Reservoir Engineering I

Material Balance

Arron Singhe

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OUTLINE

INTRODUCTION

MATERIAL BALANCE EQUATION

Tarner’s Formulation

DRIVE INDICES

APPLICATIONS
Undersaturated Oil Reservoir
Gas Reservoirs

GRAPHICAL METHOD
Havlena-Odeh Method

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WATER INFLUX
 INTRODUCTION

Material Balance is
 Powerful method to estimate OOIP, OGIP
 Estimate aquifer influx

Advantage
 Independent from volumetric methods
 Used to verify volumetric results

Disadvantage
 Require production from reservoir

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 Requires accurate pressure monitoring and
production/injection measurements
 Requires accurate PVT data
 MATERIAL BALANCE EQUATION

 Given the reservoir pore volume under reservoir conditions

 Initial pressure, pi and reservoir temperature Ti

 The tank represents the total pore volume of the reservoir

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 MATERIAL BALANCE EQUATION

 Fit all hydrocarbons of the reservoir into the tank

 0-dimensional representation

 The size of the potential gas cap is measured relative to

the size of the oil volume.
p = pi
 m is a volume ratio

GF Bgi  m  NBoi

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NBoi
 MATERIAL BALANCE EQUATION

 Expansion of the reservoir fluids due to decrease in reservoir pressure

 p < pi

 At the lower pressure p, the gas cap expands, the aquifer expands and
the oil volume changes

At pi: at p:
GF Bg

GF Bgi  mNBoi NBo 

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N ( Rsi  Rs ) Bg

NBoi
We
 MATERIAL BALANCE EQUATION

 When trying to fit the expanded fluid volumes back into the reservoir
tank, some fluid volume does not fit in
 The superfluous volumes are the produced volumes of oil, gas and water
Produced Volume
N p ( Rp  Rs ) Bg
N p Bo
W p Bw
GF Bg

GF Bgi  mNBoi

NBo 

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N ( Rsi  Rs ) Bg
NBoi

We

Initial Volume Expanded Volume Reservoir Content

 MATHEMATICAL FORMULATION

Initial volume:

NBoi  GF Bgi  NBoi  mNBoi

Expanded volume at pressure p:

Bg
mNBoi  NBo  NBg  Rsi  Rs   We
Bgi

Produced volume at pressure p:

 
N p Bo  N p  ( Rp  Rs ) Bg  Wp Bw  N p  Bo  Bg ( Rp  Rs )  Wp Bw

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Material Balance Equation:

[Expanded volume] – [initial volume] = [produced volume]

 MATERIAL BALANCE EQUATION

Bg
m  N  Boi   N  Bo  N  Bg  ( Rsi  Rs )  We  N  Boi  m  N  Boi
Bgi

 N p  [ Bo  Bg  ( R p  Rs )]  W p  Bw

Tarner‘s formula (1944):

 
N p Bo  Bg  ( R p  Rs )  (We  W p Bw )

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N 
 Bg 
mBoi    1  Bg  ( Rsi  Rs )  ( Boi  Bo )
B 
 gi 
 EXPLANATION OF TERMS IN EQUATION

All terms in reservoir volume at pressure p

produced oil & gas net water influx

N
 
N p  Bo  Bg  ( R p  Rs )  (We  W p Bw )
 Bg 
mBoi    1  Bg  ( Rsi  Rs )  ( Boi  Bo )
B 
 gi 

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expansion of expansion of shrinkage of
gas cap dissolved gas reservoir oil
 DRIVE INDICES

1   1  1
N  Bo  Boi   Rsi  Rs   mNBoi 
B

1 
 B
We  Wp Bw 
 Bg   gi Bg  1
g

B 
N p  o  R p  Rs 
 Bg 
Drive mechanisms
 The solution gas drive Is
 two phase expansion (dissolution of gas and shrinkage of the oil)

 The gas drive Ig

 expansion of the gas cap

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 The water drive Iw
 expansion of the aquifer

Is+ Ig+ Iw= 1

 SOLUTION GAS DRIVE INDEX - Is

1   1  1
N  Bo  Boi   Rsi  Rs   mNBoi 
B

1 
 B
We  Wp Bw 
 Bg   gi Bg  1
g

 Bo 
N p   R p  Rs 
 Bg 

1 
N  Bo  Boi   Rsi  Rs 
 Bg 
Is 

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 Bo 
N p   R p  Rs 
 Bg 
 GAS DRIVE INDEX - Ig

1   1 1 1
N  Bo  Boi   Rsi  Rs   mNBoi     We  W p Bw 
 Bg  B B  B
 gi g  g 1
 Bo 
N p   R p  Rs 
 Bg 

