oa Study of Open Fractures in a Permeable Rock Matrix Using a Two Phase Numerical Flow Model and Its Effect from Production

The presence of open fractures in a permeable matrix generates highly heterogeneous permeability<br>fields which have a large impact on the relative flow of oil and water. This results in highly variable<br>velocities which generates complex oil-water fronts and strongly heterogeneous water saturation fields.<br>Such conditions make prediction of reservoir behaviour difficult and efficient recovery problematic. One<br>of the best known effects is early water breakthrough at wells due to the preferential flow of water<br>along a connected fracture system. In the present paper the effects of open fractures on the flow of oil<br>and water are investigated using a two phase numerical flow model with some simple and simulated<br>and natural fractures patterns. The results are used to investigate the nature of ‘pseudo<br>curves’ (relative permeability curves for volumes of heterogeneous rock) in the case of fractured permeable rocks.<br>And we will get a important result that increasing fracture aperture beyond a critical value does not<br>significantly alter the pseudo relative permeability curves.