RESERVOIR FLUID SAMPLING AND PVT ANALYSIS

Prof. T. Kumar
Dept. of Petroleum Engg.
IIT(ISM) Dhanbad-826004
Introduction:
To understand and predict the behaviour of oil and gas
reservoir, a knowledge of the physical and chemical
characteristics of the reservoir fluids involved must be
gained. These properties are measured on representative
fluid samples obtained under prevailing reservoir
conditions.
The reservoir fluid properties, often called pressure-
volume-temperature (PVT) characteristics, measured are
(1) gas formation volume factor (Bg), (2) solution gas-oil
ratio or gas solubility (Rs), (3) oil formation volume factor
(Bo), (4) (two-phase formation volume factor (Bt), (5)
reservoir oil compressibility (Co), (6) reservoir gas
compressibility, (Cg or Z), (7) viscosities and densities of
reservoir oil, gas and water.

Definitions of pressure-volume-temperature
(1) Gas-formation Volume Factor (Bg) is defined as the
volume in barrels occupied by one standard cubic foot of
gas when subjected to reservoir temperature and pressure.
Bg = 0.00504 ZT/P (1) barrels/SCF
Where, Z is compressibility factor at pressure P and
temperature T.
(2) Gas Solubility (Rs) represents the solubility of gas in
crude oil at a given reservoir temperature and pressure
measured in standard cubic feet per stock tank barrel of oil,
that is, per barrel of oil measured at 60° and 14. 7 psia.

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(3) Oil Formation Volume Factor (Bo) denotes the
volume at reservoir conditions occupied by one stock tank
barrel of oil plus the gas in solution.

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(4) Two-Phase Formation Volume Factor (Bt) is defined
as the volume occupied in the reservoir at a given pressure
by one stock barrel of oil plus the free gas which was initially
dissolved in it.

(5) Reservoir Oil Compressibility (Co) is defined as the

change in volume with pressure per unit volume. It can be
deduced to in terms of single phase oil formation volume
factor as
Co = (Bs – B2)/Bs (Ps –P2) (2)
Where Ps, the saturation pressure, is chosen as the
initial pressure, P2 is any pressure and Bs and B2 are
formation oil volume factors at Ps, and P2.
Above the bubble point only one phase exists in the
reservoir − the liquid oil. If a quantity of this undersaturated
oil is produced to the surface, gas will separate from the oil
(see figure below), the volume of the gas being dependent
on the conditions at which the surface separation takes
place.
In this case, it is relatively easy to relate the surface
volumes of oil and gas to volumes at reservoir conditions
since it is known that all the produced gas must have been
dissolved in the oil in the reservoir.

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 If the reservoir is below bubble point pressure, the
situation is more complicated. Now there are two
hydrocarbon phases in the reservoir, gas saturated oil and
liberated solution gas.
During production to the surface, solution gas will be
evolved from the oil phase and the total surface gas
production will have two components; the gas which was
free in the reservoir and the gas liberated from the oil during
production.
These separate components are indistinguishable at
the surface and the problem is, therefore, how to divide the
observed surface gas production into liberated and
dissolved gas volumes in the reservoir.

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RESERVOIR FLUID SAMPLING

The sampling is done to obtain oil and gas for laboratory

studies. The characteristics of the reservoir fluids and the
mechanical equipment used to complete well determine the
method of sampling. The success of the laboratory studies
depend on the method of obtaining the representative
sample.
There are several factors which are involved in
obtaining the representative reservoir samples. Due to the
effect of or due to movement of rock strata, gravity field,
there may be differences in composition of oil lying at
different elevations within the reservoir. Due to
simultaneous production of fluids into the tubing from two or
more zones and sample collected may not be
representative one.
In laboratory because of the difficulty to evaluate over
all composition and physical properties of reservoir fluids,
most PVT data are designed purposely to give only the
properties of the individual phases and an estimate of the
relative phase volumes present in the reservoir work.
Three types of sampling are commonly used in
determining properties of reservoir fluids: (1) bottom-hole
samples from near the bottom of the tubing, taken either
while the well is flowing at a slow rate or shut in condition,
(2) recombined samples of the liquid and gas from a surface
trap, (3) surface flow-line samples ordinarily obtained at the
well tubing head.

