Abstract
Stress changes within and around a depleting petroleum reservoir can lead to reservoir compaction and surface subsidence, affect drilling and productivity of oil wells, and influence seismic waves used for monitoring of reservoir performance. Currently modeling efforts are split into more or less coupled geomechanical (normally linearly elastic), fluid flow, and geophysical simulations. There is evidence (from e.g. induced seismicity) that faults may be triggered or generated as a result of reservoir depletion. The numerical technique that most adequately incorporates fracture formation is the DEM (Discrete Element Method). This paper demonstrates the feasibility of the DEM (here PFC; Particle Flow Code) to handle this problem. Using an element size of 20 m, 2-D and 3-D simulations have been performed of stress and strain evolution within and around a depleting reservoir. Within limits of elasticity, the simulations largely reproduce analytical predictions; the accuracy is however limited by the element size. When the elastic limit is exceeded, faulting is predicted, particularly near the edge of the reservoir. Simulations have also been performed to study the activation of a pre-existing fault near a depleting reservoir.
Access provided by Autonomous University of Puebla. Download to read the full chapter text
Chapter PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Key words
References
Addis, M.A. (1997), The stress-depletion response of reservoirs, SPE 38720, 11 pp.
Brignoli, M., Pellegrino, A., Santarelli, F.J., Musso, G. and Barla, G. (1997), Continuous and discontinuous deformations above compacting reservoirs; consequences upon the lateral extension of the subsidence bowl, Int. J. Rock Mech. and Min. Sci. 34(3–4).
Cundall, P.A. and Strack, O.D.L. (1979), A discrete numerical model for granular assemblies, Géotechnique 29(1), 47–65.
Gambolati, G., Teatini, P., and Tomasi, L. (1999) Stress-strain analysis in productive gas/oil reservoirs, Int. J. Numer. Anal. Meth. Geomech. 23, 1495–1519.
Gambolati, G., Ferronato, M., Teatini, P., Deidda, R., and Lecca, G. (2001), Finite element analysis of land subsidence above depleted reservoirs with pore pressure gradient and total stress formulations, Int. J. Numer. Anal. Meth. Geomech. 25, 307–327.
Gutierrez, M. and Lewis, R.W. (1998), The role of geomechanics in reservoir simulation, SPE/ISRM 47392. In Proc. EUROCK’98, vol. II, pp. 439–448.
Geertsma, J. (1973), A basic theory of subsidence due to reservoir compaction: The homogeneous case, Trans. Royal Dutch Soc. Geol. and Mining Eng. 22, 43–62.
Hazzard, J.F. and Young, R.P. (2000), Simulating acoustic emissions in bonded-particle models of rock, Int. J. Rock Mech. and Min. Sci. 37, 867–872.
Hettema, M.H.H., Schutjens, P.M.T.M., Verboom, B.J.M., and Gussinklo, H.J. (1998), Productioninduced compaction of sandstone reservoirs: The strong influence of field stress, SPE50630, 8 pp.
Holt, R.M., Flornes, O., Li, L., and Fjær, E. (2004), Consequences of depletion-induced stress changes on reservoir compaction and recovery, In Proc. Gulf-Rock (eds. Arma/ Narms) 04-589, ARMA/NARMS, 10 pp.
Holt, R.M., Kjølaas, J., Larsen, I., Li, L., Pillitteri, A.G., and Sønstebø, E.F. (2005) Comparison between controlled laboratory experiments and discrete particle simulations of rock mechanical behaviour, Int. J. Rock Mech. and Min. Sci. 42, 985–995.
Jing, L. and Hudson, J.A. (2002), Numerical methods in rock mechanics, Int. J. Rock Mech. and Min. Sci. 39, 409–427.
Kenter, C.J., Blanton, T.L., Schreppers, G.M.A., Baaijens, M.N. and Ramos, G.G. (1998), Compaction study for Shearwater Field, SPE/ISRM 47280. In Proc. EUROCK’98; Vol. II, pp. 63–68.
Kenter, C.J., Beukel, A. v. d., Hatchell, P., Maron, K. and Molenaar, M. (2004), Evaluation of reservoir characteristics from timeshifts in the overburden, In Proc. Gulf-Rock (eds. Arma/ Narms) 04-627, ARMA/NARMS.
Kosloff, D., Scott, R.F., and Scranton, J. (1980), Finite element simulation of Wilmington oil field subsidence: 1. Linear modelling, Tectonophysics 65, 339–368.
Koutsabeloulis, N.C. and Hope, S.A. (1998) “Coupled” stress / fluid / thermal multi-phase reservoir simulation studies incorporating rock mechanics, SPE/ISRM 47393. In Proc. EUROCK’98 Vol. II, pp. 449–454.
