FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA

COUNCIL FOR THE REGULATION

OF ENGINEERING IN NIGERIA

WORK EXPERIENCE REPORT

IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT FOR CONDITIONS

NECESSARY FOR COREN REGISTRATION AS

PETROLEUM ENGINEER

BY: EBOIGBE CHUKWUYEW MURPHY

Application ID:45377
Phone: 09073711589
Email: murphyeboigbe0@gmail.com September, 2022
 CHAPTER ONE

1.1 INTRODUCTION
I am a native of Agbor-Obi, in Eka-South Local Government Area, Delta State. A Second
Class Upper graduate of Petroleum and Gas Engineering from Delta State University in 2015. I have
so far acquired 6 years of post-graduate professional working experience in a vast area of
Petroleum and Gas Engineering which includes operating oil pumps under high pressure, quality
assurance, and control of base oil fluids,
Haulage and dipping of Oil tanks, and Workplace Safety amongst others.
1.2 ACADEMIC SUMMARY

 Delta State University, Abraka, Delta State, Nigeria. - Bachelors of Petroleum and

Gas Engineering, Second Class (Upper Division) - 2015

 Superb Status Secondary School, Utagba-Uno, Udokwa West, Delta State, Nigeria -

Senior School Certificate (2008)

 Delta State University Primary and Secondary School, Abraka, Delta State- First
School Leaving Certificate (FSLC) - 2002.
 CHAPTER TWO

2.1 Summary of Work Experience

Period Detail of Projects/Activities Duration Supervisor
(Years)
Name Signature
EMPLOYER: JUVA-OIL SERV. (NIG)LTD

JULY 2017 Position: Assistant Resident Supervisor 5 Engr. Patrick

till date Onah.
Activities undertaken were for example: -

Petroleum production Consultancy

And Well Intervention
 Preparing reports and presentations on
work activities
 Develop plans for oil and gas extraction
 Use and maintain drilling and fracturing
equipment
 Supervise drillings and extractions
 Research new ways and new sites for oil
and gas extraction
 Analyze the formation of rocks and
reservoirs
 Use computer-aided models to enable
drilling
 Determine budget and requirements of
projects
 Supervise and train technical staff
Collaborate with geoscientists and
engineers to determine geological features

1
 CHAPTER THREE

3.0 DETAILS OF ENGINEERING WORK EXPERIENCE

3.1 Project: Comparison between Logistic Growth Model and Conventional Decline models

3.1.1 Project Details

CLIENT ---------------------------Tullow Oil and Gas
PROJECT COST -------------------N400,000.00
CONTRACTOR --------------------JUVA-OIL SERV. (NIG) LTD
POSITION HELD------------------ Researcher
PERIOD -----------------------------6 months

3.1.2 Project description

The project work required the application of Microsoft excel to the plotting of correlations in the
form of graphs as well as engaging in the collation involved in fitting the resulting plot to the actual
production data available. This chapter gives details about the methods used in comparing the
performance of the traditional exponential decline model to the logistic growth model in gas wells.
3.1.3 Relevant Bridge regulation and design standards
The data used in this project were gathered, quality-checked, and converted to the required
formats. These data were used to perform validation analysis in the form of model fitting. Details
of all data are depicted in Appendices alongside other relevant information.
SOFTWARE PROFICIENCY
I am proficient in the application of the following software packages:
 Microsoft Excel
sheet
 Microsoft Access
 PowerPoint
 Emacs
 Eclipse
 Reservoir Simulation Software
3.1.4 Scope of the Works and Methods
General Overview
Petroleum production from a well begins from the point of casing perforation and ends at the
point of abandonment/plugging when production is no longer economical. Knowledge of the trend
in which this product will follow is crucial to the income of the oil and gas industry. Production
from an oil well has an; “early-time” i.e period in which production has just begun and flow is
infinite, the “middle-time” which is the period in which flow rate from the good peaks and
stabilizes for a given period while in boundary-dominated flow, a “late-time” which is the period
when production decline begins until the oil well is eventually abandoned. Therefore, techniques
have been modeled to depict this production profile empirically and have since been used to
predict flow rates over time from oil wells. These traditional models are of three types;
Exponential decline, hyperbolic decline, and harmonic decline models. These models operate on
the assumption that whatever causes controlled the trend of a decline in the past will continue to
govern its trend in the future. The application of this model in the industry today is still based on
equations and curves described by Arps, a mathematician. Arps used the equation of hyperbola to
formulate the general equations for the three models above. To locate a hyperbola in space it is
essential to know the:
I. The degree of curvature of line (b);
II. The starting point on the Y axis, (qi), initial rate;