Bottom Hole Sampling:

Bottom hole sampling is done usually on dissolved gas
systems with a view to obtain reservoir fluid samples for
analysis of pressure, volume and temperature (P.V.T.).
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There are some guidelines for selecting a well/wells for
bottom hole sampling. The well to be selected for sampling
(i) should have high productivity, (ii) well should be new with
minimum free gas saturation, (iii) should not be producing
free water, (iv) well should flow at a low stabilized flow rate
and G.O.R. and (v) the flowing BHP of the well should be
above saturation pressure.

Bottom Hole Sampler:

A special sampling bomb (see Figure below) is run in
the hole, on wireline, to the reservoir depth and the sample
collected from the subsurface well stream at the prevailing
bottom hole pressure. Either electrically or mechanically
operated valves can be closed to trap a volume of the
borehole fluids in the sampling chamber.

This method will obviously yield a representative

combined fluid sample providing that the oil is
undersaturated with gas to such a degree that the bottom
hole flowing pressure pwf at which the sample is collected,
is above the bubble point pressure. In this case a single
phase fluid, oil plus its dissolved gas, is flowing in the
wellbore and therefore, a sample of the fluid is bound to
have the oil and gas combined in the correct proportion.
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 Many reservoirs, however, are initially at bubble point
pressure and under these circumstances, irrespective of
how low the producing rate is maintained during sampling,
the bottom hole flowing pressure pwf will be less than the
bubble point pressure pb as depicted in Figure above.
In this case, there will be saturated oil and a free gas
phase flowing in the immediate vicinity of the wellbore, and
in the wellbore itself, and consequently, there is no
guarantee that the oil and gas will be collected in the correct
volume proportion in the chamber. It is necessary to
determine the static reservoir pressure and temperature by
well testing, prior to collecting the samples.

Surface Recombination Sampling:

In collecting fluid samples at the surface, separate
volumes of oil and gas are taken at separator conditions and
recombined to give a composite fluid sample. The surface
equipment (Figure below). The well is produced at a steady
rate for a period of several hours and the gas oil ratio is
measured in SCF of separator gas per stock tank barrel of
oil.

If this ratio is steady during the period of measurement

then one can feel confident that recombining the oil and gas
in the same ratio will yield a representative composite
sample of the reservoir fluid. In fact, a slight adjustment
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must be made to determine the actual ratio in which the
samples should be recombined.
One of the attractive features of surface recombination
sampling is that statistically it gives a reliable value of the
producing gas oil ratio measured over a period of hours;
furthermore, it enables the collection of large fluid samples.
Of course, just as for subsurface sampling, the surface
recombination method will only provide the correct gas oil
ratio if the pressure in the vicinity of the well is at or above
bubble point pressure. If not, the surface gas oil ratio will be
too low or too high, depending upon whether the free gas
saturation in the reservoir is below or above the critical
saturation at which gas will start to flow.
In this respect it should be emphasized that PVT
samples should be taken as early as possible in the
producing life of the field to facilitate the collection of
samples in which the oil and gas are combined in the correct
ratio.

Experimental Determination of PVT Characteristics:

PVT Cell and the procedure:

Samples of reservoir oil for analysis are obtained either

by recombining surface samples of oil and gas in the proper
proportions or by obtaining a sample under reservoir
conditions by means of a bottom hole sampler.
Samples obtaining in this manner are transferred at
pressure above the bubble point to a PVT cell. The volume
of this cell may be varied by injecting or withdrawing known
volumes of mercury in the cell (Figure below).

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Determination saturation pressure:

Before measurements of Rs and Bo, it is necessary to

determine the saturation pressure. This pressure is
determined by observing the change in pressure within the
cell when mercury is injected into the PVT cell from the
mercury pump.
At pressures above the bubble point, the injection of
mercury causes a large increase in pressure when
compared to the increase in pressure caused by the
injection of the same amount of mercury at pressures below
the bubble point (Figure below). The sharp break which
occurs in the curve is the saturation pressure.