Lewis, R.W., Makurat, A. and Pao, K.S. (2003), Fully coupled modeling of subsidence and reservoir compaction of North Sea oil fields, Hydrogeology J. 11, 142–161.
Li, L. and Holt, R.M. (2002), Particle scale reservoir mechanics, Oil and Gas Science and Technology-Revue de l’Institut Français du Pétrole 57, 525–538.
Li, L. and Holt, R.M., A study on the calculation of particle volumetric deformation in a fluid coupled PFC model, In Numerical Modeling in Micromechanics via Particle Methods — 2004 (eds. Shimizu, Hart and Cundall) (A. A. Balkema 2004) pp. 273–279.
Longuemare, P., Mainguy, M., Lemonnier, P., Onaisi, A., and Gérard, C. (2002), Geomechanics in reservoir simulation: Overview of coupling methods and field case study, Oil and Gas Science and Technology-Revue de l’Institut Français du Pétrole 57, 471–483.
Mahi, A. (2003), Stress path of depleting reservoirs, MSc Thesis, NTNU (Norwegian University of Science and Technology).
Maxwell, S.C. and Urbancic, T. (2001), The role of passive microseismic monitoring in the instrumented oil field, The Leading Edge, 636–639.
Morita, N., Whitfill, D.L., Nygaard, O., and Bale, A. (1989), A quick method to determine subsidence, reservoir compaction, and in-situ stress induced by reservoir depletion, JPT Jan. 89, pp. 71–79.
Mulders, F.M.M. (2003), Modelling of stress development and fault slip in and around a producing gas reservoir, Ph.D. Thesis, TU Delft, Netherlands.
Oded, K., Ze’ev, R., and Gidon, B. (2003), Faults and their associated host rock deformation: Part I. Structure of small faults in a quartz-syenite body, southern Israel, J. Struct. Geol. 25, 1675–1689.
Osorio, J.G., Chen, H-Y., Teufel, L.W. and Schaffer, S. (1998), A two-domain, 3-D, fully coupled fluid-flow / geomechanical simulation model for reservoirs with stress-sensitive mechanical and fluid-flow properties, SPE/ISRM 47397. In Proc. EUROCK’98, Vol. II, pp. 455–464.
Pande, G.N., Beer, G. and Williams, J.R., Numerical Methods in Rock Mechanics (Wiley 1990).
Papamichos, E., Vardoulakis, I., and Heil, L.K. (2001), Overburden modeling above a compacting reservoir using a trap door apparatus, Phys. Chem. Earth (A) 26, 69–74.
Potyondy, D.O. and Cundall, P.A. (2004), A bonded particle model for rock, Int. J. Rock Mech. and Min. Sci. 41, 1329–1364.
Rudnicki, J.W. (1999), Alteration of regional stress by reservoirs and other inhomogeneities: Stabilizing or destabilizing? Proc. Int. Congress on Rock Mechanics (eds. G. Vouille and P. Berest), ISRM, Vol. 3; pp. 1629–37.
Segall, P. and Fitzgerald, S.D. (1998), A note on induced stress changes in hydrocarbon and geothermal reservoirs, Tectonophysics 289, 117–28.
Settari, A. and Mourits, F.M. (1994) Coupling of geomechanics and reservoir simulation models, Computer Methods and Advances in Geomechanics, 2151–2158.
Shimizu, Y., Fluid coupling in PFC2-Dand PFC3-D. In Numerical Modeling in Micromechanics via Particle Methods — 2004 (eds. Shimizu, Hart and Cundall) (A. A. Balkema 2004), pp. 281–287.
Teufel, L.W., Rhett, D.W., and Farrell, H.E. (1991), Effect of reservoir depletion and pore pressure drawdown on in situ stress and deformation in the Ekofisk field. In Rock Mechanics as a Multidisciplinary Science (ed. J.C. Roegiers) (A.A. Balkema 1991), pp. 63–72.
Zienkiewicz, O.C., The Finite Element Method in Engineering Geoscience (4th edition). (McGraw-Hill 1991).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2006 Birkhaüser Verlag, Basel
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Alassi, H.T.I., Li, L., Holt, R.M. (2006). Discrete Element Modeling of Stress and Strain Evolution Within and Outside a Depleting Reservoir. In: Dresen, G., Zang, A., Stephansson, O. (eds) Rock Damage and Fluid Transport, Part I. Pageoph Topical Volumes. Birkhäuser Basel. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-7643-7712-7_13
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-7643-7712-7_13
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Publisher Name: Birkhäuser Basel
Print ISBN: 978-3-7643-7711-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-7643-7712-0
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)