Saale) MANAGEMENT Black Oils And Volatile Oils-Whats The Difference Part 2: Composition differences between the five types of reservoir fluids determine phase diagram characteristics and production techniques: The first article in this series defined the five reservoir fluids-black oils, volatile oils, retrograde gas condensates, wet gases and dry gases. This article will address the differences between black oils and volatile oils, he gas that comes out of solution from a black oil is usually a dry gas because the large and heavy molecules in the oil attract the intermediate sized molecules to stay in the oil phase. Fig. 1 shows the phase diagram of a typical black oil superimposed onto, the phase disgram of the gas leaving solution at the bubble-point pressure of the oil At point 2, the two phases are in thermodynamic equilibrium. Con- sequently, the gas is at its dew point and the oil is at its bubble point. The free gas remains a gas phase bgth in the reservoir (as reservoir pressure decreases) and as pressure and ter- perature are reduced to separator conditions. As reservoir pressure decreases, the gas leaving solution ‘becomes richer in intermediate com- Ponents, the phase diagram shifts 1o the right, and the gas may become a ‘wet gas, However, this occurs late in the reservoir’ life and has litle effect. on the ultimate production, ‘The gas that comes out of solution from a volatile oil is typically a retro- grade gas. Volatile ofls do not contain the large molecules that enable black oils to hold most of the intermediate ‘components in the oil phase. Fig. 2 shows the phase diagram of the equi brium solution gas superimposed conto th Fi. 1. The phase diagram of dry gas superimposed on the phase dlagram of back of shows the two phases in thermodynamic equibrium at point 2. at its bubble point and the gai is at its dew point, the free gas wil exhibit ret- rograde behavior in the reservoir and release a large amount of condensate at surface conditions. However, volatile oils which have compositions similar to black oils can be associated ‘with wet gases rather than with retro- grade gases, Wet gases also release ‘condensate at surface conditions, Figs. 1 and 2 were used to demon- volatile oil-At point 2,-where the oil ie—soluti isan Volatile by Wiliam 2 Petroleum Engineer International ils, but the figures could be used 10 describe the properties ofthe gases in 2s caps associated with the ols. Fg. 2 also shows that the retrograde liq- lds that appear below the dew point in a retrograde gas reservoir are volatile ols. ‘The solution gases fram black oils remain solely in the gas phase a they rove through the reservoir, the tubi- Jars and the separator while the rich Je ols lose condensate on thelr tip tothe sales McCain Jr, S.A. Holditch & Associates, College Station, Tex. NOVEMBER 1993 Novsng oth classical materia bal ‘Shustons and compositional muy component) calculations.” Fig Sous the dterenees in predic, § SE Catulaive recovery and prod the garoll ratio. Whea the feld yi HESS depleted, 10 yeas ater, 8 Suid performance, also shown Ne Fig. 5, was reported.’ Obviously, hy Eesentonl aver balance ch {Sons gave erroneous resus or volatile oil. hi ‘Special laboratory procedures = predit the recovery of volatile Ga, Pier depletion des however Me somewhat fil 0 analyS°NQ teow the bubble point, the under," 5 Grated black oil material balay Se ‘equation can be used for volatile ae —The compressibilities of volatile on ‘are generally about three times acs Na pe degen crevoynin gm vpetronedcnte ice rome 6B tra cbs Fg. 27h oe Shore pases thermedyomis eg at pit 2 Sis contin to eater above. teen recoveries for vole _-ls- Below the bubble point, comp, i) ve Tig. 3 shows aback ol being sons workforlakosbut ghe last HOD HANTS calcula ®y® ae oma reservoir with pres- rect results for volatile ols Bee of the normally are required, either win, yet fom a sero Pe egumpions erent the davon fat Or The Fee the ree as Hows through ofthese equations is thatthe Fs cial laboratory procedures m Fa eth ous ofthe separator. in the reservoir remains gas (rough Ssbove help in deriving the K-factg, The oil releases additional gas from the separator! “puning’ the equations-of state, eet elution this gos is removed from The material balance equations % ton both the separator treat a multicomponent back of ras Reservoir Fluic soe oie stock tank. In the material ture a5 a two-component mae, ‘The fist paper in this series ment and oll. Reservoir paz ae engineering calcu- Tations for volatile 3 oils must treat the surface conditions. ‘mixture as