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FLASH AND DIFFERENTIAL LIBERATION OR
VAPORIZATION

Two types of vapour release is possible, (a) Flash

vaporization and, (b) Differential vaporization. In the flash
vaporization both vapour and liquid are withdrawn
continuously while equilibrium is maintained. Whereas in
differential vaporization the vapour only is withdrawn in a
continuous manner while the volume shrinkage is made up
by the injection of an inert liquid, i.e. mercury in the
laboratory or water in the field (Figure below).

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 The flash and differential expansion experiments are
presented schematically in the figure below.

Differential Vaporization:

As previously pointed out, values of Rs, and Bo,

depend on the manner in which the gas is liberated. In
differential liberation, the pressure is reduced in 200 psi
steps from the bubble point to atmospheric pressure and the
gas bled off after each step. In the laboratory, flash
liberations are generally conducted over much larger
pressure drops.
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 For the determination of the differential values of Rs
and Bo, the PVT cell containing mercury and a known
volume of reservoir crude is immersed in the constant
temperature both at reservoir temperature.
The pressure is then reduced 200 psi below the
saturation pressure by withdrawing mercury from the cell
through the mercury pump. The cell and its contents are
thoroughly agitated until equilibrium is established and the
volume of the gas-oil system is recorded.
The gas is bled off through the metering device and at
the same time the piston of the mercury pump is slowly
advanced to keep the pressure in the cell constant, when
the gas has been bled off, the volume of the residual oil in
the cell is measured and recorded.
The volume of the evolved gas is measured and
corrected to standard conditions. The pressure is
decreased in step of 200 psi and the process repeated until
atmospheric pressure is reached.
The cell is removed from the constant temperature
bath and the residual oil volume is determined and
corrected to stock tank conditions. Values of Rs and Bo
calculated are shown in Table 1.

Determination of the Z Factor:

The data obtained in the determination of S and B may also

be used to evaluate the compressibility factor (and
consequently Bg from the relation Bg = 0.00504 ZT/P
barrels/SCF) as a function of pressure at reservoir
temperature. Since the volume of the gas phase is known
both under reservoir conditions and standard conditions the
value of Z may be computed using the equation:

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P1V1 / Z1T1 = PoVo / ZoTo = R (gas constant) (3)

Where the subscript 1 represents standard conditions and

the subscript o represents reservoir conditions. Since Z1 =
1, this equation may be solved for Zo giving

Z = PoVoT1 / P1V1 (4)

Sample calculation to calculate Zo at 2600 psig and 1800 F

from data given in Table.
Po = 2614.7 psia P1 = 14.7 psia
To = 460o + 180o = 640o R T1 = 520o R
Vo = 75.26 - 73.39 = 1.87 cm3 and
V1 = 750 - 370 = 380 cm3
Substituting in above equation (4) for Zo
Zo = 2614.7 x 1.87 x 520 = 0.711
14.7 x 380 x 640

Determination of Fluid Viscosities: A typical plot of oil

viscosity versus pressure is shown below:

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 Although many experimental methods are available for
determining fluid viscosities only a few are readily adaptable
to measurements at high pressures and relatively high
temperatures. Under these conditions a rolling ball
viscometer may be employed to measure the viscosities of
both liquids and gases.

A rolling ball viscometer consists essentially of a

cylindrical tube which is inclined at a definite angle. The tube
is filled with the fluid whose viscosity is to be measured and
a metal ball is allowed to roll down through the tube. The
bottom of the tube is closed so that as the ball travels
downward the fluid passes upward through the space
between the rolling ball and the walls of the tube.
The time for the descent of the ball is accurately
measured. It may be shown that the velocity of the ball is
given by
V = Constant ( D - d)/μ (5)
Where the constant is determined by the dimensions of the
instrument, D is the density of the ball, d is the density of
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fluid, and μ is the viscosity of the fluid. When used as a
relative method the instrument is calibrated using a fluid of
known viscosity. Under these conditions the above equation
becomes

μ2/μ1 = (D-d2)t2/(D-d1)t1 (6)

Where t denotes the time of fall through a fixed distance
and the subscripts 1 and 2 refer to the standard fluid and
the unknown fluid respectively.

