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OA – DF - YB – LB: Thermal Simulation And Interpretation - Part 1
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7 - Conclusions
Several thermal models have been developed as part of KAPPA software to date. The most
comprehensive model – included in Rubis - addresses transient multi-phase flow, and solves
implicitly the wellbore-reservoir problem. To the best of our knowledge, this is the most
sophisticated solution available on the market today to simulate wellbore/reservoir
temperatures.
Emeraude includes a steady state simplification with a 1-D reservoir model (with some
transient corrections), which already goes beyond what most PL or DTS software use. The
Emeraude and Rubis models have been compared on a number of cases and provide consistent
responses, when the hypotheses are the same.
Sensitivity studies show the importance of the input parameters, such as the layer pressure
drops (or petrophysical properties used to calculate it), the thermal parameters of the various
elements, and the definition of the PVT, which has a dramatic impact on Joule-Thomson
through the density derivatives.
Inverse problem solving, i.e. computing inflow rates from a temperature profile, can only be
achieved with a reliable characterization of
all
the parameters involved, the uncertainty on
input parameters translating automatically into an uncertainty on the answer. Because of the
number of parameters however, even a single phase interpretation can turn out to be
completely undefined and lead to random results. Clearly, hoping to solve in multiphase if only
the temperature is supplied is totally unrealistic.