a mult: Tig. 4 depicts the situation for a component minture Flac ofl alarge amountof conden s0 that the ou) aes is separated from the free gas in composition of the fhe separator This process reduces production stream fhe quantity of separator gas and is known and sepa. Increases the volume of stock-tank liq. ator calculations did The fluid properties in Fig, 3do (which require hot describe this situation. The quan- knowledge of com thy of condensate released from the position) can be ‘Significant-ofien over one performed to deter- sof of the stock-tank liquid produced mine the amounts ® during the life of a volatile ofl reser- of liquid and gas at yor left the reservoir as fre ens. the surface. Fig, 3. Black ell being produced from a reserva, SSS perfor- presture below oil bubble point pressure results error ini remane inthe gas phate through the fubuly, Qh a — . e ‘a % Ny NOVEMBER 1993 Petroleum Engineer lnterationalRESERVOIR MANAGEMENT cas. However, this gas is a retrograde gas and is rich enough to release large quantities of condensate at sur- face conditions. Thus, early in the volatile oil reser- voit’ Iie, the stock: tank liquid comes from the oil phase in the reservoir and late in the life of the reservoir th stock-tank liquid is condensate from Fig 4. Volatile oll being produced from a reservoir with pres- the reservoir gas. sure below oil bubble point pressure results in large amounts The increasing of condensate being separated from free gas inthe separator. amount of conden- three indicators that can be easily determined in the field and can be applied to differentiate reservoir Bids! The three indicators for this fBuid were an inal producing gas-il ratio of about 2,000 scfSTB, @ 512° API initial stock-tank ol gravity, and a “medium orange” stocktank ol color Foryear, anil producing gas-il ratio of 2000 scf'STB was used as the tuto between a black ol and a volatile oil apparently based on information presented above, The great diference between the results of the to calcula: tion methods in Fig 5 indicates that ols with this value are in the volte range and a lower gas ratio cutoff is neces: sary: Hundreds of laboratory studies indicate the presence of a volatile ofl should be suspected whenever the initial producing gavil ratio exceeds about 1,730 sef/STB, or when the stoc-tank oil gravity is more than 40° API with some color-brown, reddish, orange or sreen” If theo formation volume fac tor at the bubble point is measured in. the lnboraory, a vale of 2.0 OF-greater suggests_a volatile oll Laboratory measurements on a sample of the reservoir Buid discussed above gave a heptanes plus concentration of “ia9rmacie percent volume factor ofa atthe bubble point Part 1 in this series also asserted that, as reservoir pressure decreases in 2 volatile oll reservoir, the low stream in the reservoir becomes virally all ACT ‘sate in the produc- tion stream causes the stock-tank oil gravity to steadily increase during the life of the reservoir In fact, the stock- tank liquid gravity for the example above increased from 512° to 588° API as reservoir pressure decreased from 5,070 10750 psia. Experience indi- cates that the stock: tank oil gravity of a black ofl changes in the oppesite direction. ‘The large amount of dry gas produced with the black oil strips some of the lighter components from the oil during its tip to the surface. ‘Thus, the stock-tank cll gravity of a black oil gradually decreas- cs during most of the life of the reservoi Late in the reservoirs life, when the gas leaving solution is- rich enough to be- come a wet gas, the stock-tank oll gravity produced wet gas, ‘The first paper in this series alsg pointed out that more than 90% of the volume of the reservoir flow stream of a black oil at low reservotr pressure could be gas. However, unlike the associated with a volatile oll, this is dry gas. Its volume is not decreased by the loss of condensate at the surface ‘Thus the producing gas-oil ratio of a black oil typically will be much higher than the producing gas-oil ratio of a volatile oil during production below the bubble point. The name “volatile” Of course, black oils are not neces: sarily black. They are very dark, often black, sometimes with a green or | brown cast, indicating the presence of heavy hydrocarbons. The stotk-tank | cil gravities of black oils should be less than 45° API. @ nv for will Increase due to Fig. 5. Conventional material balance equations are not mixing with the con- accurate in ealeulating the cumulative recovery and densate from the ratio of volatile ol reservoir. 4