The Effects of Reservoir Properties on Pressure Surges: Sustainable Downhole Valve-Pulse Analysis for Near-Wellbore Region
SUSTAINABILITY, cilt.18, sa.14, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, SSCI, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 18 Sayı: 14
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.3390/su18147431
- Dergi Adı: SUSTAINABILITY
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, CAB Abstracts, Geobase, INSPEC
- Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Rapid valve actions in producing or injecting wells generate pressure surges that propagate as water-hammer waves and interact with the reservoir at the sand face. Although these transients are often treated as operational disturbances, their amplitude, reflection timing, and declining pressure surge contain information on wellbore, fluid, and near-wellbore reservoir properties. This paper presents a coupled wellbore-reservoir interpretation framework for using valve-induced pressure pulses as a rapid diagnostic tool. The approach combines one-dimensional transient pipe-flow equations with analytical/numerical reservoir models. A finite-volume pipe model coupled to an analytical radial-diffusivity solution (hybrid model) is used as a benchmark, and a fully numerical finite-element formulation is then introduced to solve tubing hydraulics and porous-media flow simultaneously. The proposed test configuration places a fast-acting shut-in valve and high-resolution quartz gauge downhole, near the perforations, to reduce signal attenuation and increase sensitivity to reservoir parameters. Verification examples show that the finite-element model reproduces the coupled pressure-wave behavior of the hybrid model. Sensitivity results show that the surge amplitude scales with fluid acoustic impedance and the rate of change. Matrix permeability plays a major role in controlling reflected energy and pressure decline. Low-porosity rock has less storage capacity. It therefore gives a higher pressure response and slower dissipation. Fracture properties, such as half-length and permeability, produce distinct signatures at early times. The results show that reservoir properties strongly control the evolution of the transient pressure surge. This indicates that downhole valve-pulse testing can be used as a short-duration method to estimate near-wellbore and fracture parameters. By reducing the test duration, production interruption, equipment deployment, personnel mobilization, and associated environmental and operational burdens, the proposed analysis can lead to a more resource-efficient, cost-effective, and lower-impact reservoir characterization method. The method provides high-frequency pressure data and can support near-wellbore characterization as a complementary tool to conventional well-testing methods.