CGE 659

Petroleum Production
Engineering

RESERVOIR AND TUBING

PERFORMANCE

Faculty of Chemical Engineering

Last lecture…
• Production systems
• Aim/objective of petroleum production
• Elements of petroleum production system
• Pressure loss
• Nodal analysis
• Phase behavior
• Well completion and surface facilities
• Reservoir system and driving mechanisms (Water, gas,
dissolved gas)
• Injection system and stimulation (Matrix acidizing, fracturing)
• Production problems
• Work-over
• Artificial lift
• Evaluation (Prod date, Well Test, Production logging)
Faculty of Chemical Engineering
Course Outcomes:

1. Describe the principles, components and methods used to

complete and produce oil and gas wells, production
processes, separation, and surface facilities
2. Analyse overall system performance using the appropriate
tools, and determine appropriate size and materials for
components of tubings, flowlines and separation facility
equipment.
3. Explain and design appropriate tools/ techniques/ methods/
technologies relevant to production scenario, issues, and
latest trends.

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Nodal Analysis

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RESERVOIR PERFORMANCE

• INFLOW PERFORMANCE
RELATIONSHIP (IPR)
Reservoir Inflow Performance

• Hydrocarbon reservoirs contain natural energy (in form of

pressure). Optimal utilisation of this energy is required to move
fluids to the surface facilities.

• Some ways to maintain the reservoir energy is to inject water

(water drive reservoirs) or gas (gas cap reservoir).

• As time goes one, reservoir pressure declines to a level which is

not enough to get the oil to the separator.

• In such conditions, artificial lift (artificial energy)should be used

in form of pumps, gas lift...etc
Faculty of Chemical Engineering
Reservoir Inflow Performance

• Flow of hydrocarbon in the production system occurs as a result of

pressure loss in different components of the system. Such components
may include reservoir, completion, casing/tubing, chocks, flow lines,
treatment facilities (separator) and pipelines.

• Production from hydrocarbon reservoirs depends on the reservoir

pressure. Hence reservoir pressure is a major factor in designing the
production system.

• During production, most pressure loss happens in the reservoir and in

tubing.

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Reservoir Inflow Performance

• Flow through reservoir; from reservoir to the well bore is referred to as

Inflow Performance Relationship or IPR

• Flow along the well; from the wellbore to the well head along the
production tubing is refereed to as Vertical Left Performance or VLP

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 Reservoir Inflow Performance – Liquid Inflow

• Undersaturated oil
(incompressible
liquid) or water
have a straight line
of IPR.
Pressure drawdown

PI (J)= Productivity Index

= STB/day-psi
= NOT CONSTANT in the two-
phase flow region
q (Q) = liquid flow rate
= stb/day
PR = initial reservoir pressure
= psia
Pwf = flowing bottom-hole pressure
= psia
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Production System

IPR: FLOW FLOW RESERVOIR TO

WELLBORE

IPR: FLOW ESERVOIR TO WELLBORE

Q
Pressure drawdown = Pr - Pwf

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Reservoir Inflow Performance – Gas Inflow

• Not a straight line IPR – due to incompressible nature of gas

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Reservoir Inflow Performance : two-phase Inflow

• Saturated oil

• Vogel’s Equation

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Reservoir Inflow Performance

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Reservoir Inflow Performance – Reservoir Depletion

• The IPR rapidly decreases with increasing cumulative oil recovery.

• This is not only due to reservoir pressure depletion; but is also related
to the increasing gas saturation which is making oil flow progressively
more difficult.

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WELLBORE PERFORMANCE

• TUBING PERFORMANCE
RELATIONSHIP (TPR)
• Vertical Lift Performance
• Wellbore Flow Performance
• Outflow Performance
• Relation Tubing Outflow Performance
 Tubing Outflow Performance

• The outflow pressure drop required to lift a fluid from the perforations
to the wellhead and then the separator is the second factor which
determines the well production.
• Starting from the top of the well, the parameters which contribute to
the pressure at the bottom of the well are:
• The (back) pressure at the wellhead
• The hydrostatic head between the wellbore and wellhead.
• The pressure loss required to overcome friction losses due to
viscous drag.

Tubing pressure loss for

different fluids

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Tubing pressure loss for different fluids
(a) Single (incompressible) Liquid Production
• Hydrostatic head component, ρgh– relatively large &
constant (ρ minor variation across T,P)
• Friction component increases rapidly once turbulent
flow is achieved

(b) Gas well

• ρgh much smaller but increases with depth (ρ very P
dependent)
• Frictional pressure losses are normally the most
important component – turbulent flow being
encountered even at low flow rates

(c) Multiphase Liquid/ Gas Mixture

• The variation of friction and hydrostatic pressure losses
with production rate is complicated
 Tubing Outflow Performance – Tubing
pressure traverse (gradient curve)
• The differences between the three fluid systems are also
apparent when the change in pressure as a function of depth (at
a constant well peoduction rate).

The only parameter that is

under the operational
control of the production
engineer is the wellhead
pressure or system “back
pressure”

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Tubing Outflow Performance – Tubing pressure traverse

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Production System

IPR: FLOW FLOW RESERVOIR TO

Q Pressure drawdown = Pwf- Pwh
WELLBORE

TPR: FLOW FROM WELLBORE TO SURFACE

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