COMPRESSIBILITY OF

RESERVOIR ROCKS

Lecture Outline

Overburden pressure and rock

compressibility
-

Definition of overburden pressure

Pore pressure and effective overburden pressure

Types of rock compressibility

Relationship between porosity and compressibility

Porosity-compressibility correlations

Net pay,
pay gross pay
pay, net to gross,
gross and cut-off values

Overburden Pressure and Rock

Compressibility
Definition of overburden pressure:

The total pressure at any reservoir depth, due to the

weight of overlying fluid saturated rock column, is called
the overburden pressure,
pressure Pov
The total pressure at any depth is the sum of the
overlaying fluid
fluid-column
column pressure Pf and the overlaying
grain or matrix column pressure Pm

Pov = Pf + Pm
A typical value of overburden pressure is approximately one psi per
foot of depth.
depth
Overburden pressure depends on: depth, structure, consolidation of
geologic
g age
g and history
y of the rock.
the formation, g

Overburden Pressure and Rock

Compressibility

Pore pressure and effective overburden pressure:

The weight of the overburden simply applies a compressive force
to the reservoir. The pressure in the rock pore spaces does not
normally approach the overburden pressure
pressure. A typical pore
pressure, commonly referred to as the reservoir pressure, is
approximately 0.5 psi per foot of depth, assuming that the
reservoir
i is
i sufficiently
ffi i tl consolidated
lid t d so the
th overburden
b d
pressure is
i
not transmitted to the fluids in the pore spaces.
The pressure difference between overburden and internal pore
pressure is referred to as the effective overburden pressure.
During
g pressure
p
depletion
p
operations,
p
, the internal pore
p
pressure
p
decreases and, therefore, the effective overburden pressure
increases. This increase causes the following effects:
The bulk volume of the reservoir rock is reduced.
Sand grains within the pore spaces expand.

Relationship of Original Formation

Porosity to Overburden Pressure
50

40

Sandstones

30

20
Shales
10

1,000

2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
Overburden pressure, psi

6,000

FORMATION COMPRESSIBILITY

General Definition

The relative volume change of matter per unit

pressure change under conditions of constant
temperature

Usually, petroleum reservoirs can be considered

isothermal (an exception: thermal stimulation)
Increasing pressure causes volume of material to
decrease (compression) - e.g. reservoir fluids
Decreasing pressure causes volume of material to
increase (expansion) - e.g. reservoir fluids

FORMATION COMPRESSIBILITY
1
Cf =
Vp

1. Under static conditions, downward overburden

force must be balanced by upward forces of the
matrix and fluid in pores

2. Thus:

F F
o

Vp

AND

p =p + p
o

3. Pressure Gradients,
Normal Reservoirs:
dpo/dZ = 1.0
1 0 psia/ft
dp/dZ = 0.465 psia/ft

4. As fluids are produced from reservoir, fluid pressure (p) usually

decreases while overburden is constant, and:
(a) force on matrix increases ( net compaction pressure,
pm=po-p)
(b) b
bulk
lk volume
l
d
decreases, and
d
(c) pore volume decreases.

General Equation

C: Coefficient of Isothermal Compressibility

V: Volume

oilfield units: ft3

1 V
V

C =
V p
p

p: Pressure exerted on material

ALWAYS positive value

oilfield units: 1/psia

oilfield units: psia

Negative sign in equation determined by V/p term, to force

the coefficient C to be positive
Volume is a function of pressure only (temperature is
constant, and amount of material is constant)

FORMATION COMPRESSIBILITY

Importance

Formation
F
i compressibility
ibili can have
h
a significant
i ifi
impact
i
on
reservoir performance
Subsidence can have significant environmental impact

Types of rock compressibility:

R k Matrix
Rock
M t i Compressibility
C
ibilit

Pore Compressibility
p
y ( Cf )

Bulk Compressibility ( Cb )

FORMATION COMPRESSIBILITY
Rock Matrix Compressibility

FORMATION COMPRESSIBILITY

FORMATION COMPRESSIBILITY

FORMATION COMPRESSIBILITY

FORMATION COMPRESSIBILITY

FORMATION COMPRESSIBILITY
Relationship
e at o s p bet
between
ee po
porosity
os ty a
and
d co
compressibility
p ess b ty

Relationship between porosity and compressibility

Relationship between porosity and compressibility

Porosity--Compressibility Correlations:
Porosity

PorosityPorosity
y-compressibility
p
y correlations:

Net pay
pay, gross pay and net to gross value:

Net pay
pay, gross pay and net to gross value:

Net pay
pay, gross pay and net to gross value:
Net to gross value is the ratio between net pay to gross pay
pay,
e.g., the ration between the part of the reservoir thickness
which contribute in the oil recovery to the total or gross Thickness.
The net pay values are different from one reservoir to
another depending on economic limits but as general the
following present the cut-off values for oil and gas reservoirs:

Cut-off
values

,
%

k,
mD

S w, %

Clay content,
%

Oil
reservoirs

<10

<50

>50

>15

Gas
reservoirs

<5

<1

>75

>15

Net pay
pay, gross pay and net to gross value:

Laboratory Determination of Cf

In reservoirs,, overburden pressure

p
is constant and the
pressure of fluid in pores changes, resulting in pore
volume change
In the laboratory, we change the confining pressure on
the core plug (overburden) while holding the pore
pressure constant
Remember that the net compaction pressure on the
matrix is the difference between the overburden and
pore pressures

This allows us to obtain useful results in the

laboratory

Laboratory Determination of Cf

Laboratory Procedure

Core plug is 100% saturated with brine

Core plug is placed in rubber or soft copper
sleeve
As pressure outside sleeve is increased,
pore volume decreases and the volume of
expelled brine is measured

Formation Compressibility
Hysteresis Effect

Hysteresis is used by Petroleum Engineers to describe the

effects of path dependence and irreversibilities we observe
in reservoir behavior

For example, if we decrease reservoir pressure from initial

conditions, pore volume decreases. If we then increase reservoir
pressure back to the initial pressure, pore volume does not increase
all the way back to the initial pore volume.

REFERENCES:
Ahmed, Tarek : Reservoir Engineering HandbookCh.4:
Fundamentals of Rock Properties, Second Edition, Gulf
Professional Publishing,
Publishing 2001.
2001

Subsidence and Bulk Compressibility

Process of subsidence
Bulk
B lk volume
l
d
decreases as flfluids
id are produced
d
d
Area is constant
Formation thickness decreases (causing subsidence
of strata above)

Porosity: = Vp/Vb = 1-(Vm/Vb); where Vb=Vp+Vm

Net compaction
p
p
pressure: pm = po p

Overburden (po) is constant dpm= -dp

Subsidence and Bulk Compressibility

As net compaction pressure increases

Bulk volume decreases; Cb = -1/Vb (Vb/pm)

Pore volume decreases; Cf= -1/Vp (Vp/pm)
M t i volume
Matrix
l
decreases;
d
Cm= -1/V
1/Vm (Vm/p
/ m)

Substituting from definitions above

Cb = (-1/V
( 1/Vb) [(Vp/pm) + (Vm/pm) ]
Cb = (-1/Vb) [(- Cf Vp) + (- Cm Vm)]
Cb =
Cf + (1-)C
( ) m; usuallyy Cm << Cf

Formation Compressibility

Calculation of Pore Volume Change

Separate

1
C f dp =
dVp
Vp
p2

Vp2

1
dVp
and Integrate C f dp =
Vp
p1
Vp1

Two common approaches

pp
for constant value of Cf

Exact Integration
1st Order Approximation

Formation Compressibility

Pore Volume Change - Continued

Exact Integration C f [p ]

p2
p1

= ln(Vp ) V

Vp2
p11

Exponentiating (Inverse of Natural Logarithm) and

rearranging

Vp2 = Vp1e Cf (p( 2 p1 )

OR

Vp = Vp1 e Cf (p 2 p1 ) 1

Formation Compressibility

Pore Volume Change - Continued

1st Order Approximation

dVp 1 Vp

dp Vp p
1 Vp2 Vp1

Cf =

Vp1 p 2 p1
Vp = Vp1C f (p
( 2 p1 )
1
Cf =
Vp

Vpp2 = Vpp1 [1 + C f (p 2 p1 )]

COMPACTION OF SEDIMENTS

Porosity is reduced by compaction

Porosityy reduction is determined byy maximum

burial depth
Principal effects are:

Changes in packing
Pressure solution
R
Recrystallization
t lli ti
Deformation of rock fragments

Compaction effects are not reversed by

erosional unroofing (hysteresis effect)

MECHANICS OF COMPACTION
Rotation and Closer
Packing

Ductile Grain
Deformation

Breakage of
Brittle Grains

Pressure S
P
Solution
l ti
At Grain
Contacts

Platy Grains
(e.g., clays)
Non-Platy Grains
(e.g., qtz., feldspar)
Ductile Framework
Grain, e.g., Shale Rock
Fragment)

Modified from Jonas and McBride, 1977

Formation Compressibility

Equation

1
Cf =
Vp

Vp

p
p

Cf: Formation Compressibility (Pore Volume Comp.)

ALWAYS positive value
oilfield units: 1/psia

Vp: Pore volume

3
oilfield units: ft

p: Pressure of fluid in pores

oilfield units: psia

Positive sign in equation determined by Vp/p term, to force Cf to

be positive
Pore volume is function of pressure only (temperature is constant,
amount of reservoir rock is constant)

Importance

Formation compressibility
p
y can have a significant
g
impact on reservoir performance
Subsidence can have significant environmental
impact

Types
yp

Matrix Compressibility ( Cm ): relative change

in volume of solid rock material (grain volume) per
unit pressure change (usually Cm 0).
Pore Compressibility ( Cf ): relative change in
pore volume
l
per unit
it pressure change.
h
Bulk Compressibility ( Cb ): relative change in
bulk volume per unit pressure change ( usually
Vb Vp). Significant decrease in bulk volume
can cause subsidence.