RESERVOIR ENGINEERING Henri Freyss Houston Paul Guieze Nikos Varosss. ‘Melun, France ‘A. Khakoo Karen Leselle Dick Simper ‘New Iberia, Louisiana PVT Analysis for Oil Reservoirs ‘The challenge for reservoir and production engineers is to maximize hydrocarbon tecovery in the minimum amount of time and with the smallest expense. In terms of the engineers’ on-the-job concerns, this ‘means asking a variety of questions about what and how the reservoir will produce: How lange are the reserves? What will the primary recovery be? What kind of crude will be produced and what will the market pay for itt Does the crude contain unwanted com- pounds that will destroy tubing or plug the weil? For offshore wells, will the crude solidify at ‘acean-bottom temperatures, thereby stop- ping production? What separator pressures will maximize lia- Lid hydrocarbon recovery? Will gas produced at the surface be reinject: ‘ed, sold, or burned off? Answering these questions requires antici pating the volumetric and phase behavior of produced hydrocarbons as they travel from the reservoir, up the tubing, through surface separators, and finally into pipelines; and of hydrocarbons in place as the reservoir pres- sure declines with production." Hydrocar bon composition, viscosity, density, com- pressibility—all these properties change with pressure and temperature (see “Intro duction to Hydrocarbon Phase Behavior,” age 6). In a pressure-volume-temperature (PVT) lab, researchers employ an arsenal of instru- ments to determine reservoir fluid behavior and properties from oll and gas samples. Their goal i to simulate what takes place in the reservoir and at the surface during pro- duction, A central aspect of PVT analysis is High-pressure, high-temperature pressure-volume-temperature (PVT) cel The smaller cel Grelined eylinde i used or for bubblepoint determination, liferental Horatio tests, 2nd Mash liberation tests on ol reservolr samples. tis rocked back and ferth before each fash and diferent liberation. The Tang cell vertical eyinde is used to recombine srtace ol and as a. ples at reservoir conditions how gas evolves from oil when pressure falls below the bubblepoint. Researchers use two processes to describe this—flash liberation and differential liberation (see page 9, middle In flash liberation, a sudden pressure drop causes gas to come out of solution, which then remains confined with the oil that Is. left In differential liberation, gas comes out of solution as pressure is gradually decreased, but is removed from the oil ‘When reservoir pressure drops below the bbubblepoint, flash liberation dominates, Gas ‘comes out of solution and intially remains The Technical Reviewinthe pores in contact with the oil. Mean- while, single-phase oil continues to flow Into the wel, although it has a slightly dif. {erent composition than that ofthe original reservoir fluid. When enough gas accumu- lates to reach the critical gas saturation, it begins to flow, Since gas is less viscous and flows faster than oil, the gas liberation now becomes diferental. Gas liberation occurring in the tubing is considered flash liberation because the agi tation of the flow keeps the two phases in Contact with each other. Flash liberation aso dominates in the separator, where a sudden pressure drop releases more gas from the oi while the two remain in contact, Flash and differential liberation are recre ated on a small scale in the lab using high: pressure, high-temperature PVT cells, posi tive displacement mercury pumps and precision thermometers and pressure gauges (left. When introduced to a sample-filled cell, mercury compresses the fluid; when withdrawn from the cel, it allows the sam- ple to expand, ‘The flash liberation testis used to deter- ‘mine the bubblepoint of the reservoir fluid. Both flash and differential liberation tests establish parameters that relate the surface volumes of produced oil and gas to their reservoir volumes. Bubblepoint Determination The bubblepoint is determined ducing a flash liberation test on a small amount of reservoir fluid (about 100 cm’), sampled downhole or recombined from surface gas and oil samples taken from the separator. ‘ter transferring the sarmple to a high-pres- sure cell maintained at reservoir tempera~ ture and above reservoir pressure, the cell pressure is decrementally decreased by removing mercury from the cell. For each volume change, cell pressure is recorded Volume 37 Number 1 Upon reaching the bubblepoiat, gas comes ‘out of solution and any subsequent mercury removal causes small pressure reductions. This