Influence of geological reservoir heterogeneity on exploitation conditions of Garadagh field / underground gas storage (Azerbaijan)

Underground oil and gas reservoirs (formations) are characterized by spatial variability of their structure, material composition and petrophysical properties of its constituent rocks: particle size distribution, porosity, permeability, structure and texture of the pore space, carbonate content, electrical resistivity, oil and water saturation and other properties. When assessing development and exploitation conditions for underground gas storages, created in depleted underground oil and gas reservoirs, the inherited nature of the reservoir development should be taken into account. Therefore, identifying the features of variations in well productivity is a crucial task, solution of which can contribute to the creation of more efficient system for underground gas storage exploitation. The paper presents the findings of comparative analysis of spatial variations in well productivity during the exploitation of the Garadagh underground gas storage (Azerbaijan), created in the depleted gas condensate reservoir. An uneven nature of the variations in well productivity was established, which was connected with the reservoir heterogeneity (variations in the reservoir lithological composition and poroperm properties). The research was based on the analysis of spatial variations of a number of reservoir parameters: the reservoir net thickness, lithological composition and poroperm properties. The analysis of variations in the net thickness and poroperm properties of the VII horizon of the Garadagh gas condensate field was carried out based on the data of geophysical logging of about 40 wells and studying more than 90 core samples. The data on of more than 90 wells formed the basis for the spacial productivity variation analysis. The analysis of productivity variation in the space of well technological characteristics (based on data from 18 wells) in the Garadagh underground gas storage (UGS) was carried out through the example of the volume of cyclic gas injection and withdrawal in 2020–2021 season. The studies allowed revealing non-uniform spacial variations in the volumes of injected and withdrawn gas at the Garadagh UGS, created in the corresponding depleted gas condensate reservoir. The features of the UGS exploitation conditions are in good agreement with the features of the reservoir development conditions (variations in the well productivity). The inherited nature of the reservoir development and the underground gas storage exploitation is substantiated by the reservoir heterogeneity caused by the spatial variability of the reservoir lithological composition and poroperm properties. Assessing and taking into account the reservoir heterogeneity when designing underground gas storage exploitation conditions should be an important prerequisite for increasing UGS exploitation efficiency.

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