Professional Documents
Culture Documents
By
William Hurst, Petroleum Consultant, Houston, Tex.
Crville K. Haynie, Christie, Mitchell and Mitchell Co., Houston, Tex.
Members AIME, and
Richard N. Walker, Christie, Mitchell and Mitchell Co., Houston, Tex., Junior Member AIME
This paper is to be presented at the 36th Annual Fall Meeting of the Society of Petroleum Engineers
of AlliE in Dallas, October 8-11, 1961,and is considered the property of the Society of Petroleum
Engineers. Permission to publish is hereby restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words, with
no illustrations, unless the paper is specifically released to the press by the Editor of the Journal
of Petroleum Technology or the Executive Secretary. Such abstract should contain conspicuous acknowl-
edgment of where and by whom the paper is presented. Publication elsewhere after publication in Journal
0{ Petroleum Technology or Society of Petroleum Engineers Journal is granted on request, providing
proper credit is given that publication and the original presentation of the paper.
Discussion of this paper is invited. Three copies of any discussion should be sent to the Society
of Petroleum Engineers office. Such discussion may be presented at the above meeting and considered
for publication in one of the two SPE magazines with the paper.
r--- .--.-.----------.---.--.------------
ABSTRACT van Everdingen4 for a constant-rate problem with
a fixed exterior pressure at the boundary. This
This paper deals with certain abnormalities was purely an empirical correlation, and the re-
as observed in pressure build-up, but instead of sults have more than met the writers' expectations
abnormalities per se, these are phenomena that as it showed that build-up time was a function of
begin to tell us something of the contiguous drainage radius, and independent of well radius or
nature of the formation further removed from the skin effect. Thus, for the times in pressure
well. In a sense, this is a broadening of the build-up where these abnormalities are observed to
basis of what pressure build-ups can mean that occur, yield drainage radii for the main sand
now extend into the realm of subsurface body that are in substantial agreement with those
interpretations. established independently from the lens problem.
The problem treated is an actual assignment There are associated problems connected with
in the study of the Atoka Conglomerate in Wise this study. One is establishing the distance of
County, Tex. Here it has been observed a de- a gas cap over an oil column, based on this very
parture from the straight-line Lord Kelvin effect drainage formula; and the other is an estimation
of pressure build-up to reveal two such broken of static bottom-hole pressure interpreted from
straight-lines, one following the other. This the problem cited 4 of these early investigators,
has been interpreted as gas replenishment from where interference between wells occur.
contiguous lenses feeding into the main sand
body, for which mathematics have been formulated, INTRODUCTION
based on the series problem of unsteady-state
fluid flow. What this paper presents is some factual
representation of abnormalities that appear in
To sustain this method by an entirely pressure build-up. However, these should not be
different application, a radial drainage formula accepted as abnormalities per se, but rather a
was developed from work published by Hurst and departure from the accepted norm of what to expect
for a pressure build-up curve that begins to
References and illustrations at end of, paper. reflect the contiguous nature of the formation
.........
~. . . . . .~.'~~r~l~. . . . . . . .~-,~.~_~h~£ --~~.____...... .. ........:.i..................................U'='k=-. . . .
~ "'~·-- ~e;
2 WILLIAM HURST, ORVILLE K. HAYNIE AND RICHARD N. WALKER SPE-145
r-------------------------------------~----------------~--------------------~---------------------------,
further removed from the well. In a sense, this terminal point during the course of test (Fig. 2)
is a broadening of the basis of what pressure but is inferred to continue to build-up.
build-up curves can mean.
I In undertaking this study, it was recognized
However, there is another characteristic ex-
hibited that is most pronounced for many of the
that the problem confronting these investigations wells studied in this field - namely, the con-
I by the manner these pressure build-ups conformed,
were unexplored realms, wherein practical con-
tinuum of this pressure build-up as two broken
straight lines plotted vs the logarithm of shut-
siderations have been employed in the development in time. This is shown in Figs. 3 through 5, and
I of new ideas and formulas to realize the signifi-
cance of this problem.
in Fig. 6 the same phenomenon is observed for the
complete pressure build-up.
