Professional Documents
Culture Documents
J.j.arps Estimation of Primary Oil Reserve PDF
J.j.arps Estimation of Primary Oil Reserve PDF
T. P. 4331
ABSTRACT recoverable oil reserves and a pro- chart is presented (Fig. 1) showing
jection of future rates are: [a.] the the three periods in the life of an
This paper reviews the methods exploitation and development of an imaginary oil property. Time is
currently in use for estimating pri- oil reservoir; [b.] the construction of shown on the horizontal axis, while
mary oil reserves and discusses the gasoline plants, pipelines and refiner- the cumulative production and esti-
principles on which these methods ies; rc.] the division of ownership in mated ultimate recovery are plotted
are based. Particular emphasis is unitized projects; [d.] the price to be vertically. No particular units are
placed on how these methods change paid in case of a sale or purchase of used and this schema tical chart is
with the type of information avail- an oil property, and the magnitUde not to scale.
able during the life cycle of an oil of the loan which it will sUPPort; During the first period, before any
property. This paper contains various [e.] the proper depreciation rate for wells are drilled on a property, any
novel estimating methods and short- the investment in oil properties; and estimates will of necessity be of a
cuts heretofore unpublished. [f.] evaluation of the results of an very general nature, based on ex-
exploration program. perience from similar pools or wells
INTRODUCTION in the same area, and usually ex-
This discussion will be confined to
Estimating oil reserves is one of the various methods and tools which pressed in barrels per acre. This will
the most important phases of the are currently in use for estimating
work of a petroleum engineer since oil reserves to be obtained during the
the solutions to the problems he primary phase of an oil-producing
deals with usually depend on a com- reservoir and for a projection of the
parison of the estimated cost in future production rates. Reserves
terms of dollars, with the anticipated which may be obtained by secondary
result in terms of barrels of oil. His recovery methods or fluid injection
recommendations to management re- programs and gas and gas conden-
garding the best course of action are sate reserves will not be discussed
therefore normally based on the most in this paper.
favorable balance between these Unfortunately, reliahle oil reserve
two. figures are most urgently needed dur-
Specific engineering problems in!'!; the early stages when only a
minimum amount of information i,
which require such a knowledge of ctvai1cthle. Management's interest BARRELS eARRELS DECl..IN£
1II
CURVE PERIOO
PERIOD
DECLINE TYPE
1. CONSTANT-PERCENTAGE n. HYPERBOLIC m. HARMONIC
DECLINE DECLINE DECLINE
-------------
DECLINE IS PROPORTIONAL
BASIC DECLINE IS CDNSTAN T DECLINE IS PROPORTIONAL
TO A FRACTIONAL POWER (n.) TO PRODUCTION RATE
CHARACTERISTIC n=o OF THE PRODUCTION RATE
0< rt <, n= I
r - - - - - - - - j - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - i - - - - ---------. --+--------------~
DOK.qO._ -q-
d'¥dt D. K· q"o _ dq/dt D. K. q'. _ dq/dt
q q
FOR INITIAL CONDITIONS FOR INITIAL CONDITIONS
Ko ..QL Ko~
qi.'TL qi
n D~ t -n -n
~=qt -qL
r-~R~A~T~E~--=T~IM~E~~--------------_D-t---------+----- _.1
RELATIONSHIP qt = qL· e qt = qL(I+1l.DLt)1\
t
at j t q t dt O/Ot"DitiK . dt
0 0
q. [ no,
at'("T\-~)Di (ItT1.D,t)""i\-I]
Subshtute From Rote - time Equati.on.: Subshtute From Rate - t~me Equotwn.: SubstLtute From Rate - hme Equahon:
(I t nDit)
__ (~)n
qt (I + Di t)
qi
iit
To Find: To Fin.d: To FLnd:
RATE - CUMULATIVE
RELATIONSHIP
RATE-TIME CURVES
?;IOOO
W
>-
~
::"
FIG. 4- THREE TYPES OF PRODUCTION DECLINE CURVES ON COORDINATE, SEMI-LOG AND LOG-LOG GRAPH PAPER.
o
:==_~~ -._~-_~~-__ -"'- \ CA~~~~N~~ELD
Rock Characteristics on Produc-
tion Histories of Gas-Drive Res-
ervoirs," Trans. AIME (1946)
165,78.
g
-- ----+---t1\_+---+----t-----+----t
~
Q.
at-_-
__-._-_-_-+-.----I'-----I----+----1IA
----_. .- -
I'll
..,...-'f-----I----+------I'o
1 I".\.
...o
'"'"~
-~--~--==~--·-~t -
z
'"a;<.> ---
'"
Q.
