Russian Science Foundation Grant Winners: Mathematical Models for Petroleum Extraction

SAU EcoOil is working on mathematical applications for processes in oil reservoirs.

Several teams of SAU EcoOil won Russian Science Foundation grants. One of them was the High-Performance Distributed Systems Lab which presented its project “Mathematical modelling of multiphase multicomponent non-isothermal filtration in deformable porous medium”.

The Lab is currently finishing the first phase where the most prospective research directions have been discovered. Senior Research Associate Eduard Khramchenkov comments, “We take account of the deformation of porous medium, its permeability and filtration properties. When several intertwined processes are involved, thermal expansion occurs, the matter flows quicker, and the mechanical medium changes – deformations appear, and in case of fissured medium – fissures. The main complexity is how to unite these processes in equations.”

KFU has been engaged in research of liquids in porous medium since the 1950s. Gradually, single-phase, double-phase and triple-phase flow with chemical effects have been studied. Currently, the scholars are looking for a so-called thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical coupled models which combine all the effects in a system of equations.

Model research is divided into two domains – industrial (for specific deposits) and scientific (for general universal models and a computing complex). This is what our employees are engaged in right now. The most pertinent for Tatarstan is a model for steam-assisted gravity drainage. An adequate mathematical model can reduce its cost. SAGD is being implemented by Tatneft in cooperation with KFU.

The team will be ready to show first results in half a year. KFU’s high-performance computing cluster will be used in the research. The end product should be a piece of software which provides visualization data based on reservoir configuration.

Experimental testing is not planned so far, but, as Dr. Khramchenkov says, it may be needed further down the road for parameter filling and verification.