journal article·2025-03-12Open access

A Multiscale Compositional Numerical Study in Tight Oil Reservoir: Incorporating Capillary Forces in Phase Behavior Calculation

Junqiang Wang, Li Wu, Qian Sun, Ruichao Zhang, Wenbin Chen, Haitong Yang, Shuoliang Wang

Applied Sciences· Volume 15· Issue 6

Abstract

Tight oil reservoirs offer significant development potential. Due to the pronounced capillary forces in their nanopores, phase behavior differs markedly from that in conventional reservoirs, challenging traditional equations of state and numerical simulation methods. This paper presents a multiscale compositional numerical simulation method that incorporates capillary forces, leveraging the parallel advantages of the multiscale finite volume method. The approach decouples the compositional model using a sequential format to derive pressure and transport equations, then solves the pressure equation iteratively in a multiscale format to enhance computational efficiency. Results show that the proposed method significantly improves simulation speed while maintaining accuracy. By considering capillary forces in phase equilibrium calculations, this model effectively characterizes phase behavior in tight oil reservoir development, making it highly relevant for Pressure Volume Temperature (PVT) simulation, development simulation, and forecasting development strategies.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Advanced Mathematical Modeling in Engineering · Hydrocarbon exploration and reservoir analysis · Enhanced Oil Recovery Techniques

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

School of Energy Resources, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China

Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration & Development, PetroChina Company Limited, Beijing 100083, China

Shandong Institute of Petroleum and Chemical Technology, Dongying 257061, China

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China · Science and Technology Project of China National Petroleum Corporation

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