Title: Performance forecast for two vertical fractured wells in laterally heterogeneous gas reservoirs by boundary element method

Authors: Feng Tian; Wei Gao; Jiahang Wang; Hai Zhou

Addresses: State Key Laboratory of Public Big Data, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China; College of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China; Key Laboratory of Karst Georesources and Environment, Ministry of Education, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China ' College of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China; Key Laboratory of Karst Georesources and Environment, Ministry of Education, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China; Guizhou Research Center of Shale Gas and CBM Engineering Technology, Guiyang, 550008, China ' Engineering Institute of SINOPEC Shanghai Offshore Oil and Gas Company, Shanghai, 200120, China ' China Petroleum Pipeline Engineering Company, Langfang, 065000, China

Abstract: This paper establishes a mathematical model for two vertical fractured wells in laterally heterogeneous gas reservoirs to predict and optimise production. The model is solved successfully by using the boundary element method, and the results show excellent agreements with the numerical solutions. Subsequently, typical well test curves are developed, and the crossflow occurs between the radial flow and boundary-dominated flow. Furthermore, the influences of heterogeneity and production allocation ratio are emphatically analysed. The results demonstrate that a greater share should be assigned to the well in high permeability region; otherwise, the generation of this reverse crossflow from high permeability areas to low permeability areas will produce greater energy loss. In a two-region gas reservoir with a permeability ratio of 1:2, the optimal production allocation ratio is 2:3. Compared to the reference case, the cumulative production increases are about 12.5%. In summary, a reasonable production allocation prevents significant regional pressure differences and extends the production time to obtain a higher cumulative gas production. [Received: October 28, 2024; Accepted: December 16, 2024]

Keywords: gas reservoirs; vertical fractured wells; heterogeneity; boundary element method; BEM; crossflow.

DOI: 10.1504/IJOGCT.2026.150570

International Journal of Oil, Gas and Coal Technology, 2026 Vol.39 No.1, pp.1 - 21

Received: 16 Oct 2024
Accepted: 16 Dec 2024
Published online: 17 Dec 2025 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article