Fully coupled two-phase flow and poromechanics modeling of coalbed methane recovery: Impact of geomechanics on production rate
Abstract
This study presents the development and application of a fully coupled two-phase (methane and water) flow, transport, and poromechanics num erical model for the analysis of geomechanical impacts on coalbed methane (CBM) production. The model considers changes in two-phase fluid flow properties, i.e., coal porosity, permeability, water retention, and relative permeability curves through changes in cleat fractures induced by effective stress variations and desorption-induced shrinkage. The coupled simulator is first verified for poromechanics coupling, and simulation parameters of a CBM reservoir model are calibrated by history matching against one year of CBM production field data from Shanxi Province, China. Then, the verified simulator and the calibrated CBM reservoir model are used for predicting the impact of geomechanics on the production rate for twenty years of continuous CBM production. The simulation results show that desorption-induced shrinkage is the dominant process in increasing permeability in the near wellbore region. Away from the wellbore, desorption-induced shrinkage is weaker, and permeability is reduced by pressure depletion and increased effective stress. A sensitivity analysis shows that for coal with a higher sorption strain, a larger initial Young's modulus and a smaller Poisson's ratio promote the enhancement of permeability as well as an increased production rate.more »
- Authors:
-
- China Univ. of Mining and Technology, Jiangsu (China); Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
- Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
- China Univ. of Mining and Technology, Jiangsu (China)
- Shandong Univ. of Science and Technology, Shandong (China)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Fossil Energy (FE), Clean Coal and Carbon (FE-20); USDOE
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1379925
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1550145
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC02-05CH11231
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 45; Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 1875-5100
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 03 NATURAL GAS; 58 GEOSCIENCES; CBM recovery; Two-phase flow; Poromechanics; Coupled model
Citation Formats
Ma, Tianran, Rutqvist, Jonny, Oldenburg, Curtis M., Liu, Weiqun, and Chen, Junguo. Fully coupled two-phase flow and poromechanics modeling of coalbed methane recovery: Impact of geomechanics on production rate. United States: N. p., 2017.
Web. doi:10.1016/j.jngse.2017.05.024.
Ma, Tianran, Rutqvist, Jonny, Oldenburg, Curtis M., Liu, Weiqun, & Chen, Junguo. Fully coupled two-phase flow and poromechanics modeling of coalbed methane recovery: Impact of geomechanics on production rate. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jngse.2017.05.024
Ma, Tianran, Rutqvist, Jonny, Oldenburg, Curtis M., Liu, Weiqun, and Chen, Junguo. Sat .
"Fully coupled two-phase flow and poromechanics modeling of coalbed methane recovery: Impact of geomechanics on production rate". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jngse.2017.05.024. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1379925.
@article{osti_1379925,
title = {Fully coupled two-phase flow and poromechanics modeling of coalbed methane recovery: Impact of geomechanics on production rate},
author = {Ma, Tianran and Rutqvist, Jonny and Oldenburg, Curtis M. and Liu, Weiqun and Chen, Junguo},
abstractNote = {This study presents the development and application of a fully coupled two-phase (methane and water) flow, transport, and poromechanics num erical model for the analysis of geomechanical impacts on coalbed methane (CBM) production. The model considers changes in two-phase fluid flow properties, i.e., coal porosity, permeability, water retention, and relative permeability curves through changes in cleat fractures induced by effective stress variations and desorption-induced shrinkage. The coupled simulator is first verified for poromechanics coupling, and simulation parameters of a CBM reservoir model are calibrated by history matching against one year of CBM production field data from Shanxi Province, China. Then, the verified simulator and the calibrated CBM reservoir model are used for predicting the impact of geomechanics on the production rate for twenty years of continuous CBM production. The simulation results show that desorption-induced shrinkage is the dominant process in increasing permeability in the near wellbore region. Away from the wellbore, desorption-induced shrinkage is weaker, and permeability is reduced by pressure depletion and increased effective stress. A sensitivity analysis shows that for coal with a higher sorption strain, a larger initial Young's modulus and a smaller Poisson's ratio promote the enhancement of permeability as well as an increased production rate. Moreover, the conceptual model of the cleat system, whether dominated by vertical cleats with permeability correlated to horizontal stress or with permeability correlated to mean stress, can have a significant impact on the predicted production rate. Overall, the study clearly demonstrates and confirms the critical importance of considering geomechanics for an accurate prediction of CBM production.},
doi = {10.1016/j.jngse.2017.05.024},
journal = {Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering},
number = C,
volume = 45,
place = {United States},
year = {Sat Jun 03 00:00:00 EDT 2017},
month = {Sat Jun 03 00:00:00 EDT 2017}
}
Web of Science
Works referenced in this record:
Assessment of shrinkage–swelling influences in coal seams using rank-dependent physical coal properties
journal, January 2009
- Balan, Huseyin Onur; Gumrah, Fevzi
- International Journal of Coal Geology, Vol. 77, Issue 1-2
Properties of Porous Media Affecting Fluid Flow
journal, June 1966
- Brooks, R. H.; Corey, A. T.
