Production Behavior Analysis of Multibranched Horizontal Oil Well considering Reservoir and Well-Type Factors

Abstract

Multibranched horizontal well is an important means to develop low permeability reservoirs. Fishbone multibranched horizontal well has the advantages of increasing drainage area, reducing drilling number, utilizing existing wells, and saving oilfield development cost, especially for marginal oilfield exploitation. The morphological structure of fishbone multibranched horizontal well is very complex, so the numerical simulation study is of great significance to guide the production of fishbone multibranched horizontal well. In this paper, the numerical model is established for fishbone multibranched horizontal well in the oil reservoir. The finite element method is used to numerically solve the mathematic model. The oil well production can be achieved by using the material balance method. Sensitivity analysis is made on the important reservoir and well-type factors that affect the production behavior and transient pressure distribution of fishbone multibranched horizontal well. It is concluded that the effective reservoir thickness and flowing bottomhole pressure have great influence on the productivity, but the influence of heterogeneity is not obvious. The length of main wellbore has great effect on the productivity in the early stage. Fishbone multibranched horizontal wells should be placed in the middle of the reservoir to increase productivity. Branch length, branch angle, branch number, and branch spacing are important parameters affecting the productivity of fishbone multibranched horizontal well. The variation of these parameters has obvious influence on the stimulation effect in the early stage of production, but the influence degree is different. Under the premise of drilling technology and drilling safety, the comprehensive impact of these four factors on productivity should be considered simultaneously. The presented model and obtained results not only enrich production behavior analysis of fishbone multibranched horizontal well but also have significance on formulation of stimulation measures and efficient low permeability reservoir development.