An equivalent method to assess the production performance of horizontal wells with complicated hydraulic fracture network in shale oil reservoirs

The production performance of horizontal well with complex fracture networks remains a challenging issue. To more accurately evaluate the stimulation effect of fracture network on the reservoirs, an equivalent method is presented based on the extended finite element method (XFEM) and the Peaceman well model. We discretize the governing equations with finite volume method and solve the linearized equations with fully implicit scheme. The reliability of the equivalent method is validated against the available numerical method in the literature. After that, two cases of different fracture network structures are investigated. Results show that the equivalent method is feasible to assess the effect of fracture network on horizontal well production. And more broadly distributed fracture network has better enhancing effect. Meanwhile, fracture tips have little stimulation effect on the production. The findings are of benefit to provide us a simplified way to investigate the flow in reservoirs containing complex fracture network.