Fluid Flow: Well Testing

Pressure Buildup Tests

 Why Buildup Tests?

ƒ Advantages
– Easy to hold constant rate of zero
– Can obtain reservoir pressure values for material
balance
– Can minimize wellbore storage with downhole
shut-in
ƒ Disadvantages
– Deferred production
– Analysis must account for effects of both shut-in
and preceding drawdown on pressure response

Reservoir Engineering
Fluid Flow: Well Testing 6.5.2
 Superposition in Time

Δq2

Δq1

t1
t2
Total pressure drop is the sum of the 2 parts

Reservoir Engineering
Fluid Flow: Well Testing 6.5.3
 Superposition for Buildup Tests
qB qB
qres

0
= +
-qB
t

Δp

0
= +
tp tp+Δt t tp tp+Δt tp tp+Δt

Reservoir Engineering
Fluid Flow: Well Testing 6.5.4
 Superposed Build-up Pressure
μ ⎡ ⎧ 4k ⎫ ⎤
Transient, S.I. units pi − p wf = qB ⎢ln(t ) + ln ⎨
4πkh ⎢⎣ 2⎬
+ 2s ⎥
⎩ γ φμct rw ⎭ ⎥⎦

μ ⎡ ⎧ 4k ⎫ ⎤
Positive rate component pi − pwf = qB ⎢ln(t p + Δt ) + ln ⎨
4πkh ⎣⎢ 2⎬
⎩ γ φμct rw ⎭
+ 2s ⎥
⎦⎥

μ ⎡ ⎧ 4k ⎫ ⎤
Negative rate component p wf − p ws = − qB ⎢ln( Δt ) + ln ⎨
4πkh ⎣⎢
⎬
⎩ γ φμct rw ⎭
2
+ 2 s ⎥
⎦⎥

Add q B μ ⎛ t p + Δt ⎞
pi − pws = ln ⎜⎜ ⎟⎟
4π k h ⎝ Δt ⎠
⎛ t p + Δt ⎞
Horner Time Ratio ⎜⎜ ⎟⎟
⎝ Δt ⎠

Reservoir Engineering
Fluid Flow: Well Testing 6.5.5
 Horner’s Effective Flowing Time
q Run gauges

Test flow period

Build-up

t
Cumulative production
Effective flowing time =
Flow rate during last flow period
Reservoir Engineering
Fluid Flow: Well Testing 6.5.6
 Other Time Function Definitions

ƒ If Producing Time is Long Enough to Reach

Pseudosteady State
– Plot versus elapsed shut-in time Δt
– Known as Miller Dyes Hutchinson (MDH) plot
ƒ Agarwal Equivalent Time (SPE 9289)
– Defined a general time function that can be used independent
of producing time
– Used primarily to analyze buildup tests with drawdown type-
curve solutions
– Can be used for any buildup test without worrying about
whether the well was produced “long enough” prior to shut-in

te =
(t Δt )
p

(t p + Δt )
Reservoir Engineering
Fluid Flow: Well Testing 6.5.7
 Pressure Build-up Horner Plot

p* Late deviation caused

by boundary effects
(end of transient)
p
Straight line = “transient” flow
pws Slope = -m

p1hr

Early deviation caused

by wellbore effects

0 ⎛ t p + Δt ⎞
Late time data log⎜⎜ ⎟⎟ log(t p + 1) Early time data
⎝ Δt ⎠
Reservoir Engineering
Fluid Flow: Well Testing 6.5.8
 Permeability and Skin Factor - Liquid

0.1832 qBμ
k=
h. m
S.I. Units m in Pa / (log10 cycle)
⎡ p1hr − p wf ⎧ k ⎫ ⎤
s = 1.151⎢ − log10 ⎨ 2⎬
− 3.91⎥
⎣ m ⎩ φμ c r
t w ⎭ ⎦

162. 6qBμ
k=
h. m
Field Units m in psi / (log10 cycle)
⎡ p1hr − pwf ⎧ k ⎫ ⎤
s = 1.151⎢ − log10 ⎨ 2⎬
+ 3 . 23⎥
⎣ m ⎩ φμc r
t w ⎭ ⎦

Δpskin = 0.87ms
Reservoir Engineering
Fluid Flow: Well Testing 6.5.9
 Permeability and Skin Factor – Gas m(p)

k = 128 .8qT
mh

S.I. Units m in Pa/sec / (log10 cycle)

3
⎡ m( p1hr ) − m( pwf ) ⎧ k ⎫ ⎤ q in m /sec
s = 1.151⎢ − log10 ⎨ 2⎬
− 3.91⎥ T in degrees Kelvin
⎣ m ⎩φμct rw ⎭ ⎦

k = 1637 qT
mh

Field Units m in psi2/cp / (log10 cycle)

⎡ m( p1hr ) − m( pwf ) ⎧ k ⎫ ⎤ q in Mscfd
s = 1.151⎢ − log10 ⎨ 2⎬
+ 3.23⎥ T in degrees Rankine
⎣ m ⎩φμct rw ⎭ ⎦

Reservoir Engineering
Fluid Flow: Well Testing 6.5.10
 Permeability and Skin Factor – Gas p2

k = 128 .8q μ zT
mh

S.I. Units m in Pa2 / (log10 cycle)

⎡ p12hr − pwf
2
⎧ k ⎫ ⎤ q in m3/sec
s = 1.151⎢ − log10 ⎨ 2⎬
− 3.91⎥ T in degrees Kelvin
⎣ m φμc r
⎩ t w⎭ ⎦

k = 1637 q μ zT
mh

Field Units m in psi2 / (log10 cycle)

⎡ p12hr − pwf
2
⎧ k ⎫ ⎤ q in Mscfd
s = 1.151⎢ − log10 ⎨ 2⎬
+ 3.23⎥ T in degrees Rankine
⎣ m φμc r
⎩ t w⎭ ⎦

Reservoir Engineering
Fluid Flow: Well Testing 6.5.11
 Determining Average Reservoir Pressure for
Bounded Systems
pws p*
p * − p = f ( t p , reservoir geometry )
p

t p + Δt 0
log
Δt Δt → ∞

Matthews, Brons & Hazebroek defined a dimensionless pressure pDMBH

that related the false pressure p* to the true average pressure
Values of pDMBH read as a function of production time from charts for
specific reservoir shapes and well locations

pDMBH =
kh
70.6qBμ
p*−p ( )
Reservoir Engineering
Fluid Flow: Well Testing 6.5.12
Sample MBH Plot (Page 16-46)

kt p
tD A = Constant
φμ c t A

A = drainage area
m2 SI units
ft2 Field units

Constant
1 (SI Units)
0.0002637 (Field Units)

Reservoir Engineering
Fluid Flow: Well Testing 6.5.13