I Thus, what is incorporated is original, These are the abnormalities mentioned in the
motivated in meeting a close time schedule in an earlier passages, but rather than something
I, assignment, but what has been thought of as an unusual or inconsistent in the data, what is so
investigation of reserves, the concepts herein reflected for the larger drainage radii encom-
employed in interpreting pressure build-ups, ex- passed in these increasing times, is the contigu-
tends reservoir engineering that now enters into ous nature of the formation further removed.
the domain of subsurface interpretations.
The pattern of the continuum is fixed, all
FORMATION the plotting of the second straight-lines are up-
ward, meaning that a greater pressure build-up
The formation investigated is the Atoka slope is observed for the second straight-line
conglomerate of the Boonsville gas field in Wise compared to the first. .
County, Tex., near Fort Worth, Tex. Probably, in
proper reference, the whole area .should be identi- This has been evidenced in all the wells
fied as Wise County, as it is known to the indus- tested. Thus, recognizing the contiguous nature
try, which includes part of Jack County. of the conglomerate where the areal extents ap-
pear and disappear, and that during the course
The Atoka conglomerate can best be described of pressure build-up this increase is suddenly
as an areal extent with permeable and non-perme- accelerated, infers that what is happening is
able sections, with the former, the gas accumula- gas feed-in into the main sand body from inter-
tions. For the wells studied, all but one evi- communicating lens which connect this sand body
denced they were producing from continuous and with others.
contiguous formations, with the one indicating a
gas cap over an oil column. Such are either . Such is a replenishment process, which is
continuous formation, or a main sand body, con- best illustrated by the simple geometric pattern
nected to exterior and intercommunicating lenses, shown in Fig. 7.
which replenish the main sand body with gas.
That the contiguous nature of a formation, or
Such identifies the conglomerate and a even a discontinuity is evidenced in pressure
reference to Figs. 2 through 5 probably shows the build-up, has its significance in what is inter-
longest pressure build-up time hereto reported in preted for a fault. Thus, for a fault to exist
the literature, extending to some 40 days and . to impede the flow of fluids, its image placed in
over, and in cases, still building up. juxtaposition across the fault would show an in-
crease in the slope of the pressure build-up once
The permeability is low, averaging approxi- its influence is felt. However, this increase oc-
mately 10 md, meaning that for the wells to pro- cUrs by integers, whereas the problem at hand
duce their allowables in tbis low-permeability takes on a more general aspect.
formation to reflect such times of build-up, must
have drained from considerable distances. This, LENSES
likewise, has been observed for wells in the Hugo-
ton, Kansas, field, without the abnormalities, The approach to this problem is primarily the
although the times of build-up are substantial. consideration of the data as such serves as the
guide to the mathematics that subscribe to this
PRESSURE BUILD-UP solution. This is a departure from the procedure
where the data is introduced into some known
With reference to the conglomerate in Wise mathematical relationship, expecting that a happy
County, the portrayal of pressure build-ups combination of events are met where the data ful-
familiar to most are reproduced. Tliis is the fills all the conditions required.
orthodox straight-line relationship of bottom-hole
pressure plotted vs the logarithm of shut-in time, In this respect, the problem at hand offers
shown either as a curvature at the end to reach an a case in pOint. Thus, turning to Fig. 3, Well C,
asymptot~c static pressure (Fig. 1) or a straight- it will be observed the two broken straight-lines
line pressure build-up that does not reach this hereto described. What constitutes Line AB in the
l __ _
sn-145 SOME PROBLEMS IN PRESSURE BUILD-UP 3
linear plot of bottom-hole pressure vs the change in permeability, it is the change in the
logarithm of shut-in time of build-up, is the contiguous nature of the formation that gives
Lord Kelvin relationship for radial flow, re- rise to this occurrence.
ported in every paper dealing with flow tests,
for which a comprehensive explanation is tO'be Thus, assigning the values that correspond
found in a publication by Hurst l treating with to the terms of Eg. VI-26 in that publication2 ,
this subject. This relation with the skin ef- the cumulative pressure drop that expresses the
fect surrounding the wellbore, is the expression. change in pressure at the wellbore is Eq. 1,
given here, minus the cumulative pressure drop
~p = qjJ- . kRt ] that expresses the discontinuity of the main sand
417' k h [ 2 S+ In cpU-\,ljJ-r! + 0.80907 body, or
(1)
Here to identi~y the main sand body and In a sense, this transcends all the work
eliminate the skin e~~ect, the extrapolation is herein engaged upon, and possibly constitutes the
toward the right, ~ollowing the exact trends~or primary interest o~ this paper, as in undertaking
each o~ these straight-lines to a common time ap- this proo~ it is learned that pressure build-ups
plicable to each o~ these lines. This corre- contain the means of establishing drainage radii.
t sponds to a lOa-day shut-in shown in Fig. 3.
