RESERVOIR FLUID PHASE BEHAVIOR

EPL 400: PETROLEUM PRODUCTION

ENGINEERING II

Engr. (Dr.) Sunday S. Ikiensikimama

Professor of Petroleum and Gas Engineering

Adjunct Professor: Department of Gas and Petroleum

Engineering
Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya
1
RESERVOIR ANALYSIS

Naturally occurring hydrocarbon systems found in Petroleum

reservoirs exist in various phases.

2
THE EFFECTS OF THE VARIOUS PHASES
 The phases can be single or multiphase combination
of the various phases.

 These phases which may be liquid ,solid or gases,

coupled with the reservoir rock properties, like
porosity, permeability, water saturation, electrical
conductivity, capillary pressure and relative
permeability, determines the ease with which the
liquid and gas are either transmitted or retained.

3
 THE MAJOR TASK OF THE PETROLUM
ENGINEER
 As a result of the complex nature of petroleum
reservoirs, the petroleum engineer is involved in
studying there behaviours and characteristics in
order to determine the course of future development
and production that will maximise profit.

 Thus this module will enable the participants to

review the basic principles of reservoir fluid phases
and to illustrate the use of phase diagrams in
classifying the types and nature of hydrocarbon
systems.

4
 CLASSIFICATION OF RESERVOIRS
AND RESERVOIR FLUIDS
Petroleum reservoirs are broadly classified into :
 Oil reservoirs

 Gas reservoirs.

Further classification is based on the following criterion:

 The composition of reservoir hydrocarbon mixture.

 The initial reservoir temperature and pressure.
 The temperature and pressure at the surface production.

5
 PHASE DIAGRAMS

 Phase diagrams enables us to illustrate the

various conditions under which the different
phases exist.

 One of these diagrams is the Pressure-

Temperature diagram

6
USE OF MULTICOMPONENT P-T
DIAGRAMS
 Used to classify reservoirs.

 Used to classify the naturally occurring

hydrocarbon systems.

 Used to describe the phase behaviour of

reservoir fluids.

7
USE OF MULTICOMPONENT P-T
DIAGRAMS

8
 TERMS THAT ENHANCES THE
UNDERSTANDING OF P-T DIAGRAMS
CRICONDENTHERM (Tct)
This is the maximum temperature above which no
liquid could be formed regardless of the pressure
(point E.) The corresponding pressure is
cricondenthem pressure. Pct
CRICONDENBAR (Pcb)
This is the maximum pressure above which no gas
could be formed regardless of the temperature
(point D). The corresponding temperature is
cricondenbar temperature. Tcb
9
 TERMS USED TO DESCRIBE P-T
DIAGRAMS
CRITICAL POINT
This is the state of pressure and temperature on
which all the intensive properties of liquid and gas
are equal. The corresponding temperature and
pressure are called Critical T/P respectively.

PHASE ENVELOPE (TWO PHASE REGION)

This is the region enclosed by the bubble point curve
and the dew point curve. It is the point at which liquid
and vapour phase coexist in equilibrium.

10
 TERMS USED TO DESCRIBE P-T
DIAGRAMS
QUALITY LINES
These are the dashed lines enclosed in the phase
diagram, which describe the conditions of temperature
and pressure of equal volumes of liquid and gas.
N/B. They converge at the critical point.

BUBBLE POINT CURVE

This is the line separating the liquid phase region from
the two phase region.
DEW POINT CURVE
This is the line separating the vapour-phase region
from the two phase region.
11
BASIS FOR CLASSIFYING A RESERVOIR
 Reservoirs are classified based on the location of the
initial reservoir pressure (Pi) and the temperature T
with respect to the pressure-temperature diagrams of
the reservoir fluid.

OIL RESERVOIR: This is when the reservoir temperature

is less than the critical temperature of the reservoir
fluid
GAS RESERVIOR: This is when the reservoir temperature
is greater than the critical temperature of the
hydrocarbon fluid.
12
 CLASSIFICATION OF OIL RESERVOIR
UNDERSATURATED OIL RESERVOIR : This is the type of
oil reservoir where the initial reservoir pressure Pi is
greater than the bubble point pressure.

SATURATED OIL RESERVOIR: In this type of oil reservoir

where the initial reservoir pressure is equal to the
bubble point pressure.

GAS CAP RESERVOIR

This is a situation whereby the initial reservoir pressure
is below the bubble point pressure. The gas cap is
usually underlain by an oil phase.

