Chapter 3

Material Balance Applied to Oil Reservoirs

3.1 Introduction
-The Schilthuis material balance equation
- Basic tools of reservoir engineering
=> Interpreting and predicting reservoir performance.
-Material balance
1. zero dimension this chapter
2. multi-dimension (multi-phase) reservoir simulation

 3.2 General form of the material balance equation for a

hydrocarbon reservoir

Underground withdrawal (RB)

= Expansion of oil and original dissolved gas (RB)(A)
+ Expansion of gascap gas (RB) (B)
+ Reduction in HCPV due to connate water expansion and decrease in
the pore volume (RB) .(C)

N initial oil in place ( STB ) V (1 S wc )

1
( STB )
Boi

initial H .C. Vol . of the gascap

SCF
m
( const.) []
or
initial H .C. Vol . of the oil
SCF

ft 3
bbl
or
bbl
ft 3

N p cumulative oil production (STB )

R p cumulative gas oil rato

cum. gas production ( SCF )

cum. oil production ( STB )

Expansion of oil & originally dissolved gas

Liquid exp ansion (oil exp ansion) liq. (at p ) liq. (at pi )
NBo NBoi N ( Bo Boi )[]STB

RB
[]RB (3.1)
STB

Liberated gas exp ansion [ solution gas (at p ) solution gas (at pi )]
NRsi B g NRs B g N ( Rsi Rs ) B g []STB

SCF RB
[]RB (3.2)
STB SCF

Expansion of the gascap gas

Expansion of the gascap gas =gascap gas (at p) gascap (at pi)

The total volume of gascap gas mNBoi []

SCF
RB
STB
[]RB
SCF
SCF

1
1
[]RB
[]SCF
RB
B gi
SCF
1
RB
Amount of gas (at p ) mNBoi
B g []SCF
[]RB
B gi
SCF

or

G mNBoi

Expansion of the gascap gas mNBoi

mNBoi (

Bg
B gi
Bg
B gi

mNBoi []RB
1)

( RB) (3.3)

Change in the HCPV due to the connate water expansion &

pore volume reduction

d ( HCPV ) dVw dV f

V f the total pore vol. HCPV /(1 S w )

(c wVw c f V f )p

Vw the connate water vol. V f S wc

(c wV f S wc c f V f )p V f (c w S wc c f )p
(1 m) NBoi (

c w S wc c f
1 S wc

) p

HCPV
(c w S wc c f )p
(1 S w )

Underground withdrawal

Pr oduction at surface
Undergroun d withdrawal

N p ( STB ) oil
N p Bo ( RB) oil

N p R p ( SCF ) gas
( N p R p N p Rs ) B g ( RB ) gas

Undergroun d withdrawal N p Bo N p ( R p Rs ) B g N p [ Bo ( R p Rs ) B g ]

The general expression for the material balance as

N p [ Bo ( R p Rs ) B g ] N ( Bo Boi ) N ( Rsi Rs ) B g mNBoi (
(1 m) NBoi (

c w S wc c f
1 S wc

Bg
B gi

1)

)p (We W p ) Bw

( Bo Boi ) ( Rsi Rs ) B g

Bg

c w S wc c f
N p [ Bo ( R p Rs ) B g ] NBoi
m
1 (1 m)
B

Boi

1 S wc
gi
(We W p ) Bw (3.7)

Note : Bo , Rs , B g f ( p)
We f ( p, t )
Simple form :

Pr oduction Expansion of reservoir fluids

dV c V p

Main difficulty : measuring p

F N ( Eo mE g mE f ,w ) We Bw (3.12)
where

F N p [ Bo ( R p R s ) B g ] W p B w

[] RB

E o ( Bo Boi ) ( Rsi Rs ) B g
E g Boi (

Bg
B gi

1)

E f , w (1 m) Boi (

[] RB
c w S wc c f
1 S wc

[]RB
STB

STB

)p

RB

STB

F N ( E o mE g mE f , w ) We Bw (3.12)
No initial gascap, negligible water influx
Eq.(3.12)

c f & cw 0

F NE o (3.13)

With water influx eq(3.12) becomes

F
We
N (3.14)
Eo
Eo
Eq.(3.12) having a combination drive-all possible sources of energy.

 3.4 Reservoir Drive Mechanisms

Reservoir drive mechanism

- Solution gas drive

- Gascap drive
-Natural water
drive
- Compaction drive

In terms of

-reducing the M.B to a compact form to

quantify reservoir performance
-determining the main producing
characteristics,
for example, GOR; water cut
-determining the pressure decline in the
reservoir
- estimating the primary recovery factor

 3.5 Solution gas drive

(a) above the B.P. pressure (b) below the B.P. pressure

Above the B.P. pressure

- no initial gascap, m=0
- no water flux, We=0 ; no water production, Wp=0
- Rs=Rsi=Rp
from eq.(3.7)
( Bo Boi ) ( R si R s ) B g

