Well testing in proximity to

Gas oil contact

Do we get this alright ?
Fabrice Toussaint
fabrice.toussaint@jurtuna.com
 The crime scene

You strike oil on the discovery well,

congratulations.
Now, there is a doubt about the logs, you
are not sure whether there is Gas or not at
the top of the zone of interest.
The pressure points, if they exist, do not
provide clearer indication.
You have a PVT sample, the bubble point
Well is quite close to the reservoir pressure, but
GOC ?
this precise measurement.
Would a well test give more insights ?
Pressure Build-up analysis - Derivative
The first slope corresponds to
radial flow in oil., which can be
hidden by wellbore storage.
Stabilisation for oil The radial flow is followed by a
trough in the derivative, and the
size of the trough is correlated to
the size of the gas-cap.
Test The bigger the gas-cap, the higher
derivatives Impact of gas the amplitude of the trough and
the longer the deviation.
It may be possible to get an idea
of the size of the gas-cap by
matching the derivative, which
requires using a reservoir model
to history match the pressure
derivative.
Discussion
• If the well is too close to the GOC, we’ll have gas-cusping and an
increase of GOR during the test, which should prove the proximity of
a gas-cap.
• If we have a GOR in line with PVT, It’s likely that the radial flow will be
seen on the welltest.
• Even with a small gas-cap, we can see the impact on the derivative.
On the previous chart, there is a small deviation of the derivative
even for a gas-cap of 3 feet thickness. Obviously, there is a limit to
what can be observed, so it seems unwise to expect to see just one
foot of gas, or to prove the exact value of the bubble point pressure
this way.
Conclusions
• A well test can prove the presence of a gas-cap, provided the size of
the volume of gas is not too small.
• The amplitude and duration of the trough on the derivative is linked
to the volume of gas, so if the test is long enough, we can appreciate
the size of the gas-cap, history matching the derivative with a
reservoir model.
• If you have regular build-ups, it should be possible to monitor the
extension of the gas-cap. I did not prove this comment in the previous
pages, so you should just “trust” me on that one.