- Journal of the Irrigation and Drainage Division, Vol. 92, Issue 2
An improved relative permeability model for coal reservoirs
journal, April 2013
- Chen, Dong; Pan, Zhejun; Liu, Jishan
- International Journal of Coal Geology, Vol. 109-110
Impact of Various Parameters on the Production of Coalbed Methane
journal, June 2013
- Chen, Zhongwei; Liu, Jishan; Kabir, Akim
- SPE Journal, Vol. 18, Issue 05
Predicting Sorption-Induced Strain and Permeability Increase With Depletion for Coalbed-Methane Reservoirs
journal, October 2009
- Clarkson, C. R. . R.; Pan, Z. .; Palmer, I. .
- SPE Journal, Vol. 15, Issue 01
Incorporating Geomechanical and Dynamic Hydraulic-Fracture-Property Changes Into Rate-Transient Analysis: Example From the Haynesville Shale
journal, August 2013
- Clarkson, C. R. . R.; Qanbari, F. .; Nobakht, M. .
- SPE Reservoir Evaluation & Engineering, Vol. 16, Issue 03
Relative permeability of CBM reservoirs: Controls on curve shape
journal, December 2011
- Clarkson, C. R.; Rahmanian, M.; Kantzas, A.
- International Journal of Coal Geology, Vol. 88, Issue 4
Coupled flow and geomechanical processes during gas production from coal seams
journal, July 2009
- Connell, L. D.
- International Journal of Coal Geology, Vol. 79, Issue 1-2
Coupled flow and geomechanical processes during enhanced coal seam methane recovery through CO2 sequestration
journal, January 2009
- Connell, L. D.; Detournay, C.
- International Journal of Coal Geology, Vol. 77, Issue 1-2
Volumetric strain associated with methane desorption and its impact on coalbed gas production from deep coal seams
journal, September 2005
- Cui, Xiaojun; Bustin, R. Marc
- AAPG Bulletin, Vol. 89, Issue 9
Two Phase Relative Permeability of Gas and Water in Coal for Enhanced Coalbed Methane Recovery and CO2 Storage
journal, January 2013
- Durucan, Sevket; Ahsan, Mustafa; Syed, Amer
- Energy Procedia, Vol. 37
Reservoir Engineering in Coal Seams: Part 1-The Physical Process of Gas Storage and Movement in Coal Seams
journal, February 1987
- Gray, Ian
- SPE Reservoir Engineering, Vol. 2, Issue 01
Dynamic permeability and porosity evolution of coal seam rich in CBM based on the flow-solid coupling theory
journal, April 2017
- Kong, Xiangguo; Wang, Enyuan; Liu, Quanlin
- Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering, Vol. 40
Comparison of numerical simulators for greenhouse gas storage in coalbeds, part IV: History match of field micropilot test data
book, January 2005
- Law, David H. -S.; van der Meer, L. G. H. (Bert); Gunter, William D.
- Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies 7
Capillary Behavior in Porous Solids
journal, December 1941
- Leverett, M. C.
- Transactions of the AIME, Vol. 142, Issue 01
Flow-Testing Coalbed Methane Production Wells in the Presence of Water and Gas
journal, December 1987
- McKee, C. R.; Bumb, A. C.
- SPE Formation Evaluation, Vol. 2, Issue 04
Coalbed methane: A review
journal, November 2012
- Moore, Tim A.
- International Journal of Coal Geology, Vol. 101
How Permeability Depends on Stress and Pore Pressure in Coalbeds: A New Model
journal, December 1998
- Palmer, Ian; Mansoori, John
- SPE Reservoir Evaluation & Engineering, Vol. 1, Issue 06
A theoretical model for gas adsorption-induced coal swelling
journal, March 2007
- Pan, Zhejun; Connell, Luke D.