Bg

c w S wc c f
m
1 (1 m)
B

Boi

1 S wc
gi

(We W p ) B w (3.7)

N p [ Bo ( R p R s ) B g ] NBoi

Note : ( R p Rs ) 0 ; ( Rsi Rs ) 0 ; m 0 ;We 0 ;W p 0

( Bo Boi ) (c w s wc c f )
N p Bo NBoi [

p ]
Boi
1 S wc
N p Bo NBoi [co (
N p Bo NBoi (
or
where

cw S w c f
1 S wc

)]p

co S o c w S w c f
1 S wc

)p (3.17)

N p Bo NBoi ce p (3.18)
ce

co S o c w S w c f
1 S wc

co

1 dVo
1 dBo

Vo dp
Bo dp
( Boi Bo ) ( Bo Boi )

Boi p
Boi p
S o S wc 1

the effective, saturation weighted compressib ility

Exercise3.1 Solution gas drive, undersaturated oil reservoir

Determine R.F.

if

p pi pb
PVT table 2.4 ( p.65)
c w 3 10 6 psi 1 c f 8.6 10 6 psi 1 S w 0.2

Solution:
FromTable2.4(p.65)

co

pi 4000 psi, Boi 1.2417 RB

pb 3330 psi, Bob 12511 RB

STB
STB

co

1 dVo
1 dBo

Vo dp
Bo dp

Bob Boi
Boi p
1.2511 1.2417
11.3 10 6
1.2417(4000 3330)

Eq(3.18)

N p Bo NBoi c e p
R.F .

Np
N

Pb

Boi
c e p
Bob

1.2417
22.8 10 6 ( 4000 3330)
1.2511
0.015 1.5%

psi 1

Table 2.4 Field PVT

P(psia)
4000 (pi)
3500
3300 (pb)
3000
2700
2701
2702

1800
1500

1200
900
901

300

Bo (Rb/STB)
1.2417
1.2480
1.2511
1.2222
1.2022
1.1822
1.1633
1.1450
1.1287
1.1115
1.0940
1.0763
1.0583

Rs(SCF/STB)
510
510
510
450
401
352
304
257
214
167
122
78
35

Bg( Rb/SCF)

0.00087
0.00096
0.00107
0.00119
0.00137
0.00161
0.00196
0.00249
0.00339
0.00519
0.01066

Bo as Function of Pressure

Rs as Function of Pressure

Bg and E as Function of Pressure

Producing Gas-oil Ratio (R) as Function of Pressure

Note :
co S o c w S w c f
ce
1 S wc
1

(11.3 10 6 0.8 3 10 6 0.2 8.6 10 6 )

1 0.2
22.8 10 6
4000 3330
p %
0.167 16.7%
4000

Below B.P. pressure (Saturation oil)

P<Pb =>gas liberated from saturated oil
cg

1
p

1
1

300 106 psi 1 cg 300 106 psi 1

Pb 3300
co 11.3 106 psi 1
cw 3 106 psi 1
c f 8.6 106 psi 1

Exercise3.2 Solution gas drive; below bubble point pressure

Reservoir-described in exercise 3.1
Pabandon = 900psia
(1) R.F = f(Rp)? Conclusion?
(2) Sg(free gas) = F(Pabandon)?
Solution:
(1) From eq(3.7)

( Bo Boi ) ( R si R s ) B g

Bg

c w S wc c f
N p [ Bo ( R p R s ) B g ] NBoi
m
1 (1 m)
B

Boi

1 S wc
gi
(We W p ) Bw (3.7)

for solution gas below B.P.

m0
no initial gas cap
We 0 ; W p 0
NBoi (

c w S wc c f
1 S wc

) p

is negligible if

S g is developed

Eq(3.7) becomes

N p [ Bo ( R p Rs ) B g ] N [( Bo Boi ) ( Rsi Rs ) B g ] (3.20)

R.F .

Np
N

R.F . p 900

( Bo Boi ) ( Rsi Rs ) B g
Bo ( R p R s ) B g

Np

Conclusion:

p 900

(1.0940 1.2417) (510 122) 0.00339

344

1.0940 ( R p 122) 0.00339

R p 201

RF

1
Rp

From Fig .3.3 ( p.55)

R p 500 SCF

STB

Np
N

49% 0.49
900

(2) the overall gas balance

liberated
gas in the
reservoir

total
amount
of gas

gas
produced
at surface

gas still
dissolved
in the oil

NBoi
HCPV
pore volume
1 S wc
(1 S wc )

NBoi S g
(1 S wc )

Sg

Sg

for p pb

NRsi B g N p R p B g ( N N p ) Rs B g

[ N ( Rsi Rs ) N p ( R p Rs )]B g (1 S wc )
NBoi

[ N ( Rsi Rs ) Np( R p Rs )]Bg (1 S wc )

NBoi

(3.21)

[( Rsi Rs )

Np
N

Boi

[(510 122) 0.49(500 122)]

0.00339 0.8 0.4428
1.2417

( R p Rs )]

Bg (1 S wc )