Water advance and oil production rate in a naturally fractured reservoir during waterflooding

New analytical models have been developed for predicting the swept area of a waterflood and for the oil production rate within a fixed pattern behind the waterfront in a naturally fractured reservoir. Models for both double- and triple-porosity reservoirs are presented. A method for incorporating a realistic fracture spacing distribution (negative-exponential distribution) into the models is also presented. The models show channeling of the waterfront through the fracture network and the differences between double- and triple-porosity reservoirs.