- International Journal of Coal Geology, Vol. 69, Issue 4
Interpretation of Well-Block Pressures in Numerical Reservoir Simulation(includes associated paper 6988 )
journal, June 1978
- Peaceman, D. W.
- Society of Petroleum Engineers Journal, Vol. 18, Issue 03
Coalbed Methane Parametric Study: What's Really Important to Production and When?
conference, October 2003
- Roadifer, R. D.; Moore, T. R.; Raterman, K. T.
- SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, All Days
Thermohydromechanics of partially saturated geological media: governing equations and formulation of four finite element models
journal, January 2001
- Rutqvist, J.; Börgesson, L.; Chijimatsu, M.
- International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences, Vol. 38, Issue 1
A Multicomponent, Two-Phase-Flow Model for CO2 Storage and Enhanced Coalbed-Methane Recovery
journal, March 2009
- Seto, Carolyn J.; Jessen, Kristian; Orr, Franklin M.
- SPE Journal, Vol. 14, Issue 01
Relative permeabilities of gas and water for different rank coals
journal, May 2011
- Shen, Jian; Qin, Yong; Wang, Geoff X.
- International Journal of Coal Geology, Vol. 86, Issue 2-3
Drawdown Induced Changes in Permeability of Coalbeds: A New Interpretation of the Reservoir Response to Primary Recovery
journal, July 2004
- Shi, J. Q.; Durucan, S.
- Transport in Porous Media, Vol. 56, Issue 1
CO 2 Storage in Deep Unminable Coal Seams
journal, May 2005
- Shi, J. Q.; Durucan, S.
- Oil & Gas Science and Technology, Vol. 60, Issue 3
A Closed-form Equation for Predicting the Hydraulic Conductivity of Unsaturated Soils1
journal, January 1980
- van Genuchten, M. Th.
- Soil Science Society of America Journal, Vol. 44, Issue 5
Effects of non-Darcy flow on the performance of coal seam gas wells
journal, April 2012
- Wang, J. G.; Kabir, Akim; Liu, Jishan
- International Journal of Coal Geology, Vol. 93
A Fully Coupled Multiphase Multicomponent Flow and Geomechanics Model for Enhanced Coalbed-Methane Recovery and CO2 Storage
journal, April 2013
- Wei, Zhijie; Zhang, Dongxiao
- SPE Journal, Vol. 18, Issue 03
Sequestration of Carbon Dioxide in Coal with Enhanced Coalbed Methane RecoveryA Review †
journal, May 2005
- White, Curt M.; Smith, Duane H.; Jones, Kenneth L.
- Energy & Fuels, Vol. 19, Issue 3
A dynamic prediction model for gas–water effective permeability based on coalbed methane production data
journal, January 2014
- Xu, H.; Tang, D. Z.; Tang, S. H.
- International Journal of Coal Geology, Vol. 121
A fully coupled multiphase flow and geomechanics solver for highly heterogeneous porous media
journal, November 2014
- Yang, Daegil; Moridis, George J.; Blasingame, Thomas A.
- Journal of Computational and Applied Mathematics, Vol. 270
History matching and production prediction of a horizontal coalbed methane well
journal, October 2012
- Zhou, Fengde
- Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, Vol. 96-97
Works referencing / citing this record:
Numerical study on enhancing coalbed methane recovery by injecting N 2 /CO 2 mixtures and its geological significance
journal, April 2020
- Fan, Nan; Wang, Jiren; Deng, Cunbao
- Energy Science & Engineering, Vol. 8, Issue 4
Experimental study of the influences of water injections on CBM exploitation
journal, July 2019
- Chen, Xiangjun; Li, Liyang; Cheng, Yuanping
- Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization, and Environmental Effects
A dynamic evaluation technique for assessing gas output from coal seams during commingling production within a coalbed methane well: a case study from the Qinshui Basin
journal, January 2020
- Wu, Chuan; Yuan, Chengxiang; Wen, Guojun
- International Journal of Coal Science & Technology, Vol. 7, Issue 1
A Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical-Chemical Coupling Model and Its Application in Acid Fracturing Enhanced Coalbed Methane Recovery Simulation
journal, February 2019
- Fan, Chaojun; Luo, Mingkun; Li, Sheng
- Energies, Vol. 12, Issue 4