SPE 93534

Grid and Streamline Models: Comparative Study Related to the Production History of
Fractured Carbonate Reservoir
L. Anissimov and V. Kilyakov, LUKOIL-VolgogradNIPImorneft, and S. Chizhov, LUKOIL-Nizhnevolzhskneft

Copyright 2005, Society of Petroleum Engineers Inc.

This paper was prepared for presentation at the 14th SPE Middle East Oil & Gas Show and
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Abstract.
The Upper Devonian carbonate reservoir characterization of
the Pamyatno-Sasovskoe Oilfield, Volgograd Region, Russia,
is based on geological data, geophysical log, hydrodynamic
and tracer investigations. The reservoir model based on
geostatistical techniques with grid blocks has been used to
update a flow simulation to available data on production
history. The reliability of this reservoir model is lower because
of the match to available data is unacceptable. The method to
model permeability on the coarse scale presents the
combination of the borehole radon indication and tracer
investigation. According to tracing results, a streamline-based
model is to be most realistic, gives a basis to propose the
parameters and properties of streamlines and to predict the
water-cut process.
Introduction.
This study integrates geological data, geophysical log,
hydrodynamic and tracer investigations to characterize the
Upper Devonian carbonate reservoir of the PamyatnoSasovskoe oilfield, Volgograd Region, Russia. This oilfield is
located in the northern part of the Volgograd Region, 300
kmnorthwest of Volgograd. This is the principal reservoir
between the numerous platform margin reef buildups and it
differs from other by concentrating reefs of different ages in
the common buildup of 800 m in height. Reef reservoir
consists of Frasnian fractured-dolomites and the relatively
impermeable Famenian shale and limestone overlie it. The offreef basin facies are shaly limestone which onlap against the
reef.

In addition to the typical characteristics of carbonate

reservoirs, Pamyatno-Sasovskoe reservoir is known for the
following peculiar features:
1. Considerable trending of the structure with length/width
ratio exceeding 20:1 (fig.1);
2. Reservoir is isolated along of its outline;
3. Good vertical and lateral hydrodynamic communication
despite high heterogeneity.
The reservoir model generated by geostatistical techniques
with 220007 (151*31*47) grid blocks based on well-log and
core data has been used to update a flow simulation to
available data on production history. The reliability of this
reservoir model is lower because of the match to available data
on the production history is unacceptable.
A great volume of the reservoir studies has been carried out.
Reservoir characterization is presented with the increasing of
study scale, from rock samples to the reservoir as a whole:
cores geophysical characteristics radon indication tests
tracer investigation. Enlargement of the study scale shows the
significance of the great voids of a carbonate reservoir. The
super fracture super reservoir zones connect all the wells
into a single hydrodynamic system. Pressure in the various
part of the pool is leveled off and there are no reasons for
water conning. In such a case a system of great voids serves
like a balancer and separator for the oil-water contact leveling
in the vicinity of producing well.
According to tracing results, a model of a continuous super
fracture going in parallel to the axis of the reservoir and
connecting the west and east structure flanks seems t be most
realistic (Fig.2). High velocity of tracer (tritium and some
chemicals) along the axial part of structure gives a basis to
propose the mainly linear flow from the injection well towards
producing ones. The producing wells communicate with the
injecting well along a system of super-fracture and smaller
fractures, they can be considered as branches of the main
fracture. Streamline properties can be evaluated by tracer
velocity (travel-time), tracer concentration in producing water
and frequency of tracer indices in the wells. The monitoring of
producing water composition may support this evaluation.
These data have been used to characterized streamlines from
the injectors to producing wells to predict water cut process in
every well.

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SPE 93534

producing wells
injection wells
control wells

Fig. 1 Pamyatno-Sasovskoe Oilfield

16

km

data and turned to be almost similar to oil saturation factor

determined by capillarimetric tests. According to these data
and the analysis of well-average capacity distribution there
was no considerable heterogeneity along the reservoir area.