13
 CLASSIFICATION OF CRUDE OIL

 Ordinary Black Oil

 Low Shrinkage Crude Oil
 High Shrinkage (Volatile) Crude Oil
 Near Critical Crude Oil
These classification is based on the properties exhibited
by the crude oil coupled with the following:
 Physical properties
 Composition
 Appearance and
 Pressure- Temperature phase diagrams.
14
 ORDINARY BLACK OIL

This type of crude oil is characterised by equally

spaced quality lines on the phase diagram (Fig. 1.2).
The pressure reduction line is shown as a vertical
line EF which is plotted as a liquid volume being a
function of pressure in Fig. 1.3. Thus it is observed
that the liquid volume approximate to a straight line
except at a very low pressure.

15
ORDINARY BLACK OIL

16
ORDINARY BLACK OIL

17
 ORDINARY BLACK OIL
When black oil is produced

 The gas oil ratio (GOR) is usually between

200-700scf/stb.

 The oil gravity is between 15-40 oAPI

 The appearance of the stock tank oil is black

to dark green in colour.

18
 LOW SHRINKAGE OIL
 This type of crude oil is characterised by the quality
lines being close to the dew point curve.
The associated properties of this kind of crude are:
 Oil Formation Volume Factor (Bo) is less than
1.2bbl/stb.
 Gas Oil Ratio (GOR) is less than 200scf/stb.

 Oil gravity is less than 35oAPI.

 The appearance is dark or deeply coloured.

 From Fig. 1.4, a reasonable amount of liquid is

recovered at point G at separator conditions as
shown by the quality line.
19
LOW SHRINKAGE OIL

20
LOW SHRINKAGE OIL

21
 HIGH SHRINKAGE ( VOLATILE CRUDE
OIL)
 This type of crude is characterised by the quality
lines being close to the bubble point curve as
shown in the Fig. 1.6.

 In Fig. 1.6, it can be observed that there is a high

shrinkage immediately below the bubble point. Other
features of this crude are:

 Oil Formation Volume Factor (Bo) is less than 2bbl/STB.

22
HIGH SHRINKAGE

23
HIGH SHRINKAGE

24
 HIGH SHRINKAGE
 Gas –Oil Ratio (GOR) is between 2000-3000scf/STB.
 Oil gravity is between 45-55oAPI.
 Lower liquid recovery of separator is shown at point G.
 Appearance of the crude is greenish to orange in
colour.
Another important feature of this crude is that the API
gravity of the stock tank increases at the later life of
the reservoir. The liquid shrinkage diagram is shown in
Fig. 1.7.

25
 NEAR CRITICAL CRUDE OIL

 In this type of crude, the reservoir temperature is

near the critical temperature Tc.

 It can also be noted that since majority of the quality

lines converge at the critical point, there is an
isothermal pressure drop which will shrink the crude
from 100% of the hydrocarbon pore volume at the
bubble point to 55% or less at a low pressure of 10-
50Psi below the bubble point.

26
NEAR CRITICAL CRUDE OIL

27
NEAR CRITICAL CRUDE OIL

28
 NEAR CRITICAL CRUDE OIL
 The major characteristics of this category of crude oil
are:
 Oil Formation Volume Factor (Bo) is 2bbl/STB or higher.
 The composition are: 12.5 to 20 mole % Heptane plus,
35% or more ethane through hexane and the remainder
is methane.

Fig. 1.9 is a typical diagram of the liquid volume % as a

function of pressure.

29
SUMMARY OF CRUDE OIL SYSTEMS

30
 GAS RESERVOIRS
 As earlier mentioned, a natural gas reservoir exist
if the reservoir temperature is greater than the
critical temperature Tc of the hydrocarbon system.
 Thus natural gas can be grouped based on the
prevailing reservoir conditions and the phase
diagram.
These groups are:
 Retrograde gas-condensate.
 Near-critical gas-condensate.
 Wet gas.
 Dry gas.
31
 RETROGRADE GAS CONDENSATE
RESERVOIR
 This is the type of reservoir in which the reservoir
temperature lies between the critical temperature
Tc and the cricondemtherm temperature Tct.