To adapt this instrument for the measurements of

viscosities of crude oils with gas in solution at high
pressures and temperatures, it is arranged as shown in
Figure 6. The tube in this case is constructed of steel and is
about 8 inches long and has an internal diameter of about
¼ inches. It fits in a slightly larger hole high pressures. This
heavy cylinder is mounted on a trunnion so that it may rotate
through an angle of about 330o. The trunnion is fitted with a
stop which when in place gives the instrument a definite
angle of inclination of 750 from the horizontal.
The oil and gas are introduced through the inlet tube
into the enlarged space at the top of the instrument. This
enlarged space allows the fluid to be properly agitated by
rocking the entire apparatus in a constant temperature bath
until equilibrium between the gas and oil is established.
During this process the ball is kept out of the tube by a
retractable plunger which passes through the cylinder head.
When equilibrium has been established the ball is
allowed to fall into place by retracting the plunger. Then the
plunger is screwed down on the top of the tube so that it
seals the upper end and simultaneously presses the bottom
on to a gasket so that the lower end of the tube is also
sealed.
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 To make a viscosity determination the instrument is
rotated about 1800 so that the ball falls to the top of the
instrument. The instrument is then rotated rapidly back
against the stop. When the metal ball reaches the bottom of
the tube it makes electrical contact with an electrode and
actuates a signal so that the time of fall can be determined.
By repeating this procedure with a fluid of known
viscosity, the viscosity of the unknown fluid may be
calculated using viscosity ratio given in above equation.
When the rolling ball viscometer is employed to measure
gas viscosities it is necessary to use a ball which just fits the
tube. Under these conditions the rate of fall is slow enough
so that it can be accurately measured. For gases at low
pressures equation 5 reduces to

μ2/μ1 = t2/t1 (6)

Since d1 and d2 are negligibly smaller compared to D in this
case.
A second method for the measurement of gas viscosity
at high pressures and temperatures involves the use of
Rankine capillary viscometer. This viscometer consists of
two parallel glass tubes joined at both ends. One tube is a
heavy walled capillary and the other is a regular thin walled
tube about ¼ inch internal diameter. A mercury pellet in the
large tube falls under the action of gravity and displaces the
gas through the capillary. It is governed by Poiseuille's Law.
Mathematically,

μ=r4ΔPt/8LV (7)

Where, μ = viscosity in gas, ΔP = Pressure differential

causing flow, dynes/cm3, t =time in sec, r = radius of capillary
in cm, V = volume of flow in t sec (cm3), L = Length of tube.
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In Rankine Viscometer, P is the constant pressure exerted
by the mercury pellet as it falls at a uniform rate in the larger
tube.

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PVT Properties - determinations, correlations and
laboratory measurements; data reduction, evaluation
and application
Introduction: A typical gas solubility curve, as a function of
pressure for an undersaturated crude oil, is shown in Fig.1.

As the pressure is reduced from the initial reservoir

pressure pi, to the bubble-point pressure pb, no gas evolves
from the oil and consequently the gas solubility remains
constant at its maximum value of Rsb. Below the bubble-
point pressure, the solution gas is liberated and the value of
Rs decreases with pressure. The following five empirical
correlations for estimating the gas solubility are given below:

• Standing’s correlation
• The Vasquez-Beggs correlation
• Glaso’s correlation
• Marhoun’s correlation
• The Petrosky-Farshad correlation

Standing’s Correlation
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 Standing (1947) proposed a graphical correlation for
determining the gas solubility as a function of pressure, gas
specific gravity, API gravity, and system temperature. The
correlation was developed from a total of 105 experimentally
determined data points on 22 hydrocarbon mixtures from
reservoir crude oils and natural gases. The proposed
correlation has an average error of 4.8%. Standing (1981)
expressed his proposed graphical correlation in the
following more convenient mathematical form:

