Moment-Equation Approach to Single Phase Fluid Flow in Heterogeneous Reservoirs

Abstract

Summary In this paper, we study single phase, steady-state flow in bounded, heterogeneous reservoirs. We derive general equations governing the statistical moments of flow quantities by perturbation expansions. These moments may be used to construct confidence intervals for the flow quantities. Due to their mathematical complexity, we solve the moment differential equations (MDEs) by the numerical technique of finite differences. The numerical MDE approach renders the flexibility in handling complex flow configurations, different boundary conditions, various covariance functions of the independent variables, and moderately irregular geometry, all of which are important factors to consider for real-world applications. The other method with these flexibilities is Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) which has been widely used in the industry. These two approaches are complementary, and each has its own advantages and disadvantages. The numerical MDE approach is compared with published results of MCS and analytical MDE approaches and is demonstrated with two examples involving injection/production wells.