In this connection, the reader's attention is
The explanation ~or this is the subtraction directed to Fig. 8, reproduced ~om Fig. 7, the
Ii o~ Eq. 1 ~om Eq. 5, to give paper by van EverdingenOand Hurst 4 on Laplace
• Trans~ormations.
DRAINAGE RADIUS
• • • • • (9)
However, the assignment has greater over-
tones than ~erely the statement of this problem. independent of well radius.
It is true that in this particular undertaking,
res·erves are the primary consideration, but re- The latter is most important, if it can be
serves entail drainage radii, and i~ the latter established by this correlatable means that the
can be ascertained independent from this lensing drainage radius is independent of wellbore radius,
problem, such gives veri~ication to the procedure it is independent o~ the skin ef~ect, because
employed. what is shown by Eq. 1 is that the skin ef~ect is
SPE-142 SOME PROBLEMS IN PRESSURE BUILD-UP
merely an additive constant in pressure build-up straight-line computed to be 2,673 ft, evidencing
that merely adjusts the position of the build-up the significance that can be attached to a pres-
curve with respect to the ordinate but does not sure build-up cUrve to define the formation.
effect the time of build-up.
The entire process can be reconstructed to
This, likewise, applies when the lens effect include flow time plus build-up time. Thus, the
is encountered, Eq. 5, as the constants as so en- straight-line portion would be defined by the
tailed are again an adjustment for the ordinate, logarithm of D.t/t+D.t, where D.t is the build-up
and the format as so involved is compatible with time employed here and applicable in Eq. 9, and t
Eq. 1, meaning now that re could be interpreted is the time of flow.
equivalent to the well radius, and the context
of Eq. 9 could still be employed with the time However, as the reader has had occasion to
range of Line BD (Fig. 3) to compute the total observe, the straight-line pressure build-up vs
drainage radius even within these lenses. logarithm of shut-in time prevails for 40 and 50
days and over, and there is another paper on this
Finally, and most important, since the whole program with reference to the Hugoton, Kansas
concept for Eq. 9 is based upon constant rate as field where such is in effect for 28 days and
deduced from the problem in the Laplace Trans- over.
formation,4 it is suited for pressure build-up
that is also constant rate to establish drainage These are the factual data that evidence the
radii. procedure to employ, and in sustainment of the
methods evolved. The explanation for this obser-
Such is the application employed to deter- vance is probably what constitutes the flow time
mine if r D (Eq. 9) is compatible with re (Eq. 6) involved.
established for the lens problem.
If flow time depends upon a previous test,
In this connection, the reader must recog.- such may be significant, but if the entire
nize there is no dependency upon slopes or pres- spectrum of flow times are involved, the contri-
sures per se as applied to the consideration of bution of a substantial flow time in the argu-
the lens problem illustrated in Fig. 3. The ment is fairly insensitive in the logarithm, and
only consideration in pressure build-up is where build-up time prevails.
the phenomenon occurs in the time range in the
departure from a straight-line to define such Thus, what constitutes one flow time may be
drainage radius. Such is the illustrated problem a single component in a series of superimposed
computed to show that for Well C (Fig. 3) the flow tests in a slowly changing pressure gradient
drainage radius for rD is 1,420 ft as compared in the field.
to re equal to 1,220 ft for the main sand body.
This has been mentioned before in describing
This is Method II shown in all the inserts field observations,5 where the plotting of an iso-
in Figs. 3 through 6, and the comparison is baric pressure map can reveal isolated pressure
fairly good. Not exact, certainly, as we are sinks, indicative of withdrawals that occurred in
dealing with factual field data, but in every the past, and retroactive in pressure build-up to
instance, the same order of magnitude for drain- identify such pressure lowering.
age radius could be determined by either method.