 1 1 
mNBoi   

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B B 
Ig   gi g 

 Bo 
N p   R p  Rs 
 Bg 
 WATER DRIVE INDEX - Iw

1   1 1 1
N  Bo  Boi   Rsi  Rs   mNBoi     We  W p Bw 
 Bg  B B  B
 gi g  g 1
 Bo 
N p   R p  Rs 
 Bg 

1
Bg
We  W p Bw 
Iw 
 Bo 
N p   R p  Rs 

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 Bg 
DRIVE INDICES VARY WITH TIME

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 DRIVE INDICES SUMMARY

Solution Gas Drive Index

 1 
N Bo
 Bo i   Rsi  Rs 

 Bg 

Is 
 Bo 
Np  R p  Rs 
 B
 g 

Gas Cap Drive Index
 1 1 
mNBo i   
B Bg 
Ig   gi 
B 
N p  o  R p  Rs 

 Bg 


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Water Drive Index
1
Bg
We  W p Bw 
Iw 
 Bo 
Np  R p  Rs 
 B
 g 

 MATERIAL BALANCE EQUATION

 Solving the MB-equation

N
 
N P  Bo  Bg  ( R p  Rs )  (We  W p Bw )
 Bg 
mBoi    1  Bg  ( Rsi  Rs )  ( Boi  Bo )
B 
 gi 
 for water influx, We, yields

 
We  N P  Bo  Bg  ( R p  Rs )  W p Bw
  Bg  
 N  mBoi    1  Bg  ( Rsi  Rs )  ( Boi  Bo )

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  B  
 gi 
EXAMPLE 7.1: Water Influx and Drive Indices

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 UNDERSATURATED OIL RESERVOIRS

Bg
mNBoi   NBo  NBg  ( Rsi  Rs )  We  NBoi  mNBoi 
Bgi
N p  [ Bo  Bg  ( R p  Rs )]  W p Bw

 In undersaturated reservoirs, there is no gas cap (m = 0)

 Hence:
NBo  NBg  ( Rsi  Rs )  We  NBoi  N p [ Bo  Bg  ( Rp  Rs )]  Wp Bw

NBo  We  NBoi  N p Bo  Wp Bw
 The Rs function is constant above the bubble point
pressure


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Therefore:

 Or: N  Bo  Boi   We  N p Bo  Wp Bw

 UNDERSATURATED OIL RESERVOIRS
 The compressibility of the connate water and rock have an
important role in undersaturated reservoirs:

V  Vw  V p
 cwVw p  cV p p
S wi 1
 cw NBo i p  c NBo i p
1  S wi 1  S wi
 c  S wi cw 
 NBo i  
 1 S 
  p
 wi 

 If entered into the following equation

N  Bo  Boi   We  N p Bo  Wp Bw

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 yields

 Boi c  S wicw p 

N   Bo  Boi    We  N p Bo  W p Bw
 1  S wi 
GAS RESERVOIRS

 The compressibility of the connate water and rock can be

neglected

 The reservoir initial volume: GBgi

 The expanded reservoir volume: GBg+We
 The produced volume: GpBg+Wp

 Then, the material balance equation is:

GBg  We  GBgi  G p Bg  Wp
GBg  Bgi   G p Bg  Wp  We

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G p Bg We  W p
G 
Bg  Bgi Bg  Bgi
GAS RESERVOIRS

G p Bg We  W p ZTP0 Z
G   Bg  C T
Bg  Bgi Bg  Bgi pT0 z0 p
if C and T are constant, then :
Z 
 
 p We  W p
G  Gp 
 Z   Z  Bg  Bgi
    
 p   p i

 If there is no water influx, then We and Wp are zero:

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 p   p   Gp 
     1    C1  C2G p
   i 
Z Z G 

 Then, a plot of Gp versus p/Z will show a linear function!

GAS RESERVOIRS
 Plot of cumulative Gas Production (Gp) versus p/Z will show
linear function, if no water influx.

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MATERIAL BALANCE FORECAST METHOD (p/Z)

ZT Z
Bg  0.0283 C
p p
G p Bg  G ( Bg  Bgi )
Z  Z Zi 
G pC 
 G C  C 
p  p pi 
Z Z Z
Gp  G G i
p p pi

G p  G
Z Z
 G i
P Pi
Z Zi  G p pi G p  G

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  
p pi G p  G Z Zi  G
p pi  Gp 
 1  
Z Zi  G 
MATERIAL BALANCE – GRAPHICAL METHOD
(HAVLENA/ODEH)

 In 1963 Havlena and Odeh showed that material balance data

can be combined to an equation of a straight line
 Because the material balance equation is linear

