ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY

INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
CENTER FOR ETHIO-MINES DEVELOPMENT
COURSE ASSIGNMENT: PRODUCTION ENGINEERING & WELL COMPLETION.
SEMINAR PAPER FOR “OIL RESERVOIR DRIVE MECHANISMS”

PREPARED BY MAHAMED HASSEN

ID: GSR/4944/49

SUBMITTED TO DR. BERHANU ASSEFA

AUG. 9, 2022

ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA.

 seminar paper content
• Introduction
• Methods and/or mechanisms
• Effect on IPR, TPR, WPR and/or CPR
• Effect on production: Oil and Gas
• Conclusion
 Reservoir drive mechanism
Introduction
Each reservoir is composed of a unique combination of geometric form, geological rock
properties, fluid characteristics, and primary drive mechanism.
• Although no two reservoirs are identical in all aspects, they can be grouped according to the
primary recovery mechanism by which they produce.
• It has been observed that each drive mechanism has certain typical performance characteristics.
A reservoir drive mechanism is a source of energy for driving the fluids out through the wellbore, The
natural energy of a reservoir can be used to move oil and gas toward the wellbore. Used in such a
fashion, these sources of energy are called drive mechanisms. Early determination and
characterization of the drive mechanism(s) present within a reservoir may allow a greater ultimate
recovery of hydrocarbons. Drive mechanisms are determined by the analysis of historical production
data, primarily reservoir pressure data and fluid production ratios. the natural energy of a reservoir
can be used to move oil and gas toward the wellbore. It is not necessarily the energy lifting the fluids
to the surface althoughinmanycases,thesameenergy is capable of lifting the fluids to the surface.

The various drive mechanisms come from the impact of a number of phenomena:

✓ -
expansion of reservoir fluids, oil, gas & water
✓ Liberation, expansion of solution gas
✓ Expansion of reservoirrockand reduction of pore volume
✓ Gravity forces.

There are a number of drive mechanisms:

A. Depletion drive

✓ Solution gas drive

✓ Gas Cap drive

B. Waterdrive

C. Compaction drive

D. Gravity drainage drive

E. Combination drive
 Depletion Drive Reservoirs
A depletion drive reservoir is one in which the hydrocarbons are not in contact with a supporting
aquifer. In this type of reservoir, the principal source of energy is a result of:

• Gas liberation from the crude oil

• Expansion of the solution gas as the reservoir pressure is reduced.
• As pressure falls below the bubble-point pressure, gas bubbles are liberated.

Fig 1. Depletion drive reservoirs

Two types:

A. Solution gas drive

B. Gas cap drive

A. Solution gas drive

Solution gas drive is a mechanism by which dissolved gas in a reservoir will expand and become an
energy support to produce reservoir fluid. Solution gas drive has other name, such as dissolved gas
drive or depletion drive.

Fig 2. Solution gas drive mechanism

 B. Gas cap drive mechanism
This drive mechanism can be identified by the presence of a gas cap with little or no water drive.

• The natural energy available to produce the crude oil comes from the following two sources:

• Expansion of the gas-cap gas

• Expansion of the solution gas as it is liberated

Fig 3. Gas cap drive mechanism

Water drive mechanism

A water drive reservoir is a reservoir which is in contact with a supporting
aquifer.
Two types:
✓ due to expansion of water as reservoir is produced.
✓ due to artesian flow from an outcrop.
Expansion of an active aquifer

Active aquifer

fig 4. Water drive mechanism

Fig 5. Bottom and edge water drive mechanism

Effect of drive mechanism on IPR, TPR, WPR.

It is well known that, during gas lift operations, as the gas injection rate increases, the operating
oil production rate increases, gets to a peak, then begins to decline – resulting in the parabolic
shape of the gas lift performance curve. It is shown that, as gas injection rate increases, the
gravitational pressure drop in a producing oil well will keep decreasing while the frictional
pressure drop will keep increasing. During gas injection, oil production rate increases when the
modulus of the change in gravitational pressure drop is greater than the modulus of the change in
frictional pressure drops; and oil production rate declines when the modulus of the change in
frictional pressure drop is greater than the modulus of the change in gravitational pressure drop.
The performance of a well is determined by the combination of the inflow performance
relationship (IPR) curve of the reservoir and the outflow performance relationship (OPR) curve
of the wellbore, also known as the Tubing Performance relationship (TPR). The point of
intersection of the IPR and the TPR curve is the operating point of the well. Darcy’s Law for
steady-state radial flow with formation damage will be used in this work. The equation is as
follows (Ahmed 2006; Bedrikovetsky et al. 2012):
Effect of gas injection on TPR
When gas is injected into a producing oil well, the nature of the well fluid changes, resulting in a
new TPR curve. For example, the density of the liquid column changes.

The above equation was used to calculate the various TPR curves. The fractional flow for gas is
directly proportional to gas injection rate, as shown below.

Rearranging the above equation yields

As gas injection rate increases, the gas occupies more space in the well, resulting in increasing
gas/liquid ratio.

Therefore, as gas/liquid ratio tends to infinity, fractional flow for gas tends to unity. So, as the
gas injection rate increases, the gas/liquid ratio increases and the fractional flow f or gas
approaches unity. And as the fractional flow for gas approaches unity (as Ql goes to 0), the well
effectively becomes a gas well and liquid production rate declines. For a given gas injection rate
there is a corresponding value of gas/liquid ratio and fractional flow for gas. And a given value
of fractional flow for gas has a corresponding TPR curve, given that all other factors remain
constant.

Fig 6. Effect of gas injection rate on TPR curve

Effect of gas injection rate on operating point
Now it is clear that, as gas injection rate increases the gravitational pressure drop decreases,
while the frictional pressure drop increases. And it has been established that a given value of
fractional flow for gas will result in a unique TPR curve, given that all other factors remain
constant. When increases, the TPR changes position, it either moves westward or eastward.
When the TPR moves westward, the TPR-IPR point of intersection also moves westward,
resulting in lower oil production rate; and when the TPR moves eastward, the TPR-IPR point of
intersection also moves eastward, resulting in a higher oil production rate. When the TPR moves
westward.

Fig. 7—Effect of gas injection rate on operating oil production rate.

Effects of reservoir drive mechanism on production of oil and gas

The production characteristics of reservoirs can give indications of drive mechanism

➢ Oil-gas ratio
➢ pressure decline
➢ oil production
Conclusion
In general drive mechanism has huge role during the production oil and gas since the pressure of
the pressure of the reservoir decline
Gas injection into a producing oil well changes the TPR curve, resulting in new operating
point(s).
As gas injection rate increases, the gravitational pressure drop keeps decreasing while the
frictional pressure drop keeps increasing.
When the modulus of the change in gravitational pressure drop is greater than the modulus of
the change in frictional pressure drops, oil production rate increases; and when the modulus of
the change in frictional pressure drop is greater than the modulus of the change in gravitational
pressure drop, oil production rate decreases.
On the gas lift performance curve, the area to the left of the abscissa of the optimum point is the
area where reduction in gravitational pressure drop dominates the increase in frictional pressure
drop; and the area to the right of the abscissa of the optimum point is the area where increase in
frictional pressure drop dominates reduction in gravitational pressure drop.