Finally, since this entire presentation is
ASSOCIATED PROBLEMS directed toward practical application, there is an
associated problem connected with pressure build-
What has been deduced for the .lens problem up, that is not offered with finality, but its
applies to any problem in pressure build-ups - implication merits statement.
namely, where the Lord Kelvin effect prevails,
any point on the straight-line can be computed If these slow pressure gradients can take on
for its corresponding drainage radius in the in- large time arguments, the over-all pressure gradi-
filling process that denotes pressure build-up. ents from the inception of production will perform
as instantaneous steady state,subscribing the
Fig. 10 offers a case in point. This is a last flowing rate that prevailed. Such would even
well in the same field that showed an abnormality apply where interference between wells occur,
after the incurrence of a straight-line pressure taking cognizance of the pattern.
build-up, indicating either an enclosure or even
another fluid at some point distant from the In this connection, the reader's attention is
well. directed to Curve BC (Fig. 8) that if anything re-
ported in the annals of fluid flow is the nearest
, , This well is in another formation in approach to the facsimile of static pressure con-
proximity to an oil column of a known distance formance such as shown in Fig. 1.
of 2,400 ft from the oil. This WaS unknown at
the time, but the drainage radius for the maximum Thus, if an instantaneous fixed pressure can
JI. • '¥''is I.
· - --"'=:-
;~;~E~~~~T\ ~~:::
H--;--+++-+'++4,1;+i:;TTf
'+'i+H'
I iii I
I II'; ii' .
i
I il
,4.0 1--t-lH-++H4++ I, 1+11if!iiJ.fl,\J\~L+-A-+--+-+!-1---'-'-'.+...,-+i:'+;+.
H- I'i-
1+---+-:-I-+-1'I-i- IIf+tttt'!+tti
II
.1 111::1/ I ' : 'Ii"::' i i II!I: I Ii:
uni'; : ! ; i I:, :,1 ' I ! " II Iii
! j Ii) i' ! : ~ i: ,i ! : I : i ,i ! J! 1: i !
Fig. I--Continuous formation and complete Fi~. 2--Continuous formation with well
pressure build-Up. bUllding-up.
w
r I.
SHUT -INpSP,"GESSURE, 1.: II' '
.
I
Ii i. i I I!
I-LJ_,-~.;-,-,Jt1-t++"!+i+t'+t-+--l--+-+1 PRESSURE BU'Lo-UP TEST 1I---I-4++++i+HtH?1
Ii!" ,
11'0'
WE LL C I! !
I I.! ,I, W'SJEU~~U~~~~~~XAS ill' II!
1350
! 1111'
! ! ,! i
"
; S-;-~r
I
,'i '1,'[4
I !I'
. --~:
fl---~,-t-I i
'. i
':.: I
! II
I!
I
,,,'
I!
ii'
i: 1500
l
I' :. --l;, p.1446 84,,"., 123.67282 10 9 t ......r: /'"
r-------+---r-t
I"OI--+-+-"!-+1+'+++t
+, !I I!i ii- L
I i i I I!
I:!
i'
j
I t-llh'-t+titttt+1
' i I! Iji
,'I, ,i ii':
'rr-. ' :
I j~l:
iii I·i.il, " I!! I I illll,I,'y Iii!!' I ! :!'I
' / ( ,!I I,': ,i I , ,I[ ,j,' II I ,I ! I " ;",
'20~.'-,--'--+-'-+'d~4-1+4~;ll,o----;---l.-t-~-'+"+'-+'1"+.IO.L.O---.---t---:-'+'+Y~·':-::'00
BUILD· UP TIME. DAYS BWlD·UP TIME. DAYS
FIg. 3--Two broken straight-lines with lens Fig. 4--Two broken straight~lines with lens
revealed. revealed.
1100 .----,--r-r-r-r"jr
l
inI'!T
l l'TT"rr i---'!-,--"'-r!T,':'!-rr.n"lfTTT'
i 1,:1T,t--
-.':
!. '['I--Lrr:i~i,;:, !, T", ~I
,rrln"IT'l'.
