In this paper, we present the interpretation of pressure transient well test data from discretely fractured reservoirs, where the fractures provide conduits for fluid flow and displacement, but where the fracture network is poorly connected. For this reason, dual porosity models such as Warren and Root’s formulation are not usually applicable. We first outline the gaps in the existing pressure transient well test interpretation methodology for these reservoirs, then we introduce two new techniques developed to address these gaps: 1) a reservoir model-based inversion technique for the identification of spatial variation in reservoir parameters from pressure transient data, and 2) a boundary-element method for determining the pressure transient behavior of the reservoir with arbitrarily distributed finite and/or infinite conductivity vertical fractures.

Using these two new techniques, we defined a new integrated interpretation methodology for reservoirs with discrete natural fractures and incorporating openhole log data, seismic, and the preliminary geological reservoir model. This is an important step in reconciling static and dynamic reservoir data to update the geological reservoir model with meaningful parameters. This methodology provides a direct means of calibrating the fracture model with the well test pressure and rate measurements- one of the few dynamic and deep-reading measurements for reservoir evaluation. Finally, we illustrated the use of the methodology, and demonstrated its robustness by using an example DST from a fractured carbonate reservoir in Campos Basin, Brazil. Results indicated the presence of discrete fractures close to and intersecting the well that do not form a connected fracture network.