Numerical simulation of non-conventional wells using adaptive finite element analysis Original Research Article

In recent years, non-conventional wells (NCWs), such as horizontal wells and drainhole drilling, have gained popularity as a means for enhancing the production and overall life of existing reservoirs. The present work investigates the benefits of using adaptive meshing in the modeling of NCWs. In particular, we employ special hp-adaptive finite element techniques (i.e. simultaneous manipulation of mesh size and polynomial order) to model the reservoir, as well as the wellbore, without relying on approximate well models and/or productivity/ injectivity index calculations. Reservoir and wellbore flows are solved in a consistent, coupled manner using unstructured meshes so as to provide the greatest flexibility in the geometric representation. Several examples are presented which highlight the flexibility and accuracy of the approach.