JOGMEC-TRC

Reservoir Engineering Course

Lecture Notes

Reservoir Engineering (2)

February, 2022

Lecturer: K. Funatsu
Japan Oil Engineering Co., Ltd.

1
Permeability (1)

 Permeability is the indicator which represents the

ease with which fluid can flow through porous
medium.
 Larger permeability allows more fluid to flow through
porous medium.

more less
permeable permeable

2
Permeability (2)
flow rate
𝑘𝐴 𝑃2 −𝑃1 𝑘𝐴 𝑑𝑝
Darcy's Law 𝑄= − 𝑄= −
𝜇 𝐿 𝜇 𝑑𝑥

cross sectional area: A

fluid permeability: k
viscosity: m

length: L
inlet pressure: P1 outlet pressure: P2

3
Permeability (3)
Darcy's Law 𝑘 2𝜋𝑟ℎ 𝑑𝑝
for radial flow system 𝑄=−
𝜇 𝑑𝑟
2𝜋𝑘ℎ 𝑑𝑝
=−
r
𝜇 𝑑 ln 𝑟
2𝜋𝑘ℎ 𝑝𝑤𝑓 − 𝑝𝑒
=−
𝜇 𝑟𝑒
h ln
𝑟𝑤

4
 Permeability (4)
(a) parallel flow L
W

k1, h1
k2, h2
pin pout
kn, hn

𝑘𝑖 𝑊ℎ𝑖 𝑝𝑜𝑢𝑡 − 𝑝𝑖𝑛

𝑄= 𝑄𝑖 = −
𝜇 𝐿
𝑊 𝑝𝑜𝑢𝑡 − 𝑝𝑖𝑛 𝑘𝑊 ℎ𝑖 𝑝𝑜𝑢𝑡 − 𝑝𝑖𝑛
𝑄=− 𝑘𝑖 ℎ𝑖 𝑄=−
𝜇 𝐿 𝜇 𝐿
𝑘𝑖 ℎ𝑖
𝑘=
ℎ𝑖

5
Permeability (5)
(b) series flow p1 p2 p3 pn

h
k1 k2 kn

L1 L2 Ln
𝑘𝑖 𝑊ℎ 𝑝𝑖+1 − 𝑝𝑖
𝑄=−
𝜇 𝐿𝑖 𝑘𝑊ℎ 𝑝𝑜𝑢𝑡 − 𝑝𝑖𝑛
𝑄𝜇 𝐿𝑖 𝑄=−
𝜇 𝐿𝑖
𝑝𝑜𝑢𝑡 − 𝑝𝑖𝑛 =−
𝑊ℎ 𝑘𝑖
𝐿𝑖
𝑄=−
𝑊ℎ 𝑝𝑜𝑢𝑡 − 𝑝𝑖𝑛 𝑘= 𝐿𝑖
𝜇 𝐿𝑖
𝑘𝑖 𝑘𝑖
6
Permeability (6)
poro-perm relationship for different lithologies

fractured rocks

crystalline cemented sandstones

permeability oolitic & coarsely crystalline carbonates

(log scale)
clean sandstone

finely crystalized carbonates with vugs

clay cemented sandstones and chalks

porosity (linear scale)

7
Permeability (7)
length: L
Hagen-Poiseuille equation radius: r

𝜋𝑟 4 Δ𝑝
𝑄= − The fluid flow through a cylindrical tube.
8𝜇 𝐿 Laminar flow and uncompressible fluids
are assumed.
Dary's law

𝑟 2 𝜋𝑟 2 Δ𝑝 radius: 2r radius: r
𝑄= −
8 𝜇 𝐿
this part is the permeability.

1 tube 4 tubes

In the above situation, both has same

porosity. How about permeability?

8
 Permeability (8)

 Effect of compaction on permeability

 If compaction pressure is higher, then smaller
porosity, then smaller permeability.
1

(K under compaction pressure)

/ (K under zero compaction pressure)

0
compaction pressure

9
Relative permeability (1)

 When a porous medium is saturated with a single

fluid, fluid flow is expressed by using absolute
permeability.
 However, reservoirs typically contain two or three
fluids, namely oil, gas and water. When a porous
medium is saturated with more than one fluid, fluid
flow for one fluid phase is expressed by using
effective permeability.
effective K for phase l

𝑘𝐴 𝑑𝑝 𝑘𝑒𝑙 𝐴 𝑑𝑝𝑙
𝑄= − 𝑄𝑙 = −
𝜇 𝑑𝑥 𝜇𝑙 𝑑𝑥

10
Relative permeability (2)
relative permeability for phase l Darcy' law for multi-phase flow
𝑘𝑒𝑙 𝑘𝑘𝑟𝑙 𝐴 𝑑𝑝𝑙
𝑘𝑟𝑙 = 𝑄𝑙 = −
𝑘 𝜇𝑙 𝑑𝑥

Relative permeability is a function of saturation. As water saturation

increases, water relative permeability increases and oil relative permeability
decreases.