transition is well marked on a pressure ‘volume graph of the data (below. The bubblepoint is crucial for understand ing how hydrocarbons behave in the reser ‘voir and indicates the probable drive mecha- nisms. For example, ifthe reservoir pressure is initially at the bubblepoint, a gas cap almost certainly exists that wll exand, push ing oil toward the well and increasing recov- ery t0 40 percent of the ol in place. Ina reservoir producing below the bubble ppoint, gas coming out of solution may either be produced, or if production is slow and vertical permeability i high, it may migrate ‘upward and form a secondary gas cap that helps deve the reservoir. This type of drive, Pressure —= Bubble Point A Volume —> [iBubblepoin determination ding a Ash ee ation fst. Staring above the reservoir pressure, ressure onthe reservoir sample i dereased io Steps by romoving mercury fom the cll. The n= {ial slope ofthe pressure-volume cure is very Stoop uni gas bugns fo come out of solution at the bubblepont. The, any subsequent volume Increases cause small changes in cel pressure and the lone ofthe pressure-volume respons Shows a dramatically reduced slope called gravity sogregation, may yield up to 70 percent ofthe ol in place. initial eservoir pressure is much higher than the bubblepoint, meaning the oll is undersaturated (contains litte dissolved a8), then the only dive will be monophasic liquid expansion, resulting in poor recov- ‘ery—only 2 few percent ofthe ol in place. ‘An enhanced recovery program may then be implemented. The presence of a natura ‘water drive in this case, however, could lead to a recovery of up t0 6 percent of the oil in place. In the case of a retrograde condensate reservoir, the only drive mechanism is gas ‘expansion, but as pressure declines farge ‘amounts of ol, called condensate, may con. ‘dense from the gas and remain in the reser 1 Recommended reading and viewing 0 eer erence ‘mp f Bas DSU and Whiting RL: Pete ‘sero Eginrng. NewYork MEG Book Conan, 1360 (Oak Us Fusment of Reser Engng ‘Amsterdam Esco Scene Potihng Company io Lar KR: sent Fads: amiga Aral ‘Mode Pee: Peoleun Eien IRD Video tay expan and Podcton Specs ou neratonl Haman Resources Deveopvent Corporation 1985Introduction to Hydrocarbon Phase Behavior To understand the complex behavior of a reservoir fluid, le’ fist follow the case of a single-compound hydrocarbon initially in id form in a pressurized cell containing mercury (below). As mercury is gradually removed with the temperature held con- stant, the liquid expands and the pressure in the cell drops. Isothermal conditions simu late areservoir’s generally constant tempera- ture. The pressure continues to drop with additional mercury removal until the first bubble of gas comes out of solution—the bubblepoint. Below the bubblepoint pres- sure, the gas continues expanding, as mer- ccury is removed, but the pressure remains Constant. When all the liquid has vapor ized—the dewpoint—further gas expansion is again accompanied by decreasing pres- This experiment run at different tempera- tures produces different bubblepoints and Hn preesre Renter aeetneenceane eater tree ripe eee eet bor showing be enpoarand presi condtrs at prod ga Ligua Gr ladda Ate pesare sd enpcaure Coneponig he ot Hescarnon Supine gr and hd hae a deigsae Al Liquid Ree Phase behaver ofa dewpoints. Projecting the locus of bubble- ‘single-compound points, the bubblepoint curve, and the locus ‘nydrocarbon in a con- of dewpoints, the dewpoint curve, onto a Ae sar tempat essureteperate graph Yields a ures Ft Ga erst reels viding line known as the vapor pressure hydrocarbon expands curve (above). Above this curve, the hydro- . andthe cellpesie carton exists 8 ul, bas 9s. At dons This continues the critical point, gas and liquid phases are tothe bubblepoiny, aes iaserdlnid Gas when the fst gas bub in biecomes outof solu. Multicompound hydrocarbons generate tion Below the bub: complicated phase diagrams, whose shape G bepoint the volume depends on the composition of the mixture Bakes increase @pil¥’ right, above). The bubblepoint and dew- butt consan pres Sureunifaof¥e ge point curves projections no longer coincide, Last Droplet, tit has vaporized, a" but produce an envelope in which gas and tedewpoin Below liquid coexist The maximum temperature of F ESSIEN sSevciacencipesaleltecio creasing presure. Phase diagrams illustrate the evolution of hydrocarbon phates during production Pressre depletion represented a a en Calne because he ferovol temperature E ‘generally remains constant (far right, top). ‘All Gas The Technical Review