I l! i ! II,'!:[I I I I ' Ii! !ll~1 I ! 11: i IlL
r
~~~~SH~U~T'~I~~:~~~SS~UR~E~"'_+rrttmr'IIII,I··~,--tl-t-tl.~ijij1±e±~llut'==~~-r-It-ilt!!!1iI 1~.Tf·'~r'~'~!'ltn
rl-:::::J_<,S_HU_TT·'::,,:~5TP:G::..ESrSU"TR,E'.Ifi:i:tH:,: 't--~~ ~ PRESSURi:~~:~~'~P TEST~ ~h-=~~:7~Sr
hii+t:
r~-'-r---r-"'-:;I'--r"i"'i' ,,' ",+---+--+-1,,·- PRESSURE BUILD' UP TEST 'l--+-t-+jn--IT:'!. ,
1----I-+-+-H-+lH-++h4---+ 1
-I--H WELL F I i i , ~'
!I ii, , I
.! WISE COUNTY, TEXAS I , , I· ';": I I I.I!' I ' L! WISE COUNTY, TEXAS i, !,: !' i! II!
Ii, i !! i' OCT08ER 6, '958 ". 'i ;I! 6'0 I
1METHOD I I; 'ii i : APRIL 14, '958 "[I Ii ,ii!1 r
IO~O
i!iilijri jlll':ii:1 ~~jl:::
'~r!--'--'-----r-' ' " ~i
1''-' I ~: ~;;?02 I ;. , ,~.,...j.--+I. -~~i="l'~""-""-'"'!'1:"!'l~
L:, l'i"ll="'""i'i~i--;-~IH--+:...J.-+-+:+i i+11++
r
I li++l, :-it
I I" , ,I 1\\ . ,
9'0~~__+-+-~~~!~PT·9A2T7.9ff9F,9.~.=t2~9=.3F42~72~1~"~ILt:~l~bi'~i~~i1H#'ttl---+--j,--~-+--I+:+IT+:H:!+i~I~!~~: !
,
, ,
1---+-+-f--+++-!+H++t+I!1tt Iti+----+-\r-~+4K--+'
Ii' ___ h, '.->-'"tTltt-it'
-tH'1. +' ~f---t-++++,+++i'
't+-. j : +11:.:.:
i " tt,l:,
300 j. ~
,
, .! :i!lj !
. ,
1,
Iii I '1,':1 I : i I! il!: I
I
I :
I I I Ii II I i • I Ii I I I I
30Q
I I " 1 I !III J I II I
I II
BUILO-UP TIME, DAYS
..0
0.1
J lit1.0 I I i I )1
BUIl.O-UP TIME, DAYS
.. 10.0
! ]1 ••
'00
Fig. 5--Two broken straight-lines with lens Fig. 6--Two broken straight-lines -with
revealed. complete build-up.
I ! i: I , ii' i!
'860
I I
, ; ,,'I,!: I
BSHur.,NPRESSURE'I': I 111'1'1
r
1800
I'
I
PSIG ;,
, ,I i :1', ,
; 1,1 iii "
1 :
II[
I' !
I i
I! IIIII:I!::
I , I I ! Ii!' 'i II
II!! II.'!:,
J
I I
I
! I
I 11'11'1' ii ! I I ,: I'I!::I
! II I i 11!!i!!
METHOD n
I MAX. DRAINAGE
FOR BUILD-UP "" I i i 1 1'1 i)f/
1840
til 300),'
~. 2673' :i ,I! I ! I ! I i I):! I:
II I i i : I)!: I !
II, II I , I y: 'Iii
I :
I lii l ))
I , ! (. ··i!'
1830r '=~=+=t=H~~~~~~~~~'~I+~'
P.182,t4.0~OO~+12',~~45 ~ ~i'qi:'~'~'
i j :~iit==;=I=;;:;~!
j ~ i ! j !i~'!~:
i!: 10
0 I I ) ) I I! i :
I I! I Hf
i i i i i : ! : ,! I l WELL G 1m
H1!' :i I: i' I" ii I W'SE COUNTY,TEXAS I~
1.2ol----I--t-f-H-8f-A--t+t+H1it--+----+----+-+++++-H+H-ittt-i SEPT EMBER 8.' 95 8 I~
III: II ! ' it Illid 'I ,i'
r---+-t-++-+-++-H+lll-t+ i' !i+i-'i~
1-+-+-+--+++1+ I Ii i : i
-----i--+---++t+-t+H+11+h-1:itl'it'--!----+-+--+-t-+' ~.J8++f+ii4---+1....i.....L~.' i ,f Ii! i
'it i ! : ' : I!! I