Advanced production decline analysis of tight gas wells with variable fracture conductivity

Abstract: Considering the characteristics that the fracture conductivity formed by hydraulic fracturing varies across space and time, a new mathematical model was established for seepage flow in tight gas fractured vertical wells which takes into account the effects of dual variable conductivity and stress sensitivity. The Blasingame advanced production decline curves of the model were obtained using the finite element method with hybrid elements. On this basis, the effects of fracture space and time dual variable conductivity and stress sensitivity on Blasingame curve were analyzed. The study shows that the space variable conductivity mainly reduces decline curve value at the early stage; the time variable conductivity can result in drops of the production and the production integral curves, leading to a S-shaped curve; dual variable conductivity is the superposition of the effects given by the two variable conductivities; both time and space variable conductivities cannot delay the time with which the formation fluid flow reaches the quasi-steady state. The stress sensitivity reduces the curve value gradually rather than sharply, delaying the time the flow reaching the quasi-steady state. Ignoring the effects of variable conductivity and stress sensitivity will not affect the estimation on well controlled dynamic reserves. However, it can result in large errors in the interpretation of fractures and reservoir parameters. Conventional advanced production decline analyses of a tight gas fractured well in the Sulige gas field showed that the new model is more effective and reliable than the conventional model, and thus it can be widely applied in advanced production decline analysis of wells with the same characteristics in other gas fields. Key words: tight gas, fracturing, advanced production decline analysis, fracture conductivity, space variable conductivity, time variable conductivity, stress sensitivity