III. Initial decline rate (Di).

Arps did not provide specific reasons for the three types of decline, he only indicated that
exponential decline (b=0) is the most common and that the coefficient generally ranges between 0
and 0.5. Arps general decline in a well can be expressed mathematically as:

Where; q = current
production rate qi = initial
production rate
t = cumulative time since the start of production
b = hyperbolic decline constant (0 < b <1)
di = nominal/initial decline rate.

1
Exponential decline model
For the exponential model the hyperbolic decline constant, b is assumed to be zero since this is an
exponential function. Therefore, if b=0, Equation (3.1) can be rearranged as:

𝒒 = 𝒒𝒊𝒆−𝒅𝒕 (𝟑. 𝟐)
Where; q = current production rate qi = initial
production rate t = cumulative time since the
start of production d = dt = nominal decline
rate (a constant).
Hyperbolic decline model
For this model Arps defined flowrate as:

Where; q = current production rate qi = initial

production rate t = cumulative time since the
start of production di = initial nominal decline
rate at t = 0 b = hyperbolic decline constant (0
< b < 1).
Harmonic decline model
Arps defined the flow rate for harmonic decline as:

Where; q = current
production rate qi = initial
production rate
t = cumulative time since the start of production
di = d = dt = nominal decline rate.
 Exponential Decline Hyperbolic Decline Harmonic Decline

Decline is constant (b = 0) Decline is proportional to a The decline is proportional to

fractional power (b) of the production rate b = 1
production rate (0 < b< 1)

The decline rate for the Arps defined the hyperbolic The decline rate is defined
by,
exponential decline is decline rate as
defined by d = 1 – 𝑒−𝑑𝑖

The flow rate is defined by 𝑞 The flow rate is defined by The flow rate is defined by
= 𝑞𝑖𝑒−𝑑𝑡

Logistic growth model

Theoretical background
This model was developed by mathematician Verhulst in 1838. The theoretical background of this
model entails that a biological population with plenty of food, space to grow, and no threat from
predators which tends to grow at a rate that is proportional to the population. That is, in each unit
of time, a certain percentage of the individuals produce new individuals. Unconstrained natural
growth is exponential growth and this case of growth is represented by
𝒅𝑷⁄𝒅𝒕 =rP (𝟑. 𝟓)
Since this is a growth equation, we go on to integrate it to yield the standard form,
𝐏(𝐭) = 𝐏𝟎𝐞𝐫𝐭 (𝟑. 𝟔)
Where;
𝑃𝑜= Population at time, t = 0
P(t) = is the population as a function of time t.
r = Rate of population growth
t = time under consideration.

1
There are either 2 or 3 unknown parameters in the logistic growth model that must be determined
in other to obtain a fit to the production data. The three parameters are the carrying capacity K,
the hyperbolic exponent n, and the constant a. The carrying capacity is the total amount of oil or

gas recoverable from primary depletion in the well, regardless of time or economic constraints. In
other words, K is like the estimated ultimate recovery (EUR) for the well without economic
constraints. The K acts as the term to constrain the cumulative production and to cause the rate to
eventually go to 0. The cumulative production will approach the carrying capacity until it is
eventually reached, at which point the rate will terminate. This parameter is also the one that
determines whether there are 2 or 3 unknowns in the equation. It is possible to obtain the EUR
from volumetric calculations. If the EUR from volumetrics is not known before producing the well,
it can also be used as a fitting parameter, and the optimal fit to the data will yield the K value. The
logistic model is very flexible in nature, and also non-unique when the carrying capacity is not
known ahead of time. It is possible to obtain multiple “good fits” to the data with various
combinations of parameters. Figure 3.1 is an example of a Barnett Shale gas well in which various
carrying capacities were used, and all three instances yielded reasonable fits to the data.
 Fig. 3.1 – Rate vs. time data fit with the logistic model using varying K values
After it has been determined whether or not the carrying capacity is known ahead of time, we
must determine the hyperbolic decline exponent. Whether or not the carrying capacity, k is known
beforehand, the constant n must be determined. The n serves to control the decline behavior of
the model, and it allows it to be more flexible to better fit the production data. To exhibit the

