ABSTRACT
The problem of water coning in fractured basement reservoirs has been addressed in this Work. The outcome of experimental and theoretical investigation to determine the critical production rate for single- and multi-fractured system, the capillary pressure effect, and the break-through time is presented.
The results of the experimental work verify the presented theoretical relationship for different fluid viscosities, fracture angles, oil-Water contacts (OWC), and rates for the case of a single fracture system. The results also indicate that the capillary pressure effect may be generally neglected if the distance between the OWC and the fluid entry is sufficiently large compared to the capillary, rise. The extension of the critical rate determination for a multi-fractured reservoir is also discussed. Finally, the main factors influencing the break-through time were investigated. The difference in viscosity between the oil and water phases has been found to be the main factor affecting the breakthrough time.
