A TYPE-CURVE APPROACH TO ANALYZING 2-WELL TRACER TESTS Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • Summary The traditional approach to analyzing field tracer data generally involves a history-matching procedure that is time-consuming and frequently results in a nonunique solution. In this paper, we use theoretical frequency response functions to build type curves of "transfer function" and "phase spectrum" that have a dimensionless heterogeneity index as a parameter to characterize a stochastic permeability field. The transfer function contains information regarding the amplitude-attenuating characteristics of the heterogeneous medium, and the phase spectrum provides information about the spacing between the frequency components of the input and output tracer pulses. In a manner analogous to type-curve matching for well testing, we can analyze field tracer history by comparing the theoretical and field-observed transfer function and phase spectrum. This analysis leads to an estimate of the heterogeneity index and PV. We demonstrate the technique by analyzing field tracer data from the Big Muddy field, WY, and compare the use of parameters obtained in scaling up. Results show very good agreement with the field data.

published proceedings

  • SPE FORMATION EVALUATION

author list (cited authors)

  • DATTAGUPTA, A., LAKE, L. W., POPE, G. A., & KING, M. J.

citation count

  • 10

complete list of authors

  • DATTAGUPTA, A||LAKE, LW||POPE, GA||KING, MJ

publication date

  • March 1995