4-6

km

- productive zones
- main fissure and high permeability zone
- seal formation

Fig. 2 Geological model of the reef carbonate reservoir

Reservoir characterization
The first scale (cores). Hydraulic network of carbonate rocks
consists of three types of spaces: pores, caverns and fissures
and all these types are present in the reservoir. Detailed
petrophysical analysis generally includes an estimate of
porosity, permeability, oil and water saturation in the matrix.
Porosity and permeability values, based on core plug analysis,
have been used for the cross-plot of porosity versus
permeability (fig. 3). This is a usual picture for carbonate
reservoirs where a wide scatter of data points deteriorate
correlation. According to these data the porosity for the most
of samples are in the range 0.5-8%, the average porosity is 2.8
%. Large thin sections allow for seeing caverns connected by
open fractures in the presence of relatively dense matrix. Vast
development of conjugated fractures explains the
communication between caverns and matrix. Average value of
oil saturation factor is 0.932, it has been determined by log

The second scale (wells). Core measurements take into

account pores and microcaverns. Large caverns and
fissures can be detected during the drilling process: increasing
penetration rate, drilling instrument falling (up to 4 m), losses
of mud circulation. These voids can be taken into account also
by test investigations. It has been postulated that all parts of
the reservoirs are well communicated through vertical
fractures and along horizontal high permeability zones.
Continuous well permeability profiles for reservoir
characterization were proposed by Georgy et al., (1997). In
this study the permeability profiles have been elaborated using
the radon indication method. The permeability along the
vertical section in a well can be calculated according to the
level of radioactivity on a log after injecting radon. For one of
the wells injection rate profile along the wellbore is shown in
fig.4. For every well the limited narrow pay zones with very
high transmissivity can be detected along the productive part
of reservoir. These data are in good agreement with
geophysical
well
survey
(noise
indication,
thermoconductometric flow indication, etc.) that has been
carried out for some wells. Correlation between porosity and
permeability based on the geophysical data and radon
indication is shown on the figure 5. Average porosity
estimated on the geophysical data is about 8% that much more
than according to the core measurement (2.8 %).
The third scale (reservoir). Predicting permeability is the
most difficult task facing the reservoir analyst because of the
log data, core measurements and test results do not provide a
complete record of the permeability throughout the volume of
the reservoir, especially in highly heterogeneous formations.
The method to model permeability on the coarse scale presents
the combination of the borehole radon indication and tracer
investigation. Dissolved tracers (tritium and different chemical
substances) have been pumped in the injection wells

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SPE 93534

and water samples from productive wells were detected for

tracer
The results of comprehensive tracing investigations with of
account of up-to-day view of reef geology and evolution
together with the data on pool development allow for using the
following indices obtaining in the course of tracing
investigations:
1. Tracer velocity within the bed, that involves
matching of the first arrival in a well; this index
helps to determine velocity of water filtration as well
as permeability factor and volume of fractures.
2. Tracer concentration is characterizing the degree of
injected water dilution when it is mixed with the
reservoir water; high filtration velocity plus high
tracer concentration point out to high permeability
and low volume of the main conducting zones; these
zones are dangerous for water encroachment.
3. Frequency of tracer sampling during a considerable
period of time shows that the main conducting zone is
highly heterogeneous; this explains for the different
arrival time of different flows which are differently
diluted with reservoir water and characterized by
different degree of sorption during its flowing
through the rock.
These investigations show that there is a fractured highpermeable zone in the axial part of structure where the
velocities of tracers are up to 1000 m*day-1. Local hydraulic
transmissivity of these fissures (super-fractures) is very high.
Such high velocities prove also the low capacity and high
piezo-conductivity of these fractures (fig. 6). These zones are
characterized by the high concentration of tracers and low
frequency of their detection (fig.7a). In contrast, the high
porosity or storage-dominated zones show the low
concentration of tracers and presence of them in the main part
of samples (fig.7b).
Under these conditions the equivalent aperture of the main
fracture may be calculated as
b = Q/2vh
Where,
Q injection rate of the well, 1000 m3 day-1
v natural water velocity, 1000 m day 1
h - height of the main fissure, 250 m
Equivalent aperture of the fissure is 0.002 m
Correlation between the super-fracture and high capacity
zones (super-reservoir) determined both along the axis of the
reservoir and in the well sections in the form of decompacted
zones is one of the most important properties of a carbonate
reservoir. Unlike the main fracture which capacity is less than
1%, super reservoir volume is exceeding 10-15%. When a
tracer enters this zone, the velocity of water drops and the
tracer is diluted by a great volume of formation water and
distributed all over this high capacity zones. The frequency of
tracer finding out in water samples is higher than that in a
super-fracture. Tracer parameters can reflect the streamline
properties and tracer data can be used as a direct tool for
evaluation of flow capacity and streamline geometry from
injection to productive wells.