ULTIMATE IIECO/PT
.342,000 •• 1.$
: : WOODBINE SAND
w I I
z
:::; 3Z3C I---!~--- -;-~- --~-- ~ - -- ~-- ----~ --~---+----j- EAST TEXAS FIELD -- -----
...z
w
I0 I i
32.o1----~1-~--l~ -------~+-- - ~--
I I I I
..
0
~ -~:-7'-·~T'T
z
.-----+11- ·
II)
...
0
z
0 :<
!: !II
.. ~
II)
0
II)
----
. z
V----
II)
II) t-
:::> 0 --r~--r-~-T---~-- -~
II) w
II)
,~- ~
t- Il)
II) II)
w 0
x a: -
'"
:£
0
: I
+- i
~
III:
0
>--
..."...z
----V~--~ --I ~--- - - :-
8 i /' I
3300
a: i I
...
w
y
i I
~ I I~_~ ULTiMATE RECOVERY
..J
0 33lot---+---+---+-----------~-- -~ - 21:000 88l~
PER WELL
33~~~--_+I~~--~I~~--~I~~--~I~~--~I~~~--~I~~--~lro~---I~~~--~I~~--~200~--~2~~~~~22~O--~2~~~--~2~~--~~
CUMULATIVE OIL PROOUCTION PER WELL IN THOUSANDS OF BARRELS
3. Arps, J. J., and Roberts, T. G.: C.: "Mechanism of Fluid Di~ Flood Calculations," Truns.
"The Effect of the Relative Per- placement in Sands," Trans. AIME (1949) 186, 9.
meability Ratio, the Oil Gravity, AIME (1942) 146, 107_ 12. Arps, J. J.: "Analysis of Decline
and the Solution Gas-Oil Ratiu 8. Pirson, S. J.: Elements of Oil Curves," TrailS. AI ME (1945)
on the Primary Recovery from a Reservoir Engineering, McGraw- 160, 228.
Depletion Type Reservoir," Hill (1950) 285. 13. Cutler, W. W., Jr.: "Estimation
Trans. AIME (1955) 204, 120. 9. Welge, H. J.: "A Simplified of Underground Oil Reserves by
4. "Letter Symbols for Reservoir Method for Computing Oil Re- Well Production Curves," USBM
Engineering," JOUI. of Pet. Tech. covery by Gas or Water Drive," Bull. 228 (1924).
(Jan., 1955) 38. TrailS. AIME (1952) 195, 91. 14. Babson, E. c.: "Prediction of
5. Watts, E. V.: "Some Aspects of 10. Guthrie, R. K., and Greenberg- Reservoir Behavior from Lab-
High Pressures in the D-7 Zone er, M. H.: 'The Use of Multiple oratory Data," TrailS. AIME
of the Ventura Avenue Field," Correlation Analyses for Inter- (1944) 155, 120.
Trans. AIME (1948) 174, 191. preting i'etroleum Engineerin3 15. Tamer, J.: "How DitIere;;l Size
6. Katz, D. L.: "Possibilities of Data," API Paper 901-31-G, Gas Caps and Pressure Mainte-
Secondary Recovery for the New Orleans, La. (March, nance Programs Affect Amount
Oklahoma City Wilcox Sand," 1955). of Recoverable Oil," Oil Weekly
Trans. AIME (1942) 146, 28. 11. Stiles, W. E.: "Use of Permea- (June 12, 1944) 32.
7. Buckley, S. E., and Leverett, M. bility Distribution in Water ***