Numerical simulation on natural gas migration and accumulation in sweet spots of tight reservoir

Abstract Although the exploration and development of tight gas have made great progress, the quantified study on gas migration and accumulation in sweet spots of tight gas reservoir is still limited. In this work, a computer program is developed to conveniently describe the different shape of sweet spots and the fractures in tight reservoir. Then, gas migration and accumulation processes are simulated, and the numerical simulation results are visualized and quantified. Based on the simulation results, the mechanism of gas migration and accumulation in sweet spots is revealed. The results indicate that the migration and accumulation of gas are two relatively independent processes. The gas migration process is determined by the permeability of rocks. The critical condition of gas accumulation in sweet spots is mostly determined by the capillary pressure difference between sweet spots and surrounding rock. The two migration patterns are clearly observed during the numerical simulations. When surrounding rock has seepage capacity for gas, the migration pattern tends to be piston-like displacement; when surrounding rock is impermeable for gas, the gas can only migrate into sweet spots through connected fractures. As a result, the migration pattern for this situation tends to be fingering displacement.