Production history
Development of the Pamyatno-Sasovskoe Oilfield was
started in 1990 with the initial formation pressure 28 MPa at
the depth of oil-water contact (-2578 m). The formation
pressure drop was 2.6 MPa to 1996 and 5.1 MPa to 2002.
Taking into account the oil and water abstraction, volumetric
compressibility of oil and water and decreasing rate of
formation pressure the volume of reservoir has been
calculated. The relationship between oil and water saturated
zones has been postulated as 1/15. Injection of water into PamSas 14 well (in the center of structure) was started in October
1998 and into Plat 14 well (in the western part of structure) in October 2000 to maintain reservoir pressure. Water
injection was performed in a cyclic regime below oil-water
contact (fig.8). Partial reservoir pressure build-up is achieved
during the periods of water injection and when injection is
terminated reservoir pressure drops to the level of 23 MPa.
The data presented show that working differential pressure
makes up 0.16 MPa, wellhead (upstream) pressure is 5.9 MPa.
Chokes having diameter 6-10 mm are installed at the tubing
head and average pressure drop in chokes makes up 3.3 MPa.
A number of wells has the productivity index exceeding 2000
tons/day MPa. Formation and bottom hole pressures related to
formation top are controlled in each well. Nowadays, a
working bottom hole pressure at the formation top in all of the
wells is above the bubble point pressure in which is equal to
16.7 MPa.
The process of water encroachment is controlled in by way
of constant cutting down of oil withdrawal rates. Thanks to
this fact, wells are producing water-free oil for a long period
of time. The open hole and the region around work as a
separator. Oil production rate was decreased to prolong the
period of water-free well operation. This allows for flowing
well operation. Daily oil production rate per well in 2001 was
amounting to 135.4 tons/day in place of 148.2 tons/day.
Low flow velocity ensures carrying out of only small drops
of water and emulsion from the open hole; this explains a
long-term operation of wells with low water cut of well
production (percent of fractions to about 1-2 %). Open hole
volume works as a separator. And only when OWC (in the
well) is nearly approaching the casing shoe, oil with a large
amount of water (or emulsion) is penetrating into the tubing.
Due to flow pulsation, water (emulsion) is penetrating into the
tubing at not regular intervals. Due to low velocities of the
flow, density stratification of oil-water mixture with the
generation of water structures is likely to happen in the tubing.
Nowadays in the great part of well stock the level of oil-water
contact is beyond the half of the open hole. Average water
content in the tubing may quickly increase and exceed
maximum admissible volume for well flowing.
In this situation the continuous well permeability profiles
are invaluable to predict behavior of water fluxes during the
oil-water level rising in every well. If the high pay zones are
located near the top of reservoir, the water cut process may be
avoided till the last stages of oilfield development. In a case
when water level is reached the high pay zone gravity-drive
separation in a hole is not sufficient to prevent the generation
of water emulsion and entering water flux in a productive well.

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SPE 93534

injection rate, %
0

deptf, m

core permeability , 10-15m2

100000

10000

12

10

2530
2540
2550
2560
2570

1000

2580
2590
2600

100

2610
2620
2630

10

2640
2650

2660
2670
2680

0,1

2690
2700
0,01

2710
2720

0,001

2730
2

10

12

14

16

18

20

2740

core porosity, %

2750

Fig.3. Porosity vs. permeability scatter plot for the reservoir

Fig.4. Relative transmissivity profile for the prodyctive zone

10

10

1000

10

10

10

10
2

II

100

10

1
Lg kh

Permeability
(mD)

10

10
0

10
-1

III

-2

0,1
-3

0,01

10

-7

-6

-5

-4

1 -
I - monolith
2 -
3 -
II - fractured
low porosity
rocks
4 - -

III - high porosity rocks
IV - fractured high porosity rocks
. 3

100

Porosity (%)
Fig. 5. Log porosity vs. permeability based on radon indication

-8

Fig.6. Transmissivity vs. compressibility for the different

types
of carbonate rocks. Piezo-conductivity meanings
(kh/) show the reaction of pressure on fluid abstraction

