Tordecilla, Joana Rosette D.

PetE – 421

PetE – 4103 18-59180

Primary Reservoir Characteristics

Types of Flowing Fluid

As fluid passes through path the with numerous factors involved, the flow of fluid change
in different patterns. The different types of fluid flow are the following:

1. Steady and Unsteady flow

✓ A steady flow has conditions (velocity, pressure, and cross-section) that change from
point to point but do not vary over time.
✓ The flow is said to be unstable if the circumstances vary over time at any point in the
fluid.

2. Uniform and non-uniform flow

✓ The fluid flow is uniform if the flow parameter remains constant with distance along the
flow path.
✓ If the flow parameters change and vary at different points along the flow path, the fluid
flow is non-uniform.

3. One, two and three-dimensional flow

Although all fluids flow in three dimensions, with pressure, velocity, and other flow
parameters varying in all directions, in many cases the major change happens in only two or
even one direction.

✓ If flow characteristics such as velocity, pressure, and depth change only along the
direction of flow at a particular point rather than across the cross-section, the flow is one-
dimensional.
 ✓ If the flow parameters differ in this direction in the direction of flow and in one direction in
the right angles, the flow is two-dimensional.

✓ The hydrodynamic parameters of a three-dimensional fluid flow are functions of three

space coordinates and time.

4. Rotational or irrotational flow

✓ The type of flow in which fluid particles rotate on their own axes while flowing along the
flow lines is known as rotational flow.

✓ The form of flow in which fluid particles do not rotate on their own axes while flowing
along the flow lines is known as irrotational flow.
5. Laminar or Turbulent flow

✓ Laminar flow is a form of flow in which fluid particles follow a well-defined path or flow with all
streamlines being straight and parallel.

✓ Turbulent flow is characterized by fluid particles moving in a zigzag pattern. Eddies arise when
fluid particles travel in a zigzag pattern, and these eddies are responsible for the substantial
energy loss.

6. Compressible or Incompressible flow

✓ Compressible flow is a type of fluid flow in which the fluid density fluctuates from point to point,
or in other words, the fluid density is not constant.

✓ Incompressible flow is defined as a flow in which the fluid density remains constant. In general,
liquids are incompressible, whereas gases are compressible.
Flow Regimes

The prevailing flow shape is reflected in a pressure-transient response, which is most

easily identified in the pressure-change derivative's log-log derivative is known as flow regime.

✓ Radial flow, which gives a constant or flat derivative, is the most immediately recognizable
flow regime.
✓ The derivative of spherical flow, which can be caused by a limited-entry completion, has a
characteristic -1/2 slope.
✓ The derivative of wellbore storage bends over in a characteristic hump shape after starting as
a unit slope in pressure change.
✓ The derivative slope of linear flow produced by flow to a fracture or a long horizontal well is
+1/2.
✓ When a fracture has finite conductivity and a derivative slope of +1/4, bilinear flow occurs.

Reservoir Geometry

The reservoir geometry is defined by the depth and thickness of the reservoir's top. Natural
features such as aquifers and petroleum reserves have borders that do not easily correspond to
a Cartesian coordinate system. A reservoir prototype is a model of a reservoir that is modeled as
a rectangular parallelpipid with Cartesian coordinates that are rotated with respect to sea level.
Reservoirs are frequently unable to be modeled using planer boundaries, necessitating
consideration of the reservoir's geometry.

The figure above illustrates the geometry of the reservoir (left picture, where green is for
oil, red for gas and blue for water) and evolution of field production and pressure (right).
 The illustration above depicts cross-sectional and three-dimensional grids. The reservoir
structural map (subsea depth contours) is projected onto the reservoir's top surface here. The
grid is projected vertically downward, reaching into the reservoir's thickness. This grid is clearly
not orthogonal, thus cross derivatives will be needed to accurately represent the flux. These cross
derivatives are frequently overlooked.

The figure above illustrates a curvilinear coordinate system in which the reference plane's
Cartesian coordinates are projected onto the reservoir, and the top and bottom reservoir surfaces
are third coordinate surfaces. The third component's coordinate axis is thus normal or orthogonal
to the reservoir surfaces.

Number of Flowing Fluids

In fluid mechanics, dimensionless numbers play a significant role. We can readily estimate
the flow behavior of fluid using these numbers. There is always an inertia force while a mass is
moving. The ratio of inertia force to any one of the forces from viscous force, gravity force,
pressure force, surface tension force, and elastic force is used to create these dimensionless
values. In fluid mechanics, each ratio yields a separate dimensionless number.

The dimensionless numbers used in fluid mechanics are listed below:

1. Reynolds number

In fluid flow, the Reynolds number indicates the relative importance of inertia and viscous
forces. i.e., the larger the Reynolds number, the greater the contribution of the inertia effect,
while the smaller the Reynolds number, the greater the magnitude of viscous forces.

2. Froude’s number

Ship resistance, surface waves, spillways, notches, and open channels are all affected by
Froude's number. Only in free surfaces is Froude's number dominating. If there are no free
surfaces, it makes no difference. In fluids, it can also be described as the ratio of mean velocity
to small wave velocity.

3. Euler’s number

Euler's number is significant in cavitation, i.e. when pressure drops below vapour
pressure, although it is less important in liquids unless pressure dips below vapour pressure,
which causes cavitation.

4. Weber number

The Weber number is significant only if it is less than unity, which occurs only when the
liquid surface curvature is very small in comparison to the depth of the liquid, and the surface
tension force dominates, as in droplets, capillarity flows, and flow over weirs with very low
head and very thin liquid sheets flowing over the surface.

5. Mach number

In compressible fluid flow, the Mach number is important. If the value is more than 0.3, it
means the velocity is faster than the speed of sound. It can be used in high-velocity
 aerodynamic testing. In the case of an unstable flow, such as a hammer blow, the Mach
number is also used.

References

Dimensionless Numbers Used in Fluid Mechanics. Retrieved September 17, 2021 from
https://www.mech4study.com/2018/05/dimensionless-numbers-used-in-fluid-
mechanics.html
Flow Regimes. Retrieved September 17, 2021 from
https://glossary.oilfield.slb.com/en/terms/f/flow_regime

Geometry of the Reservoir. Retrieved September 17, 2021 from

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Geometry-of-the-reservoir-left-picture-where-green-
is-for-oil-red-for-gas-and-blue-for_fig6_315648429

Reservoir Geometry and Properties. Retrieved September 17, 2021 from

http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~ceng671/CHAP7.pdf

Types of Flowing fluid. Retrieved September 17, 2021 from

https://www.theengineerspost.com/types-of-fluid-flow/