Advances in Unconventional Reservoir Development and CO2 Storage

A special issue of Processes (ISSN 2227-9717). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 1568

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Unconventional Petroleum Research Institute, China University of Petroleum-Beijing, Beijing 102249, China
Interests: unconventional reservoir development; underground hydrogen and CO2 storage; high-resolution high-performance subsurface flow simulation

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Guest Editor
School of Petroleum Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
Interests: unconventional oil and gas; EOR; CO2 storage
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Guest Editor Assistant
School of Geoscience & Resource Engineering, China University of Mining & Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
Interests: unconventional reservoir development; underground hydrogen and CO2 storage; hydrualic fracturing; fluid-rock interaction

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As global energy consumption continues to rise rapidly, the development of unconventional reservoirs is becoming increasingly important in petroleum engineering. To mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and combat global warming and climate change, significant efforts are being directed towards CO2 storage.

Despite recent advancements and techniques, unresolved challenges persist in the development of unconventional reservoirs and CO2 storage. Hydraulic fracturing is widely used to create fractures that enhance oil recovery and facilitate CO2 distribution. The characterization and conductivity of these fractures and fracture networks are crucial for both unconventional reservoir development and CO2 spread. While large volumes of fracturing fluid are injected into reservoirs, only a fraction is recovered; the remainder can impact oil recovery and CO2 distribution. The complex phase behaviors that vary with spatial and vertical heterogeneity further influence these processes. Additionally, the mechanisms governing fluid flow within reservoirs remain unclear due to the intricate microstructures involved, complicating efforts in unconventional reservoir development and CO2 storage.

This Special Issue aims to showcase recent advances in unconventional reservoir development and CO2 storage. We welcome both research and review articles and invite prospective authors to submit high-quality original works that explore innovative approaches to promoting unconventional reservoir development and CO2 storage, particularly those that integrate geological and engineering theories and methodologies.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to the following:

  • Geochemical and geophysical characterization of unconventional reservoirs;
  • Innovative technologies for unconventional reservoirs development;
  • Numerical or experimental methods of multiphase flow in unconventional reservoirs;
  • Techno-economic analysis of unconventional resources;
  • CO2 storage and enhanced oil recovery in conventional and unconventional oil reservoir;
  • CO2 storage in deep saline aquifers and techno-economic analysis;
  • Advances in subsurface flow simulation.

Dr. Xiukun Wang
Dr. Junrong Liu
Guest Editors

Dr. Kerui Liu
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Processes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • unconventional reservoir
  • CO2 storage
  • hydraulic fracturing
  • enhanced oil recovery
  • CO2 -EOR
  • fluid–rock interaction
  • multiphase flow mechanism

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 22084 KiB  
Article
Optimization of Well Spacing with an Integrated Workflow: A Case Study of the Fuyu Tight Oil Reservoir in the Daqing Oil Field, China
by Wensheng Wu, Gangxiang Song, Hui Zhang, Xiukun Wang and Zhaojie Song
Processes 2025, 13(4), 1008; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13041008 - 27 Mar 2025
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Abstract
Optimizing well spacing is crucial for enhancing the production efficiency and economic returns of tight oil development. The limited understanding of hydraulic fracture geometry and properties poses significant challenges in designing well spacing for tight oil reservoirs. In this study, we proposed an [...] Read more.
Optimizing well spacing is crucial for enhancing the production efficiency and economic returns of tight oil development. The limited understanding of hydraulic fracture geometry and properties poses significant challenges in designing well spacing for tight oil reservoirs. In this study, we proposed an integrated workflow for optimizing well spacing in tight oil reservoirs. Geological and geomechanical models were established to form the basis for numerical reservoir simulation and dynamic fracture modeling. A multi-staged, multi-clustered fracture propagation simulation of horizontal wells was conducted by a hydraulic fracturing simulator with matched actual field pumping schedules. The differences between fracture propagation simulation results and field monitoring results, including micro-seismic testing and distributed temperature sensing (DTS) monitoring, were analyzed. The geological model and fracture propagation simulation results were integrated into an efficient numerical reservoir simulator. A material balance method for fracturing fluids leak-off was proposed and utilized to equivalently calculate the actual oil–water distribution after fracturing and to complete the historical matching water cuts of all wells. Subsequently, the inter-well drainage area and pressure interference were evaluated. By employing this integrated workflow, the production performance of six wells (three well pairs) at different well spacings was simulated over a 15-year period, and their estimated ultimate recoveries (EURs) were predicted. When well spacing was less than the optimal distance, oil production dropped significantly. Ultimately, it was determined that reasonable well spacing for this block was 250 m. In future well pattern designs, well spacing smaller than the current value should be used. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Unconventional Reservoir Development and CO2 Storage)
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17 pages, 5515 KiB  
Article
Application of a Reservoir Classification Method Based on Core Data from Offshore Tight Reservoirs: A Case Study of the Liushagang Formation in the Beibu Basin
by Xinchen Gao, Liang Wang, Zihao Zeng, Qiangyu Li, Yuhang Jin and Kangliang Guo
Processes 2024, 12(11), 2510; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr12112510 - 11 Nov 2024
Viewed by 961
Abstract
Several methods are currently used to test offshore tight reservoirs. However, the effectiveness of these applications varies among wells, and some exhibit unclear reservoir classifications. These issues lead to difficulties in decision-making during tests and result in higher testing costs. Therefore, to address [...] Read more.
Several methods are currently used to test offshore tight reservoirs. However, the effectiveness of these applications varies among wells, and some exhibit unclear reservoir classifications. These issues lead to difficulties in decision-making during tests and result in higher testing costs. Therefore, to address this issue, this study used reservoirs in the Liushagang Formation of the Beibu Basin as the research object and employed core data to apply the multi-stage FZI method. This method computes the FZI and its cumulative probability, classifying the target reservoir into seven distinct types. According to the Winland R35 method, the target reservoir was classified into five distinct types. Seven characteristic parameters were selected based on the mercury injection experimental data. The K-means clustering method was then used to classify the target reservoirs into two types. The conclusions were that, in this formation, there is predominantly low to extra-low porosity and extra-low to ultra-low permeability. According to relationship models, logged porosity can be used to calculate effective permeability. Combining the multi-stage FZI method with the K-means clustering method for reservoir classification is recommended. This integrated approach facilitates a more comprehensive analysis of the characteristics of offshore low-permeability tight reservoirs at both macro and micro scales after classification. This research provides key insights for enhancing offshore well production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Unconventional Reservoir Development and CO2 Storage)
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