PETE 310

Lecture # 14
Wet Gas Specific Gravity & Z-factor
(Chapter 7: pages 195-205)

Learning Objectives
Calculate the specific gravity of a wet gas mixture, given
producing GOR (at separator(s) and stock tank and:
compositions liquid and gas from stock tank and
separator gas
or, separator compositions (gas & liquid)
or, properties of the separator gas and stock vent gas
Define the two-phase z-factor and understand the uses
of this in reservoir engineering
Explain the shape of a typical two-phase z-factor
isotherm.
Calculate values of two-phase z-factor using Rayes etal.
correlation (SPE paper).

Separators
y iSP
and GOR ( scf / STB )

y iST
x iST

and GOR ( scf / STB )

x iSP

x iST

Wellhead
fv SP

lb mole

lb mole

gas

gas SP

lb moleoil SP

lb moleoil SP lb molegas lb moleoil ST

fv ST

lb mole

lb mole

gas

gas ST

lb moleoil ST

Key Points
What matters is the molar ratio of gas to oil
so lets assume one barrel of oil produced
Methods to evaluate oil density will be
discussed in Chapter 11 (here it will be
provided)
To convert oAPI to oil density
o

141.5
API
131.5
o

o
o
w

Key Points
The expression [=] means has the units of For
example

lb
o 3
ft
You are responsible for reading the material that
cannot be covered in this lecture
Rework ALL the example problems in the book
Procedure 1 - explained in detail here - is simpler and
takes less time to solve than the method explained in
the book

Recombination procedure when

separator gas yiSP and tock tank
compositions (xiSTO, yiST) are
known
(Procedure 1.)

Procedure 1.
Calculate molecular weight of stock tank
liquid
Nc

Mwo x i Mwi
i 1

Calculate lb-moles of separator gas produced

per barrel of STO from separator

GORSP
scf/STB

lb - molegas /STO
id
scf/lb - mole
Vm
Vmid 380.7scf/l b - mole (ideal gas molar volume)

Procedure 1.
Calculate lb-moles of stock gas vented per
STO

GORST
scf/STB

lb - molegas /STO
id
scf/lb - mole
Vm
Calculate moles of oil in 1 barrel of stock tank
(need to use molar density)
oil

lb - moleoil
lb/ft 3


lb/lb - mole
Mwo
ft 3

lb - moleoil
ft 3
lb - moleoil /STO
5.615
3
ft
bbl

Procedure 1.
lb mole

gas SP

fv SP

STO

lb molegas lb moleoil SP

x iST

STO

lb moleoil SP lb molegas lb moleoil ST

lb mole

gas ST

fv ST

STO
lb molegas lb moleoil ST
STO

Procedure 1.
Determine reservoir gas composition from fundamental mole
balance

zi y i SP fv SP xi SP 1 fv SP

xi SP y i ST fv ST xi ST 1 fv ST

x iST

zi y i SP fv SP y i ST fv ST xi ST 1 fv ST 1 fv ST

Once reservoir composition is known determine z-factor and

specific gravity

Example for Procedure 1.

Yi SEP

Yi STO

X i STO

Recombination procedure when

separator gas yiSP and liquid
compositions xiSP are known
(Procedure 2.)

Example for Procedure 2.

Procedure 2.

zi y i SP fv SP x i SP 1 fv SP

Additional information given is the separator/stock

tank volume ratio as

bbl SP oil at (T, P of separator)

bbl STB ( at standard conditions )
Use this to convert from scf/STO scf/ST
Proceed as in procedure 1.
Rework example 7.2 in textbook

Recombination procedure when

only separator gas and stock vent
gas properties are known
(Procedure 3.)

Procedure 3.
For two-stage separators

RSP gSP RST gST

RSP RST

R RSP RST
For three-stage separators derive
expressions

Procedure 3.
Moles in one stock tank barrel

Procedure 3.
Mass of one stock tank barrel

Procedure 3.
And the gas gravity at reservoir conditions
is

gR

R g 4 ,600 o
R 133 ,300 o / M o

An approximation for Mo (when not given is)

42.43 STO
5 ,954
Mo o

API 8.8 1.008 STO

Procedure 3.
For two-stage separators

RSP gSP RST gST

R RSP

RSP RST
RST

For three-stage separators derive

expressions

Once Gas Specific Gravity is

Known
Evaluate Tpc and Ppc (previous paper
using K and J and including corrections
for impurities N2, CO2, H2S)
If dew-point pressure is not known
Use dry-gas z-factor when C7+ < 4%
Or when wellstream gravity < 0.911

If pd is known
if reservoir p is lower than pd evaluate z2phase using equation from SPE 20055 paper
If reservoir p is greater than pd , evaluate z as
for a dry gas (single-phase)

Correlation of Specific Gravities

for a wet gas

READ - SPE 20055

Ranges of Compositions

Single vs Two-phase z-factor

p/z-2phase v s z-2phase
1.2
z-gas (one phase )

z, z-2p h ase

z-2phase s
1

0.8

0.6
0

1000

2000

3000

Pre ssure (psia)

4000

5000

Estimates of the Gas in Place (G)

When p/z = 0 Gp = G

Gp
pi
p
1

z
zi
G
From single phase z
From two-phase z

G=
G=

(PETE 323)

644640 MMSCF
679522 MMSCF
5.13328 % difference

Gp
pi
p
1

z Exercise:
zi
G these calculations using information
verify
from next slide

Estimates of Reserves
P/z_1phase = -9.359752E-03x + 6.033670E+03
7000

p/z , p/z-2phase (psia)

R = 9.979569E-01

Gas in Place Prediction

p/z-2phase
p/z-gas
Linear (p/z-gas)
Linear (p/z-2phase)

6000
5000
4000
3000
2000
P/z_2phase = -8.405311E-03x + 5.711591E+03
R2 = 9.979049E-01

1000
0
0

100000

200000

300000

400000

500000

Gp (MMSCF)

600000

700000

800000