the Python programming language, logical expressions were defined to identify zones of potential hydrate formation. Calculations were performed using a hydrodynamic model based on real field data. A thermal compositional hydrodynamic model was created, allowing for tracking the distribution and change in reservoir temperature during development. The feasibility of predicting and identifying zones of potential hydrate formation under various pressure-temperature conditions and wellbore stimulation methods is demonstrated. Some of the advantages of using tNavigator include high calculation performance on modern multi-core, multi-processor hardware, a user-friendly graphical interface, support for all data formats, and a range of unique tools for modeling geological and technical interventions.