US 5,710,726 A · Semi-compositional simulation of hydrocarbon reservoirs

Abstract

A computer-operated method and corresponding system for simulating a reservoir to provide inputs to a surface model simulation is disclosed. The method of operating the simulation begins with the dividing of the reservoir into volume cells, and assigning reservoir parameters such as porosity and permeability of the rock to the particular cells. Temperature and pressure values are also assigned to each of the volume cells, and an equation of state is solved for the cells to determine densities of each of the components of the contents of the reservoirs, examples of such components including methane, ethane, and the like. A black oil simulation of the reservoir is then performed over a time step, to determine the fluxes of the vapor and liquid phases, as reservoir barrel volumes, at each cell boundary. The assigned density values are then used to transform the volumes determined by the black oil simulation to molar quantities for each component. One or more volume cell boundaries correspond to the well output, so that the transformation provides output quantities of the components from the reservoir over the time step; one or more volume cell boundaries may also correspond to injection sites. The method provides an efficient way of providing component mass quantities to downstream simulations, such as surface model simulations.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A method of operating a computer system to determine the hydrocarbon output of a subsurface reservoir in mass units for a plurality of components of the contents of the reservoir, the plurality of components comprising at least first and second liquid hydrocarbon components and first and second gaseous hydrocarbon components, comprising the steps of:

retrieving, from computer-readable memory, data corresponding to geometry of the reservoir;
generating a computer representation of the reservoir as a plurality of cells arranged adjacent to one another so as to have boundaries therebetween;
assigning temperature and pressure values to each of the cells;
associating, with each of the plurality of cells, a density value for each of the plurality of components in each of the vapor and liquid phases;
performing a black oil simulation to determine a vapor flux volume and a liquid flux volume across each of the boundaries of cells in the computer representation of the reservoir over a time step, wherein one of the boundaries of cells corresponds to the output from a well location of the reservoir;
after the performing step, for each of the plurality of boundaries, transforming the vapor flux volume and liquid flux volume into the mass quantity of each of the components using the density values associated with the corresponding cells;
and
repeating the performing and transforming steps for a series of time steps.

5 more elements

A computer system for determining the hydrocarbon output of a subsurface reservoir in mass units for a plurality of components of the contents of the reservoir, the plurality of components comprising at least first and second liquid hydrocarbon components and first and second gaseous hydrocarbon components, comprising:

a computer-readable memory, for storing data corresponding to the geometry of a sub-surface reservoir, and to pressure and temperature values at locations in the reservoir;
an output device;
and
a computer programmed to perform a sequence of steps comprising:
retrieving, from computer-readable memory, data corresponding to geometry of the reservoir;
generating a computer representation of the reservoir as a plurality of cells arranged adjacent to one another so as to have boundaries therebetween;
assigning temperature and pressure values to each of the cells;
associating, with each of the plurality of cells, a density value for each of the plurality of components in each of the vapor and liquid phases;
performing a black oil simulation to determine a vapor flux volume and a liquid flux volume across each of the boundaries of cells in the computer representation of the reservoir over a time step, wherein one of the boundaries of cells corresponds to the output from a well location of the reservoir;
after the performing step, for each of the plurality of boundaries, transforming the vapor flux volume and liquid flux volume into the mass quantity of each of the components using the density values associated with the corresponding cells;
and
repeating the performing and transforming steps for a series of time steps;
and
presenting to the output device a report indicating the results of the performing and transforming steps over the series of time steps.

11 more elements

A computer-readable memory configured so that, when read and used by a computer, the computer is directed to determine the hydrocarbon output of a subsurface reservoir in mass units for a plurality of components of the contents of the reservoir, the plurality of components comprising at least first and second liquid hydrocarbon components and first and second gaseous hydrocarbon components, said computer directed by a plurality of operations comprising:

retrieving, from a computer-readable memory, data corresponding to geometry of the reservoir;
generating a computer representation of the reservoir as a plurality of cells arranged adjacent to one another so as to have boundaries therebetween;
assigning temperature and pressure values to each of the cells;
associating, with each of the plurality of cells, a density value for each of the plurality of components in each of the vapor and liquid phases;
performing a black oil simulation to determine a vapor flux volume and a liquid flux volume across each of the boundaries of cells in the computer representation of the reservoir over a time step, wherein one of the boundaries of cells corresponds to the output from a well location of the reservoir;
after the performing step, for each of the plurality of boundaries, transforming the vapor flux volume and liquid flux volume into the mass quantity of each of the components using the density values associated with the corresponding cells;
and
repeating the performing and transforming steps for a series of time steps.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Semi-compositional simulation of hydrocarbon reservoirs

Life of this patent

Semi-compositional simulation of hydrocarbon reservoirs

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims19