Rate Transient Analysis

1-4: TRADITIONAL 23-32: RADIAL TYPE

1. Traditional (Arps) Decline Curves
DECLINE ANALYSIS 3. Exponential Decline 23. Calculations for Oil
(Agarwal-Gardner Type Curves) CURVES 24. Calculations for Gas
(Agarwal-Gardner Type Curves)
EXPONENTIAL DECLINE: 23-24: RADIAL FLOW MODEL: TYPE CURVE
Decline rate is constant. ANALYSIS
All radial flow type curves are based on the same
Log flow rate vs. time is a straight line.
reservoir model:
Flow rate vs. cumulative production is a straight line.
Well in centre of cylindrical homogeneous reservoir.
Provides minimum EUR (Expected Ultimate Recovery).
No flow outer boundary.
re
HYPERBOLIC DECLINE: Skin factor represented by rwa.
Decline rate is not constant (D=Kqb). Information content of all type curves
rwa
(Figures 25-32) is the same.
Straight line plots are NOT practical and b is determined
by nonlinear curve fit. The shapes are different because of
different plotting formats.
b value Reservoir Drive Mechanism Each format represents a different look at the data
Single phase liquid (oil above bubble point) and emphasizes different aspects.
0
Single phase gas at high pressure
0.1-0.4 Solution gas drive
0.4-0.5 Single phase gas 25-26: BLASINGAME
2. Decline Rate Definitions 0.5 Effective edge water drive 4. Harmonic Decline 25. Blasingame: Rate (Normalized) qDd and tDd definitions are similar to Fetkovich. 26. Blasingame: Integral-Derivative
0.5-1.0 Commingled layered reservoirs Normalized rate (q/ p or q/ pp) is plotted.
Three sets of type curves:
HARMONIC DECLINE: 1. qDd vs. tDd (Figure 25).
Decline rate is directly proportional to flow rate (b=1). 2. Rate integral (qDdi) vs. tDd (has the same shape
as qDd).
Log flow rate vs. cumulative production is a straight line.
3. Rate integral-derivative (qDdid) vs. tDd (Figure 26).
SUMMARY: 2
Boundary-dominated flow only. In general: qDd qD bDpss , tDd t
b Dpss DA
Constant operating conditions.
bDpss is a constant for a particular well / reservoir
Developed using empirical relationships. configuration.
Quick and simple to determine EUR.
EUR depends on operating conditions.
Does NOT use pressure data.
b depends on drive mechanism.

27-28: AGARWAL-GARDNER
27. Agarwal-Gardner: Rate (Normalized) qD and tDA definitions are similar to well testing. 28. Agarwal-Gardner: Integral-Derivative

5-10: FETKOVICH Normalized rate (q/ p or q/ pp) is plotted.

Three sets of type curves:
5. Analytical: Constant Flowing Pressure ANALYSIS 6. Analytical: Constant Flowing Pressure
1. qD vs. tDA (Figure 27).
2. Inverse of pressure derivative (1 / pDd) vs. tDA
(not shown).
3. Inverse of pressure integral-derivative (1 / pDid)
qD and tD definitions are similar to well test. vs. tDA (Figure 28).
Notes: d ( pD )
Convenient for transient flow. 1. Pressure derivative is defined as pDd
Results in single transient stem but multiple d (ln t DA )
boundary-dominated stems. 2. Inverse of pressure derivative is usually too noisy
and inverse of pressure integral-derivative is
used instead.

qDd and tDd definitions are convenient for 29-30: NORMALIZED PRESSURE
production data analysis. 29. NPI: Pressure (Normalized) 30. NPI: Integral-Derivative
INTEGRAL (NPI)
Convenient for boundary-dominated flow. pD and tDA definitions are similar to well testing.
Results in single boundary-dominated stem but Normalized Pressure ( p/q or pp /q) is plotted
7. Empirical: Arps Depletion Stems multiple transient stems. 8. Empirical: Arps-Fetkovich Depletion Stems
rather than normalized rate (q/ p or q/ pp).
Three sets of type curves:
1. pD vs. tDA (Figure 29).
2. Pressure integral (pDi) vs. tDA (has the same
shape as pD).
3. Pressure integral-derivative (pDid) vs. tDA (Figure
30).

Replot on Log-Log Scale

31-32: TRANSIENT-DOMINATED DATA

31. Rate (Normalized) Similar to Figures 27 & 28 but uses tD instead of tDA. 32. Integral-Derivative
This format is useful when most of the data are in
TRANSIENT flow.
10. Fetkovich/Cumulative Type Curves 9. Fetkovich Type Curves qD and tD definitions are similar to well testing.
SUMMARY:
Normalized rate (q/ p or q/ pp) is plotted.
Combines transient with boundary-dominated flow.
Three sets of type curves:
Transient: Analytical, constant pressure solution. 1. qD vs. tD (Figure 31).
Boundary-Dominated: Empirical, identical to traditional 2. Inverse of pressure integral (1 / pDi) vs. tD (not
(Arps). shown).
Constant operating conditions. 3. Inverse of pressure integral-derivative (1 / pDid)
Used to estimate EUR, skin and permeability. vs. tD (Figure 32).
EUR depends on operating conditions.
Does NOT use pressure data.
Cumulative curves are smoother than rate curves.
Combined cumulative and rate type curves give more
unique match (Figure 10).

33-40: FRACTURE
33. Rate TYPE CURVES 34. Integral-Derivative

11-14: MODERN DECLINE 33-37: FINITE CONDUCTIVITY FRACTURE

ANALYSIS: BASIC
11. Comparison of qD and 1/pD 12. Equivalence of qD and 1/pD Fracture with finite conductivity results in bilinear flow
(quarter slope).
CONCEPTS
11-12: MATERIAL BALANCE TIME
Material Balance Time (tc) effectively converts constant Dimensionless Fracture Conductivity is defined as:
pressure solution to the corresponding constant rate kf w
solution. FCD
kxf
Exponential curve plotted using Material Balance Time
Fracture with infinite conductivity results in linear flow
becomes harmonic.
(half slope).
Material Balance Time is rigorous during
boundary-dominated flow.

Actual Rate Decline Constant Rate

Q 1 t
For FCD>50, the fracture is assumed to have infinite
tc qdt conductivity.
q q 0

Q
Q 35. Elliptical Flow: Integral-Derivative 36. Elliptical Flow: Integral-Derivative 37. Elliptical Flow: Integral-Derivative

Actual Time (t) Material Balance Time

(t c) = Q /q
13. Concept of Rate Integral 14. Derivative and Integral-Derivative

13-14: TYPE CURVE INTERPRETATION AIDS

Rate (Normalized)
Combines rate with flowing pressure.
Integral (Normalized Rate)
Smoothes noisy data but
attenuates the reservoir signal.

Derivative (Normalized Rate)

Amplifies reservoir signal but
amplifies noise as well.
Integral-Derivative (Normalized Rate)
Smoothes the scatter 38-40: INFINITE CONDUCTIVITY FRACTURE
of the derivative.
38. Blasingame: Rate and Integral-Derivative 39. NPI: Pressure and Integral-Derivative 40. Wattenbarger: Rate

15-18: GAS FLOW

15. Darcys Law
CONSIDERATIONS 16. Pseudo-Pressure (pp)

15-16: PSEUDO-PRESSURE
Gas properties vary with pressure:
Z-factor (Pseudo-Pressure, Figures 15 & 16)
Viscosity (Pseudo-Pressure & Pseudo-Time, Figures
15, 16 & 18)
Compressibility (Pseudo-Time, Figures 17 & 18)

Pseudo-pressure corrects for changing viscosity and

Z-factor with pressure.
In all equations for liquid, replace pressure (p) with
pseudo-pressure (pp).

Note: For gas,

41-43: HORIZONTAL WELL TYPE CURVES

17. Gas Compressibility Variation 17-18: PSEUDO-TIME 18. Pseudo-Time (ta) 41. Blasingame: Integral-Derivative 42. Blasingame: Integral-Derivative 43. Blasingame: Integral-Derivative
Compressibility represents energy in reservoir.
Gas compressibility is strong function of pressure
(especially at LOW PRESSURES).
Ignoring compressibility variation can result in
significant error in original gas-in-place (G) calculation.
Pseudo-time(ta) corrects for changing viscosity and
compressibility with pressure.
Pseudo-time calculation is ITERATIVE because it
depends on g and ct at average reservoir pressure,
and average reservoir pressure depends on G (usually
known).

Note: Pseudo-time in build-up testing is evaluated at well

flowing pressure NOT at average reservoir pressure.
2008 Fekete Associates Inc. Printed in Canada

19-22: FLOWING 44-45: WATER-DRIVE

19. Oil: Flowing Material Balance
MATERIAL BALANCE 20. Gas: Determination of bpss 44. Blasingame: Rate TYPE CURVES 45. Agarwal-Gardner: Rate

Oil Infinite Aquifer

Reservoir

Mobility ratio (M) represents the strength of the aquifer.

Note: bpss is the inverse of productivity index and is k aq res
constant during boundary-dominated flow. M
kres aq
Copyright

Gas
M = 0 is equivalent to Radial Type Curves (Figures
25-32).

21. Gas: Flowing Material Balance 22. Procedure to Calculate Gas-In-Place

a semi-major axis of ellipse k

h horizontal permeability q Ddi dimensionless rate integral xf fracture half length
A area k
res reservoir permeability q Ddid dimensionless rate integral-derivative ye reservoir width
b hyperbolic decline exponent or k
v vertical permeability q i initial flow rate yw well location in y-direction
SUMMARY: semi-minor axis of ellipse K constant Q cumulative production Z gas deviation factor
b dimensionless parameter L horizontal well length Q dimensionless cumulative production Z gas deviation factor at
Uses flowing data. No shut-in required.
Dpss

b
pss inverse of productivity index M mobility ratio re
Dd

exterior radius of reservoir average reservoir pressure

Applicable to oil and gas. B formation volume factor N original oil-in-place r dimensionless exterior radius of reservoir Zi initial gas deviation factor

eD

B initial gas formation volume factor N p oil cumulative production rw wellbore radius constant

gi
Determines hydrocarbon-in-place, N or G. B oil formation volume factor p pressure r apparent wellbore radius porosity

o wa

B p s viscosity
Oil (N): Direct calculation. oi initial oil formation volume factor average reservoir pressure skin
aq aquifer fluid viscosity
c gas compressibility p reference pressure S initial gas saturation
g
g O gi
Gas (G): Iterative calculation because of pseudo-time. c total compressibility p dimensionless pressure S initial oil saturation gas viscosity
g
t D oi

c total compressibility at average reservoir pressure p dimensionless pressure derivative t flow time gas viscosity at average
Simple yet powerful. t

D nominal decline rate

Dd

p dimensionless pressure integral t pseudo-time reservoir pressure

o
Di a

Data readily available (wellhead pressure can be D effective decline rate p dimensionless pressure integral-derivative t material balance time oil viscosity
res
e Did c

D initial nominal decline rate p initial reservoir pressure t material balance pseudo-time reservoir fluid viscosity
converted to bottomhole pressure). i i ca

F CD dimensionless fracture conductivity p

p pseudo-pressure t
D dimensionless time
Supplements static material balance. G original gas-in-place p
p pseudo-pressure at average reservoir pressure t
DA dimensionless time Oil field units; q (MMSCFD); t (days)
g

Ideal for low permeability reservoirs. G p gas cumulative production p

pi initial pseudo-pressure t
Dd dimensionless time
G pa pseudo-cumulative production p
pwf pseudo-pressure at well flowing pressure t
Dxf dimensionless time
h net pay p
wf well flowing pressure t
Dye dimensionless time
k permeability q flow rate T reservoir temperature
k
aq aquifer permeability q
D dimensionless rate w fracture width
k
f fracture permeability q
Dd dimensionless rate xe reservoir length

All analyses described can be performed using Feketes Rate Transient Analysis software