Application of mathematical optimization techniques for pattern of horizontal wells selection

Abstract

The paper describes an approach to selection of horizontal well placement. Given a field dynamic model we use advanced optimization techniques to select horizontal well length, well placement, well control that improve the field economics and increase field recoveries. In order to deal with well-known problems of using optimization algorithms for field development as big number of variables and computational complexity of hydrodynamic simulation we propose multilayer approach. First, we use chain of simulators and dynamic models (from analytic models to fine-scale hydrodynamic model). Second, we decompose optimal well placement and control task of high dimension into a number of optimization problems of lower dimension: selection of optimal well pattern, local well placement optimization, selection of well control. Thus we reduce number of complicated model runs. The proposed approach was implemented for FDP optimization of a Gazprom Neft JSC greenfield.