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SPE 93534

5
a - well 75

Tritium content,
*10-8 Ku/l

15
10
5
0
0

20

40

b -60
well 41

80

100

120

140
days

Tritium content,
*10-8 Ku/l

10
8
6
4
2
0
0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140
days

Fig.7 Tracer measurements obtained in the abstraction boreholes

reservoir w
at

er

reservoir water
2822,9

-2839,3

-3016,5

reservoir
wate -3176,8
r

re

ter
r wa
i
o
s erv

top of reservoir

bottom hole

injection

OWC, initial

OWC, current

streamlines

Fig.8 Waterflooding and oil-water contact rise during field development

14
175-212

1
19-29
137
69-87

12
99-104

130
21-23

47
47

2
33

61
41
102
131-220 145-214
26-28
80
19

71
19-200

12
99-104

- well number
- water salinity, g/l

107
31-63

65
206

Fig.9 Water salinity in the productive wells

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75
21-28

15
45-47

63
59-161

SPE 93534

Water composition control

The most important process leading to the change of water
composition during field development is the injection of fresh
water. Salinity of formation water of the Devonian deposits in
the South Volga Region is almost 250 g/l, in comparison with
2-4 g/l for injection water. Water has been injecting in a well
on the central part of field since 1998 with injection rate up to
2000m3/day and in a well on the western part of field with
injection rate up to 1700 m3/day.
Many samples of reservoir water in the PamyatnoSasovskoe Oilfield have been taken when water appears at the
bottom hole. High salinity of associated water (about 200 g/l)
has been fixed in wells located on the edge of structure. At the
same time, water samples with salinity of 20 to 100 g/l were
taken from many wells in the central parts of structure (fig. 9).
Tracers present in water samples taken from almost all of the
wells show that water desalinization may be connected with
breakthrough of injected water to productive wells. Water
salinity shows the ratio of fresh and formation waters and the
mixing process that can operate in time when streamlines of
fresh water penetrate through the layer of formation water to
the bottom hole (see fig. 8). Thus, the water salinity can reflect
the streamline properties for every well.
Reservoir models
The reservoir model based on geostatistical techniques with
220007 (151*31*47) grid blocks has been used to update a
flow simulation to available data on production history. The
reliability of this reservoir model is lower because of the
match to available data is unacceptable. For example, the
production water cut with regard to the entire field is close to
zero instead of 5.6 %-production water cut that was planned
for 2001.
Streamline-based approach has become attractive in recent
years because it has been extended to accommodate realistic
flow physics (Batycky et al., 1997, Wang and Kovscek, 2003).
For a fluid moving from injector to producer streamline
trajectories and properties are used to provide reservoir
parameters. The time-of-flight for a particular streamline
indicates the breakthrough time for that streamline, whereas
the water-cut for producer represents the sum of the
production of all streamlines. Correlation between
comprehensive flow simulations and their corresponding
streamline properties can give a basis to predict water-cut,
well flow rate and cumulative production (Wang and Kovscek,
2003). Streamline parameters may be taken directly from
tracer results that simplifying the procedures for reservoir

characterization and estimation of production history for every

well. For our case, enlargement of the study scale shows the
significance of the great voids of a carbonate reservoir. The
super fracture super reservoir system connects all the wells
into a single hydrodynamic system. Pressure in the various
part of the pool is leveled off and there are no reasons for
water conning. In such a case a hydrodynamic system of great
voids serves like a balancer for the oil-water contact leveling
in the vicinity of producing wells.
According to tracing results, a model of a continuous superfracture going in parallel to the axis of the reservoir and
connecting the west and east structure flanks seems to be most
realistic. High velocity of tracer along the axial part of
structure gives a basis to propose the mainly linear flow from
the injection well towards producing ones. The producing
wells communicate with the injecting well along a system of
super-fracture and smaller fractures, they can be considered as
branches of the main fracture.
During the injection period a great pillow of fresh water has
been created under oil pool but remaining formation water
separates productive zone from this pillow. Nevertheless,
some streamlines of fresh water penetrate through the zone of
formation water decreasing water salinity in the productive
wells. This model may be realistic taking into account the low
mobility ratio of fresh and formation waters and the level of
water salinity along the axial part of structure..
Conclusion
Radon indication and tracer investigation during oilfield
development give the principal parameters of reservoir related
its porosity and permeability. Tracer results are comfortable to
use the streamline approach to characterize the trajectories and
properties of streamlines from injector to productive wells.
Productivity profile of an open hole based on the radon
indication shows the oil and water fluxes related to high
permeable zones. This investigations allows to avoid detailed
monitoring of complex grid-block systems to predict the
production history of oilfield.
References
1.
2.
3.

Georgi D., et al. Permeability Profiles provide new reservoir

management tools. Oil an Gas Journal (Sept. 29) 74.
Batisky, R.P. et al.: A 3D Field-Scale Streamline-Based
Reservoir Simulator. SPERE, (Dec. 1997) 246.
Wang Y. and Kovscek A.R. Integrating Production History into
Reservoir Models Using Streamline-Based Time-of-Flight
Ranking. Petroleum Geoscience. (Vol. 9, 2003) 163.

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