11
 Relative permeability (3)

Oil relative permeability

becomes zero before water
relative permeability

saturation reaches 1.
Kro

water oil
Krw
critical water
residual oil
saturation water oil
saturation

water saturation
residual oil

12
 Relative permeability (3)

Kro
relative permeability

relative permeability
Kro
Krg

Krw
critical water critical gas
residual oil residual oil
saturation saturation
saturation saturation

water saturation gas saturation

13
 Relative permeability (4)
Relative permeability curve is affected by wettability.

strongly water-wet rock strongly oil-wet rock

Water selectively
moves through
relative permeability

relative permeability
Kro
Kro larger pore
Water selectively throats.
moves through Krw
smaller pore
throats.

Krw Water flows

more freely.
Higher Sor

water saturation water saturation

14
 Relative permeability (5)
Darcy' law
Assume bundle of tube model
𝜋𝑟𝑖4 ∆𝑝
𝑘𝐴 𝑑𝑝
Flow rate per tube 𝑞𝑖 = 𝑄= −
8 𝜇𝐿 𝜇 𝑑𝑥
𝑉= 𝜋𝑟 2 𝐿 𝑉𝑖 𝑟𝑖2 ∆𝑝
𝑞𝑖 =
8 𝜇𝐿2
𝜎 cos 𝜃 2 𝑉𝑖
2𝜎 cos 𝜃
𝑃𝑐 = 𝑞𝑖 = ∆𝑝
𝑟 2𝜇𝐿2 𝑃𝑐𝑖 2
2
𝜎 cos 𝜃 𝑉𝑖
Total flow rate 𝑞= 𝑞𝑖 = ∆𝑝
2𝜇𝐿2 𝑃𝑐𝑖 2
2
𝜎 cos 𝜃 𝑉𝑖
𝐾=
2𝐴𝐿 𝑃𝑐𝑖 2
𝑉𝑖 𝜎 cos 𝜃 2
Δ𝑆𝑖
𝑉𝑝 = 𝐴𝐿𝜙 Δ𝑆𝑖 = This is called
𝑉𝑝 𝐾= 𝜙 2
2 𝑃𝑐𝑖 Percell’s equation

15
 Relative permeability (6)
𝜎 cos 𝜃 2 Δ𝑆𝑖 2 1 Pc
𝜎 cos 𝜃 𝑑𝑆
𝐾= 𝜙 2 𝐾= 𝜙𝜆 Pc
2 𝑃𝑐𝑖 2 𝑃𝑐 2 1
0
𝑃𝑐2
𝜆 is called lithology factor
Effective permeability
2 𝑆𝑤 2 1
𝜎 cos 𝜃 𝑑𝑆 𝜎 cos 𝜃 𝑑𝑆
𝐾𝑤 = 𝜙𝜆 𝐾𝑛 = 𝜙𝜆 2
2 0 𝑃𝑐 2 2 𝑆𝑤 𝑃𝑐 Swr 1
Relative permeability
𝑆𝑤 𝑑𝑆 1 𝑑𝑆
0 𝑃2 𝑆𝑤 𝑃 2 This is called Burdine’s
𝑐
𝐾𝑟𝑤 = 𝑐
𝑆𝑤 ∗ 2 𝐾𝑟𝑛 = 1 − 𝑆𝑤 ∗ 2
1 𝑑𝑆 1 𝑑𝑆 theory.
0 𝑃2 0 𝑃2
𝑐 𝑐
𝑆𝑤 − 𝑆𝑤𝑟 Drainage process model
Normalized water saturation 𝑆𝑤 ∗ =
1 − 𝑆𝑤𝑟

16
 Relative permeability (7)
Three phase relative permeability
 Water: wetting
 Oil: intermediate
 Gas: non-wetting

𝑃𝑐𝑜𝑤 = 𝑃𝑜 − 𝑃𝑤 = 𝑃𝑐𝑜𝑤(𝑆𝑤)
This is called Leverett assumption.
𝑃𝑐𝑔𝑜 = 𝑃𝑔 − 𝑃𝑜 = 𝑃𝑐𝑔𝑜(𝑆𝑔)

𝐾𝑟𝑤 = 𝐾𝑟𝑤(𝑆𝑤)

𝐾𝑟𝑔 = 𝐾𝑟𝑔(𝑆𝑔)
3 phase Kr model:
𝐾𝑟𝑜 = 𝐾𝑟𝑜(𝑆𝑤, 𝑆𝑔)
Stone I model
Stone II model

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