Fractal modeling of natural fracture networks. Final report, June 1994--June 1995

Recovery from naturally fractured, tight-gas reservoirs is controlled by the fracture network. Reliable characterization of the actual fracture network in the reservoir is severely limited. The location and orientation of fractures intersecting the borehole can be determined, but the length of these fractures cannot be unambiguously determined. Fracture networks can be determined for outcrops, but there is little reason to believe that the network in the reservoir should be identical because of the differences in stresses and history. Because of the lack of detailed information about the actual fracture network, modeling methods must represent the porosity and permeability associated with the fracture network, as accurately as possible with very little apriori information. Three rather different types of approaches have been used: (1) dual porosity simulations; (2) `stochastic` modeling of fracture networks, and (3) fractal modeling of fracture networks. Stochastic models which assume a variety of probability distributions of fracture characteristics have been used with some success in modeling fracture networks. The advantage of these stochastic models over the dual porosity simulations is that real fracture heterogeneities are included in the modeling process. In the sections provided in this paper the authors will present fractal analysis of the MWX site, using the box-counting procedure; (2) review evidence testing the fractal nature of fracture distributions and discuss the advantages of using their fractal analysis over a stochastic analysis; (3) present an efficient algorithm for producing a self-similar fracture networks which mimic the real MWX outcrop fracture network