Energies, Vol. 12, Pages 262: Numerical Analysis of Transient Pressure Behaviors with Shale Gas MFHWs Interference (Energies)

After the large-scale horizontal well pattern development in shale gas fields, the problem of fast pressure drop and gas well abandonment caused by well interference becomes more serious. It is urgent to understand the downhole transient pressure and flow characteristics of multi-stage fracturing horizontal well (MFHW) with interference. Therefore, the reservoir around the MFHW is divided into three regions: fracturing fracture, Stimulated reservoir volume (SRV), and unmodified matrix. Then, multi-region coupled flow model is established according to reservoir physical property and flow mechanism of each part. The model is numerically solved using the perpendicular bisection (PEBI) grids and the finite volume method. The accuracy of the model is verified by analyzing the measured pressure recovery data of one practical shale gas well and fitting the monitoring data of the later production pressure. Finally, this model is used to analyze the effects of factors, such as hydraulic fractures’ connectivity, well distance, the number of neighboring wells and well pattern arrangement, on the transient pressure and seepage characteristics of the well. The study shows that the pressure recovery double logarithmic curves fall in later part when the well is disturbed by a neighboring production well. The earlier and more severe the interference, the sooner the curve falls off and the larger the amplitude shows. If the well distance is closer, and if there are more neighboring wells and interconnected corresponding fracturing segments, the more severe interference appears among the wells. Moreover, the well interference may still exist even without interlinked fractures or SRV. Especially, severe interference will affect production when the hydraulic fractures are connected directly, and the interference is weaker when only SRV induced fracture network combined between wells, which is beneficial to production sometimes. When severe well interference occurs, periodic well shut-in is needed to help restore the reservoir pressure and output capacity. In the meanwhile, the daily output should be controlled reasonably to prolong the stable production time. This research will help to understand the impact of well interference to gas production, and to optimize the well spacing and achieve satisfied performance.