Schlumberger Basic Petroleum Engineering FTC

Introduction

The Reservoir and its elements

Notes

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 The elements of gas oil and water are not always present at the same time.
Schlumberger Basic Petroleum Engineering FTC Any combination is possible.
To have a reservoir all the elements are needed:
The Reservoir A reservoir rock
A source rock (but it may be far away from the actual reservoir).
The cap rock has to be on top.
The structure must be there.

hydrocarbons
migrating from
the source rock Notes
water

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Schlumberger Basic Petroleum Engineering
Requirements of a reservoir
Organic material is needed as the source of the hydrocarbons. This material
FTC
is “cooked” at high temperatures and pressures to give the liquid
hydrocarbons. The process takes a very long time. The oxygen-free
environment is needed otherwise the organic material cannot become
hydrocarbons.

The basin is a stable zone on a plate where the process has time to be
completed. Unstable areas do not leave enough time for the necessary
reactions.
To form a reservoir needs

- source of organic material (terrestrial or

marine)

- a suitable combination of heat, pressure and

time
Notes

- an oxygen free environment

- a suitable basin

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 Reservoirs are represented differently depending on who is going to use
Schlumberger Basic Petroleum Engineering FTC the data, geologists work with rocks, reservoir engineers with the fluids.
The reservoir is pictured in two forms
Reservoir Geometry The cross section
Geological column
The Cross section shows the structure and the fluids
The geological column shows only the rocks making up the reservoir and
the depths of each layer
The Reservoir
Cap Rock

Gas
Gas Cap
Cap

Gas-Oil
Contact
GOC

Oil-Water
Contact Notes
OWC

Oil
Water

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Schlumberger Basic Petroleum Engineering
Reservoir elements
The permeable rock is the reservoir rock. The rock must have porosity if it
FTC has permeability.
The source rock is the origin of the hydrocarbons.
The impermeable rock is the cap rock and the structure makes up the trap.

The major elements of a reservoir are

• permeable rock stores the hydrocarbon

• source rock produces hydrocarbon
• impermeable rock traps hydrocarbon
• trap captures fluids Notes

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