 The unique feature of this reservoir is that

thermodynamic behaviour is the controlling factor
in the development as well the depletion process of
the reservoir

32
RETROGRADE GAS CONDENSATE
RESERVOIR

33
 RETROGRADE GAS CONDENSATE
RESERVOIR
 From the Fig. 1.11, Point 1 is the initial condition of
the retrograde gas reservoir. Because the reservoir
pressure is above the upper dew point pressure,
the hydrocarbon system exists a single phase
(vapor phase) in the reservoir.

 During production, as a result of ISOTHERMAL

pressure decline from initial pressure point 1 to
the upper dew point pressure point 2, liquids
begins to condense due to the attraction between
the light and heavy component.
34
 RETROGRADE GAS CONDENSATE
RESERVOIR
 The process of retrograde condensation continues
with decreasing pressure until the liquid drop-out
reaches the maximum point at 3.
 Further pressure reduction beyond this point will
cause the heavy molecules to start the vaporization
process.
**This is the point where less gas molecules strike
the liquid surface, causing more molecules to leave
than enter the liquid phase. This process will continue
until the reservoir pressure reaches the lower dew
point pressure. 35
 RETROGRADE GAS CONDENSATE
RESERVOIR
 In most gas-
condensate
reservoirs, the
condensed liquid
rarely exceed 15-
19% of the liquid
pore volume.

The figure above shows a liquid shrinkage

Curve, simply known as LIQUID DROP-OUT
CURVE. 36
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF RETROGRADE GAS
CONDENSATE RESERVOIR.

 The physical characteristics of the crude in this

group includes:
 GOR is 8,000-70,000scf/STB.
 The GOR might increase with time due to liquid
dropout and loss of heavy chemicals in the liquid.
 The condensate gravity is above 50o API
 The stock tank oil is usually water-white or slightly
coloured.

37
 RETROGRADE GAS CONDENSATE
RESERVOIR

N/B: It should be noted that near the

wellbore where the pressure drop is high,
two phase flow of gas and retrograde
liquid co-exist due to accumulation of too
much liquid drop out.

38
 NEAR-CRITICAL GAS-CONDENSATE
RESERVOIR
 This type of gas reservoir exist when the reservoir
temperature is near the critical temperature (see Fig.
1.13)

 The volumetric behaviour of this category of natural

gas is described through the isothermal pressure
decline as shown by the vertical line in the Fig 1.13.

39
NEAR-CRITICAL GAS-CONDENSATE
RESERVOIR

40
 NEAR-CRITICAL GAS-CONDENSATE
RESERVOIR

 Fig. 1.14 shows a liquid-shrinkage curve for a near-

critical gas-condensate system.

 All the quality lines converge at the critical point and

hence there is a rapid liquid build up which will
occur immediately below the dew point as the
pressure is reduced to point 2.

41
NEAR-CRITICAL GAS-CONDENSATE
RESERVOIR

42
 NEAR-CRITICAL GAS-CONDENSATE
RESERVOIR

 It can also be observed that the quality lines

are crossed by the isothermal pressure
reduction. At the point where the liquid build up
ceases and begins to shrink again, the
reservoir goes from the retrograde region to a
normal vaporization region.

43
 WET –GAS RESERVOIR
 Fig. 1. 15 shows a typical phase diagram of a wet-
gas reservoir, where the reservoir temperature is
above the cricondentherm of the hydrocarbon
mixture.

 Based on the fact that the reservoir temperature is

above the cricondentherm of the hydrocarbon
mixture, the reservoir fluid will remain in the
vapour phase during the isothermal pressure
reduction from A-B (see Fig. 1.15).
44
WET –GAS RESERVOIR

45
 WET –GAS RESERVOIR

 During production, as the pressure and temperature

is reduced, the liquid will condense out of the gas and
be produced from the surface separators.

 This will lead to sufficient decrease in the kinetic

energy of the heavy molecules with temperature drop
which will then lead to change to liquid through the
attractive forces between molecules.

46
 CHARACTERISTICS OF WET-GAS
RESERVOIR
 The gas oil ratio ranges from 60,000 to
100,000 scf/STB.
 The stock oil is above 600 API

 Liquid is water-white in colour.

 Separator conditions, i.e. separator pressure

and temperature, lie within the two phase
region.

47
 DRY GAS RESERVOIR

 In Fig. 1.16, the hydrocarbon mixture exist as gas

in the reservoir as well as at the surface facilities
and the only liquids present is water.

 The gas oil ratio (GOR) is greater than

100,000scf/STB.

48
DRY GAS RESERVOIR

49
50