Representation of Wells in Numerical Reservoir Simulation

Abstract

Summary In reservoir simulation, linear approximations generally are used for well modeling. However, these types of approximations can be inaccurate for fluid-flow calculation in the vicinity of wells, leading to incorrect well-performance predictions. To overcome such problems, a new well representation1 has been proposed that uses a "logarithmic" type of approximation for vertical wells. In this paper, we show how the new well model can be implemented easily in existing simulators through the conventional productivity index (PI). We discuss the relationship between wellbore pressure, wellblock pressure, and flow rate in more detail, especially for the definition of wellblock pressure. We present an extension of the new approach to off-center wells and to flexible grids. Through this extension, the equivalence of various gridding techniques for the well model is emphasized. The key element is the accurate calculation of flow components in the vicinity of wells.