With x = 0.0125 API - 0.00091 (T - 460)

Where T = temperature, °R
p = system pressure, psia
Ƴg = solution gas specific gravity
It should be noted that Standing’s equation is valid for
applications at and below the bubble-point pressure of the
crude oil.
Where T = reservoir temperature, °F
pb = bubble-point pressure, psig
Bo = oil formation volume factor, bbl/STB
psep = separator pressure, psig
Tsep = separator temperature, °F
Co = isothermal compressibility coefficient of the oil at a
specified pressure, psi-1.
Using Standing’s correlation, estimate the gas
solubility at the bubble point pressure and compare with the
experimental value in terms of the absolute average error
(AAE), which is 10.1%

The Vasquez-Beggs Correlation

Vasquez and Beggs (1980) presented an improved
empirical correlation for estimating Rs. The correlation was
obtained by regression analysis using 5,008 measured gas
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solubility data points. Based on oil gravity, the measured
data were divided into two groups. This division was made
at a value of oil gravity of 30°API. The proposed equation
has the following form:

An independent evaluation of the above correlation by

Sutton and Farashad (1984) shows that the Vasquez-Beggs
correlation is capable of predicting gas solubilities with an
average absolute error of 12.7%.
Glaso’s Correlation
Glaso (1980) proposed a correlation for estimating the
gas solubility as a function of the API gravity, pressure,
temperature, and gas specific gravity.
The correlation was developed from studying 45 North
Sea crude oil samples. Glaso reported an average error of
1.28% with a standard deviation of 6.98%. The proposed
relationship has the following form:

Where pb* is a correlating number and is defined by the

following expression:
pb* = 10x with x = 2.8869 - [14.1811 - 3.3093 log (p)]0.5

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The average errors in evaluated data by the Glaso’s
correlation are 5.8%.

Marhoun’s Correlation
Marhoun (1988) developed an expression for
estimating the saturation pressure of the Middle Eastern
crude oil systems. The correlation originates from 160
experimental saturation pressure data. The proposed
correlation can be rearranged and solved for the gas
solubility to give:

Where Ƴg = gas specific gravity Ƴo = stock-tank oil

gravity
T = temperature, °R a–e = coefficients of the above
equation having these values: a = 185.843208, b =
1.877840,
c = -3.1437, d = -1.32657, e = 1.398441.
The average errors in evaluated data by the Marhoun’s
Correlation are 12.4%.

The Petrosky-Farshad Correlation

Petrosky and Farshad (1993) used a nonlinear multiple
regression software to develop a gas solubility correlation.
The authors constructed a PVT database from 81 laboratory
analyses from the Gulf of Mexico crude oil system. Petrosky
and Farshad proposed the following expression:

where p pressure, psia

T temperature, °R
The average errors in the evaluated are by the Petrosky-
Farshad Correlation are 7.84%
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McCain method for gas solubility
The gas solubility can also be calculated rigorously
from the experimental measured PVT data at the specified
pressure and temperature.
The following expression relates the gas solubility Rs to oil
density, specific gravity of the oil, gas gravity, and the oil
formation volume factor:

where o oil density, lb/ft3

Bo oil formation volume factor, bbl/STB
o specific gravity of the stock-tank oil
g specific gravity of the solution gas
McCain (1991) pointed out that the weight average of
separator and stock-tank gas specific gravities should be
used for g. The error in calculating Rs by using the above
equation will depend only on the accuracy of the available
PVT data. The average errors in evaluated data by McCain
method are about 3.65%.
Similarly, correlations are also available to evaluate
data for saturation pressure and oil formation volume factor,
etc.
DATA REDUCTION, EVALUATION AND APPLICATION

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 The data obtained from the field are documented and
evaluated to get valuable information about the reservoir
pressure, reservoir rock permeability, skin factor,
productivity index, flow efficiency, gas oil ratio, water oil
ratio, water cut, etc.

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