Practice and knowledge of volumetric development of deep fractured-vuggy carbonate reservoirs in Tarim Basin, NW China

Different from the continental layered sandstone and fracture-pore carbonate reservoirs, the fractured-vuggy carbonate reservoirs in the Tarim Basin are mainly composed of fractured-vuggy bodies of different sizes and shapes. Based on years of study on the geological features, flow mechanism, high-precision depiction and the mode of recovery of fractured-vuggy bodies, the idea of "volumetric development" is proposed and put into practice. Guided by the concept of volumetric development, the fractured-vuggy unit is treated as the research object, the "body-by-body" production methodology is established according to the fractured-vuggy body's spatial allocation and reserves. A variety of development wells, various technological methods and multi-type injection media are used to develop this type of reservoirs in an all-round way. As a result, the structures of resource and production of the Tahe oilfield are significantly improved and a highly efficient development is achieved. © 2019, The Editorial Board of Petroleum Exploration and Development. All right reserved.