Basic PVT (Fluid behaviour as a

function of Pressure, Volume and

Temperature)
Statoil module Field development
Magnus Nordsveen

Status: Draft

Content

Phase envelops

Gas field

Hydrates
Characterisations of fluids
Equation of states (EOS)

Status: Draft

Comp Mole%
N2
0.95
CO2
0.6
H20
0.35
C1
95
C2
2.86
C3
0.15
iC4
0.22
nC4
0.04
iC5
0.1
nC5
0.03
C6
0.07
C7
0.1
C8
0.08
C9
0.03
C10+
0.13

Phase diagram for a single component

Dense phase
P
Critical point

Solid

Liquid

Gas

Trippel point

Status: Draft

Phase envelope of an oil reservoir

2 phase
mixture

Status: Draft

Phase envelope of a gas condensate reservoir

Tres, Pres

Gas

Liquid
2 phase
mixture

Status: Draft

Phase envelops for 3 reservoir types

Gas Condensate
C

Pressure

Oil
Heavy oil

C = Critical point
Temperature
Status: Draft

Water-hydrocarbon phase behaviour

Liquid water and hydrocarbons are essentially immiscible in each other
Water vapour in the gas will be governed by gas composition and the vapour
pressure of the liquid phase

With water, oil and gas present, there will be two liquid fields and one gas field

A gas reservoir is often saturated with water vapour

When gas is produced through a well and flowline, temperature drops and water
condenses

Condensed water amounts to some m3 per MSm3 produced gas

Status: Draft

Hydrate formation
Hydrate domain

400

Access to small molecules

Right pressure

Pressure (bara)

300
250
200
150

Right temperature

Access to free water

350

100

No hydrates can
exist in this region

50
0

10

15
Temperature (C)

Status: Draft

20

25

30

Effect of thermodynamic hydrate inhibitors:

Methanol, Ethanol, MEG, salt

400
350

Chemicals move
the hydrate curve

(bara)
Trykk
(bar)
Pressure

300

250

Hydrate
domain

200

No hydrates

150

Normal
operational
domain

100
50
0
0

10

15

20

Temperature
(C)
Temperatur (C)

Status: Draft

25

30

Characterisation of fluids
Based on fluid properties (old)
Based on composition
Definitions:
Standard conditions [STP] for temperature and pressure: 15 oC, 1 atm

GOR = Volume of gas/ Volume of oil [Sm3/Sm3]

WC = Volume rate of water/ Volume rate of liquid [-]
o = o/w at STP (oil density / water density) - specific gravity of oil
g = g/a at STP (gas density / air density) - specific gravity of gas

API = 141.5/ o 131.5 (American Petroleum Institute measure of oil density)

Status: Draft

Old type characterization

Useful when no composition exists
The fluid is characterized by:
API gravity / o
g
GOR
Fluid properties as: Bubble point Pressure (Pb), gas-oil ratio (RSGO), densities,
viscosities, etc are functions (correlations) of the above parameters

Status: Draft

Reservoir fluid types (GOR)

Fluid type
Dry gas
Wet gas

Gas
Condensate
Oil

Status: Draft

Physical behaviour
No hydrocarbon liquid condensation during production
Hydrocarbon liquid condensation in reservoir is
negligible during production. Condensation in wells,
flowlines and separators.
Condensation of hydrocarbons in reservoir is
significant during production. Condensation in wells,
flowlines and separators.
Gas bubbles is formed in reservoir during production

Typical GOR
[Sm3/Sm3]
> 100 000 (at least))
> 10 000

500 < > 10 000

< 500

Reservoir fluid types (API)

Oil type
Light oil
Oil
Heavy oil
Extra heavy oil

Typical API [-]

> 30
22 < > 30
10 < > 22
< 10

Comment: Arguably the most important fluid property for production of

heavy oils is viscosity which is very dependent on pressure and
temperature. Viscosity could thus be used as classification of reservoir
types. However, during production the temperature and pressure (and thus
viscosity) can change considerably along the well/flowline to the
processing facility.
Viscosity typically increases with decreasing API

Status: Draft

Characterisation of fluids based on

composition
Thousands of components from methane to large
polycyclic compounds

Carbon numbers from 1 to at least 100 (for heavy oils

probably about 200)

Molecular weights range from 16 g/mole to several

thousands g/mole

Status: Draft

Comp Mole%
N2
0.95
CO2
0.6
H20
0.35
C1
95
C2
2.86
C3
0.15
iC4
0.22
nC4
0.04
iC5
0.1
nC5
0.03
C6
0.07
C7
0.1
C8
0.08
C9
0.03
C10+
0.13

Gas chromatography
Fingerprint analysis
Normal, paraffinic oil

Biodegraded oil

Status: Draft

Waxy oil

Characterization challenge
Low carbon number components:
Possible to measure with reasonable accuracy
Known properties
Higher carbon number components:
consists of many variations with different properties
cannot measure individual components
Characterization: Lump C10 and higher into C10+

Status: Draft

Comp Mole%
N2
0.95
CO2
0.6
H20
0.35
C1
95
C2
2.86
C3
0.15
iC4
0.22
nC4
0.04
iC5
0.1
nC5
0.03
C6
0.07
C7
0.1
C8
0.08
C9
0.03
C10+
0.13

Fluid properties based on composition

mix xi i

Status: Draft

Equations of state (EOS)

Any equation correlating P (pressure), V (volume) and T (temperature) is called
an equation of state

RT
v

Ideal gas law: PV = nRT <=>

(good approx. for P < 4 bar)
n: moles, R: gas constant, : molar volume
Van der Waals cubic EOS: P

RT
a
2
vb v

a: is a measure for the attraction between the particles

b: is the volume excluded from by the particles
Status: Draft

Equations of state (EOS) & Phase envelope

Family of PV isotherms for a pure component

Status: Draft

Family of PV isotherms for a cubic EOS

PVTSim
In the oil industry we typically use software packages to characterize the fluid
based on a measured composition

In Statoil we use PVTSim from Calsep

Ref: Phase Behavior of Petroleum Reservoir Fluids (Book),
Karen Schou Pedersen and Peter L. Christensen, 2006.

Status: Draft

Thank you

Status: Draft