effect of the n parameter on forecasts, dimensionless rate, and dimensionless cumulative terms
was created. The dimensionless rate, qD, is the production rate over the peak production rate,
and the dimensionless
cumulative, QD, is the cumulative production normalized by the carrying capacity. The
dimensionless cumulative in this form is the fraction of total oil or gas recovered. As the well
approaches the EUR, the QD will approach 1. Figure 3.2 shows the dimensionless rate versus
dimensionless cumulative for various values of the decline exponent.

Fig. 3.2 – Dimensionless curve for varying n values

Figure 3.2 shows the behavior of the model for n between 0 and 1. The K and a value used in this
example are arbitrary. The ‘n’ value controls the steepness of the decline. At smaller n the well
will decline at a high rate for a short period before stabilizing at a low rate and declining more
slowly, while at higher values the well exhibits a more gradual decline through its life. When the n
exceeds 1, the model will have an inflection point, where the rate increases for a short period
1
before decreasing. This does not cause the forecast to be in error and can be used to match data
for wells whose initial rate is not their peak rate.
The third parameter, a, is the time to the power n at which half of the carrying capacity has been
produced. This should not be confused with half the time it will take for the well to reach its
carrying capacity. Equation 3.1 shows that as a time to the n approaches the logistic model
approaches half the carrying capacity.

This causes the a to behave much like the initial decline parameter, di, for the Arps’ equation. And
the lower the value, the faster the rate will decline before stabilizing. Conversely, the higher the
value,
the more stable the product will be for the life of the well. In other words, if the value is very low,
the well will produce at a high rate, and quickly recover half of the oil or gas, then steeply decline
and slowly produce the rest of the oil or gas at a low rate for a long period. Figures 3.3 and 3.4
show the dimensionless rate versus time and dimensionless cumulative versus time respectively
for varying values of a.
 Figure 3.3 Dimensionless rate vs. time for varying ‘a’ values

Figure 3.4 Cumulative production vs. time for varying ‘a’ values
The values in both Figure 3.3 and Figure 3.4 vary between 10 and 100. It can be observed that the
low values decline very steeply initially, before stabilizing at a much lower decline rate, while the
higher values have a smoother and more gradual decline.
Software Application
Microsoft Excel application was used to depict the plot of flow rate vs time, for both the
exponential and logistic growth decline model. It portrayed the production profiles from both
models and also fitted the decline curve appropriately to the actual data.
Curve Fit
When decline curves are generated using various techniques and models, it is crucial to compare
the curve produced from the model to the curve produced from the actual production data. It

essentially determines the integrity and reliability of a particular model for the sake of future
forecasting. Excel was used to achieve this.
Results
Actual Gas Production Profile
. Figure 3.5 below depicts the actual gas production profile.

1
 Figure 3.5 Actual gas production

Exponential decline model

Figure 3.6 illustrates the results plotted against time.

Figure 3.6 Resulting fit of the exponential model with actual production data
Logistic growth model
By taking the reciprocal of Equation 2.9, the Logistic growth model, and performing some algebraic
manipulation, the equation can be rewritten in this form.

In this form, the logarithm of carrying capacity over cumulative production minus one plotted
versus the logarithm of time on a Cartesian grid is a straight line. The slope and intercept of the
resulting line can then be used to determine the n and a parameter respectively. The negative
slope will be n, while 10 raised to the y-intercept will be a. Figure 4.4 shows the linearized logistic
growth model.

Figure 3.7 Linearized logistic growth function

In Figure 3.7 above, the carrying capacity was assumed to be 6 Bcf. figure 3.7 shows that the
production data follows a good linear trend. The resulting value of n obtained is 1.4106 The
resulting production forecast from the parameters obtained through this method is in figure 3.8
below.

