Numerical study of shale gas flow behaviour in reservoir and hydraulic fractures

Gholinezhad, Jebraeel, Fianu, John Senam and Hassan, Mohamed Galal (2018) Numerical study of shale gas flow behaviour in reservoir and hydraulic fractures. In, Challenges in Modelling and Simulation of Shale Gas Reservoirs. (SpringerBriefs in Petroleum Geoscience & Engineering) UK. Springer, pp. 43-59. (doi:10.1007/978-3-319-70769-3_3).

Record type: Book Section

Abstract

Some of the inappropriate assumptions that are often made in the use of commercial simulators for shale gas simulations are discussed in this chapter. For shale gas reservoirs characterised by very small pore size network, these approximations could lead to serious errors. Modelling of the geological complexities of shale gas requires the use of appropriate grid structures within the simulator to handle these complexities. Also, implementation of appropriate numerical methods that can adequately solve the set of mathematical equations associated with the simulation of shale gas reservoirs is the key to obtain sensible simulation results. This chapter provides a review of these inherent challenges in shale gas modelling. The concept of instantaneous capillary equilibrium within the pore networks as well as the non-Darcy flow that occurs within the matrix of the pore network is critically reviewed while the existing theories for proppant transport within the fractures are examined.

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