Reservoir Engineering I - Lect.4

1 Eng.
Mohammed Abbas
RESERVOIR ENGINEERING I
Fluid Flow
Naturally in Porous Reservoirs
Fractured Media
(NFR)
Unsteady State Flow
2 Eng. Mohammed Abbas
Pressure disturbance for Shut-in Well

• Figure below shows a shut-in well that is centered in a homogeneous
circular reservoir of radius re with a uniform pressure pi throughout
the reservoir. This initial reservoir condition represents the zero
producing time.
Pressure disturbance for Constant Rate

• Figure shows that at time t1, the pressure disturbance has moved a
distance r1 into the reservoir.
 Note that the pressure disturbance radius is continuously
increasing with time.
 This radius is commonly called the radius of investigation and
referred to as rinv
t3
t2
t1
t1
Pressure disturbance for Constant bottom-hole

flowing pressure
• Figure below shows a well that is producing at a constant bottom-
hole flowing pressure.
Unsteady state
Steady State Vs Unsteady State

• Under the steady-state flowing condition, the same quantity of
fluid enters the flow system as leaves it.
• In the unsteady-state flow condition, the flow rate into an
element of volume of a porous medium may not be the same as
the flow rate out of that element and, accordingly, the fluid
content of the porous medium changes with time.
9 Eng. M Abbas
Unsteady State Flow

Mathematical Formulation of the transient

flow equation
• Mathematical formulation of the transient flow equation is based
on combining three independent equations and a specifying set
of boundary and initial conditions that constitute the unsteady-
state equation
Basic Transient Flow Equation

• Continuity equation: The continuity equation is essentially a
material balance equation that accounts for every pound mass of
fluid produced, injected, or remaining in the reservoir.
• Transport equation: The continuity equation is combined with the
equation for fluid motion (transport equation) to describe the fluid
flow rate “in” and “out” of the reservoir. Basically, the transport
equation is Darcy’s equation in its generalized differential form.
• Compressibility equation: The fluid compressibility equation
(expressed in terms of density or volume) is used in formulating the
unsteady-state equation with the objective of describing the changes
in the fluid volume as a function of pressure.
Diffusivity Equation
Radial Flow of Slightly Compressible Fluids
• Diffusivity equation and is considered one of the most important
and widely used mathematical expressions in petroleum
engineering.
• The equation is particularly used in the analysis of well testing data
where time t is commonly recorded in hours. The equation can be
rewritten as:
• When the reservoir contains

more than one fluid, total compressibility
should be computed as:
Diffusivity Equation Assumptions

Assumptions used to drive the diffusivity equation
are:
1. Single phase liquid isothermal flow.
2. slightly compressible liquid, isothermal
3. Horizontal reservoir having constant thickness
4. Fluid properties , and C are constant for the
pressure changes we analyze.
5. Rock properties,Ø and k are constant.
6. Darcy’s law and the law of conservation of mass are
valid.
7. Gravity effect is negligible.
Diffusivity constant
• The term 0.000264k/φμct is called the diffusivity constant and is
denoted by symbol η, or also given as:
• The diffusivity equation can then be written in a more convenient

form as:
Solution of Diffusivity Equation

Radial Flow of Slightly Compressible Fluids
• there are two generalized solutions to the diffusivity equation.
These are:
(1) the constant-terminal-pressure solution;
(2) the constant-terminal-rate solution.
Transient Flow Conditions

Constant-terminal-Rate solution
• The constant-terminal-rate solution of the radial diffusivity
equation solves for the pressure change throughout the radial
system providing that the flow rate is held constant at one terminal
end of the radial system, i.e., at the producing well. There are two
commonly used forms of the constant-terminal-rate solution:
(1) the Ei function solution;(line source solution)
(2) the dimensionless pressure drop PD solution
The Ei Function Solution

The Ei –Function solution Assumptions
Matthews and Russell (1967) proposed a solution to the diffusivity
equation that is based on the following assumptions:
• Infinite acting reservoir, i.e., the reservoir is infinite in size
• The well is producing at a constant flow rate
• The reservoir is at a uniform pressure, pi, when production begins
• The well, with a wellbore radius of rw, is centered in a cylindrical
reservoir of radius re
• No flow across the outer boundary, i.e., at re
The Ei Function Solution

• Employing the above conditions, the authors presented their
solution in the following form:
(1)
The Ei solution, as expressed by Eq. (1), is commonly referred to as the

line source solution.
The presented solution is an accurate approximation to the more exact
solution for times,
Exponential Integral Values and Approximation

• Craft et al. (1991) presented the values of the Ei function in
tabulated and graphical forms as shown in Table and Figure,
next slide.
• The exponential integral “Ei” can be approximated (with less than

0.25% error) by the following equation when its argument x < 0.01
Behavior of the bottom-hole flowing pressure at

the wellbore
• When the Ei parameter x<0.01, the log approximation of the Ei
function as expressed by Eq.
• can be used in (1) to give:
(2)
• For most of the transient flow calculations, engineers are primarily

concerned with the behavior of the bottom-hole flowing pressure at
the wellbore, i.e., r@rw. Eq. (2) can be applied at r=rw to yield:
(3)
Example (1)
Solution:
(1)
Solution Cont.
At time =1 hr
r, ft E (-x) p(r,1) = 4000 + 44.125 Ei
(−x)
0.25 2.679E-06 -12.3 3459

5 0.0010715 -6.26 3724
10 0.004286 -4.88 3785
50 0.10715 -1.78 3921
100 0.4286 -0.72 3968
500 10.715 0 4000
1000 42.86 0 4000
1500 96.435 0 4000
2000 171.44 0 4000
2500 267.875 0 4000
Homework
Do as previous solution at 12, 24, 36 hours and explain through the plot
what happened to the flowing bottom-hole pressure?
ANY QUESTION???

Reservoir Engineering I - Lect.4

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1 Eng.

Pressure disturbance for Shut-in Well

Pressure disturbance for Constant Rate

Pressure disturbance for Constant bottom-hole

Steady State Vs Unsteady State

Unsteady State Flow

Mathematical Formulation of the transient

Basic Transient Flow Equation

• When the reservoir contains

Diffusivity Equation Assumptions

• The diffusivity equation can then be written in a more convenient

Solution of Diffusivity Equation

Transient Flow Conditions

The Ei Function Solution

The Ei Function Solution

The Ei solution, as expressed by Eq. (1), is commonly referred to as the

Exponential Integral Values and Approximation

• The exponential integral “Ei” can be approximated (with less than

Behavior of the bottom-hole flowing pressure at

• For most of the transient flow calculations, engineers are primarily

0.25 2.679E-06 -12.3 3459

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