1
 Fig. 3.8 Resulting fit of LGM with parameters obtained through linearization

Actual Oil production profile

Figure 3.8 below depicts the actual oil production profile.

Figure 3.9 Actual oil production

Exponential decline model

Figure 4.0 Resulting fit of the exponential model with actual production data

Logistic growth model

The log of the Production function vs the time function is computed and the results are plotted
and linearized in figure 4.1 below. The oil production data used in this section is located in
Appendix A.

Figure 4.1 Linearized logistic growth function

1
Similarly, to how it was done for the gas well in figure 3.8, the carrying capacity was assumed to be
200Mstb. figure 4.1 shows the linear trend. The resulting value of n obtained is 1.1288. The

resulting production forecast from the parameters obtained through this method is in figure 4.2
below.

Resulting fit of LGM with parameters obtained through linearization

Discussion
Before the model fitting which is done to ascertain the reliability of the production rate produced
by the given model, the actual production rate from the oil and gas well is plotted. The actual gas
production data were fitted with the exponential decline model as well as the LGM. The actual oil
production data were fitted with the exponential decline model as well as the LGM, the results
obtained from the plot were extraneous and there was no reasonable fit to the actual flow rate,
therefore, rendering the model impractical and unreliable for use in production forecast.
Relatively, the logistic growth model was fitted with the actual data after linearization of the log
(K/Q-1) and log (t) parameters to obtain the logistic growth constants. The logistic growth model
showed the most realistic fit to both the oil and gas production data, therefore, making it the most
reliable for production forecast.

3.1.5 My involvement in this Project:

Worked as a Graduate Engineer in this project, I performed the following
activities:

(a) Carrying out a feasibility study for the Logistic Growth Model in Comparison with the
traditional models
(b) Involved in preliminary checking of the good production data to ensure reliability
(c) Compiling of oil and gas well data
(d) Interpolation Calculations
(e) Emperical Analysis
(f) Simulation of Production Profiles
 (g) Carrying out Curve Fits of various production models with actual production data

3.1.6 Challenges encountered and Solutions

 Challenges
The traditional exponential decline model gave an impractical fit to the gas data while the Logistic
Growth Model gave a dynamic fit to the gas data which was reasonable. This model gave the best fit
to the oil and gas well data and can be relied upon for production forecasting.
 Solutions
The traditional exponential decline model is a good precursor to production forecasting, but it
gave a fairly practical fit to the oil well data relative to the Logistic Growth Model which gave a
good and reasonable fit to the oil data.
3.1.7 Experience Gained
The experiences gained during my research and simulation were:
• Mastery of production curve fitting with various models.
• Increased knowledge in the use of reservoir simulation software.
• Reservoir Design and Geometry.
• Improved knowledge of unstable Oil and Gas wells.
• Understanding the unpredictability of Gas wells.
• Development of production profiles for reliable forecasting of oil/gas production.
• Better understanding of Material Balance in Petroleum Engineering.
• Ability to detect anomalies in a reservoir simulation and give accurate recommendations.
• General improvement in knowledge of Reservoir Engineering.

1
 CHAPTER FOUR
4.0 Conclusion
As I have narrated above in this report, I have gained adequate Work Experience in
Petroleum Engineering (Downstream work, Reservoir simulation, and design, Production
profiling, Data Gathering amongst others). I have now managed to bridge theories and reality
using practice. I have faced many challenges while implementing petroleum models and I have
also been able to look for the solution to those problems.
Further, I certify that this report results from my involvement in various Petroleum engineering
works carried out and is not copied from any unauthorized materials thus the activities written
in this report were carried out under the close supervision of Registered Engineers.
About the professional engineering work experience I have gained so far, I finally wish the
COREN to consider, evaluate and approve my application for registration as a petroleum
Engineer
Name: ............................................... Date:………………………… Signature:…………………..

CHAPTER FIVE
5.0 Endorsement
I, the undersigned, have gone through the report that has been prepared and we endorse the
experience attained and reported by the writer. Based on our knowledge of the character and
professional reputation of the applicant, I recommend acceptance of this Work Experience
report by the COREN in Partial fulfillment of the requirements for registration as a Registered
Engineer/Technologist.

Name

Stamp and Signature