 This allows the determination of two parameters

 E.g.: OOIP and water influx coefficient

 Until their publication, it has been used only to determine one

single parameter

 Assumptions:
 The reservoir may have an initial gas and an initial oil phase
 The gas is allowed to dissolve in the liquid phase

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 Water is allowed to invade the reservoir from the aquifer during
production
 The water and the rock are compressible
MATERIAL BALANCE – GRAPHICAL METHOD
(HAVLENA/ODEH)

 Introduce:
 o  Bo  Boi  Bg ( Rsi  Rs )
Boi c  S wi cw p
w 
1  S wi
 ow   o   w
 g  Bg  Bgi
C w  We
QF  N p [ Bo  Bg ( R p  Rs )]  W p  (WI  GI Bg )

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 Substituting into the Tarner‘s formula

N ow  G g  C w  QF
INTRODUCTION OIL RESERVOIR WITHOUT WATER INFLUX
MATERIAL BALANCE
EQUATION

DRIVE INDICES
N ow  G g  C w  QF
APPLICATIONS Oil reservoir without gas cap

QF  N o
GRAPHICAL METHOD

WATER INFLUX

 Co-ordinate system o vs. QF; the slope of the line is N

Oil reservoir with gas cap (m known)

  Bo  
QF  N  o  m  g 
  B  
  g i 

 Co-ordinate system o +m(Bo/Bg)i g vs. QF; slope is N

 If it does not yield a straight line, the m is incorrect

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Gas reservoir
QF  G g G p Bg  G g
 Co-ordinate system g vs. GpBg; straight line with slope G
RESERVOIRS WITHOUT WATER INFLUX

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RESERVOIR WITH WATER INFLUX

Oil reservoir without gas cap

QF w
 N C
 ow  ow
 Co-ordinate system QF/ow vs. We/ ow provides a straight line,
the intersection with the axis y gives N.
 If the line is not straight, then the water influx is incorrect

QF/ow

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C

N
We/ ow
 RESERVOIR WITH WATER INFLUX

Oil reservoir with gas cap

QF We
 N 
 Bo   Bo 
o  m
B
 i

o  m
B
 i

 g i  g i

 Co-ordinate system QF/[o+m(Boi/Bgi) g] vs. We/

/[o+m(Boi/Bgi) g]

 Straight line, the intersection with the axis y gives N.

 If the line is not straight, then the water influx (or m) is

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incorrect
RESERVOIR WITH WATER INFLUX

Gas reservoir:

G p Bg  W p w
 GC
g g
 Coordinate system (GpBg+Wp)/g vs. We /g
 Straight line, the intersection with the axis y gives G. If the line
isn’t straight- the water influx is incorrect

(GpBg+Wp)/g

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C

G
We/ g
MATERIAL BALANCE – GRAPHICAL METHOD
SUMMARY

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WATER INFLUX

The water influx depends on:

 Size of the aquifer
 Permeability of the aquifer
 Compressibility of the rock
 Compressibility of the water
Very seldom verified
 no wells are drilled to explore the aquifer

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INTRODUCTION RESERVOIR BOUNDARY CONDITIONS
MATERIAL BALANCE
EQUATION

DRIVE INDICES

APPLICATIONS

GRAPHICAL METHOD

WATER INFLUX

Finite Closed System (Pseudo-steady-state) (3)

 If the whole amount of water flowing into the reservoir is due to
expansion of the aquifer, then the exterior boundary is closed
 Finite closed aquifer
Closed System, Constant Pressure (Steady-state) (1)
 The pressure at the exterior boundary is constant
 Finite aquifer with constant pressure at the exterior boundary
Infinite System (Non-steady-state) (2)
 No effects “felt” at the exterior boundary

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 „infinite“aquifer
NON-STEADY-STATE WATER INFLUX

Originally by Van EVERDINGEN and HURST (1949)

In 1971, FETKOVICH presented a simplified approach

 easier to use! Especially for numerical computations
 Iterative solution process
Basic equations are based on
 a “productivity index” of the aquifer, Jw
 a maximum possible water influx, Wei
 and the pressure difference between aquifer and reservoir

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FETKOVICH METHOD

Calculation for individual time intervals

For a time interval, the flow rate is given by:


qw  J w P j  P wf ( j 1) 
 Where pj= average aquifer pressure, pwf=average inner
(reservoir) pressure

 The influx, the cumulative influx and average aquifer pressure

are given by
We ( j 1)  qw t

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j 1
We ( j 1)   Wen
n 1

Pi
P j 1  We ( j 1)  Pi
Wei
INTRODUCTION EXAMPLE 7.2 – FETKOVICH AQUIFER MODEL
MATERIAL BALANCE
EQUATION

DRIVE INDICES

APPLICATIONS

GRAPHICAL METHOD

WATER INFLUX

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