RESERVOIR FLUIDS

PROPERTIES AND PVT

Isehunwa, S.O. (Ph. D)

FORMS OF PETROLEUM FLUIDS

• Dry gas
• Wet gas
• Condensate
• "Volatile" or high shrinkage oil
• "Black" or low shrinkage oil
• Heavy oil
• Tar and Bitumen
 Characteristics of Petroleum Reservoir Fluids

Variable Heavy Black Volatile Conden Wet Dry Gas

Oil Oil Oil sate Gas

STO Black Brown – Green - Orange Yellow Clear

Colour Dark Orange - Yellow - Clear
Green
Degree 5 -15 15-40 35-45 45-55 45-60 50+
API
GOR 0- 200 20-700 1200- 3500- 8000- 100000+
scf/bbl 3500 8000 50000

Typical 100 125 200 200+ 200+ 150+

Reservoir
Temp oF
 Why is Reservoir Fluid Characterization
Important?

• To Know Type of Reservoir and Best

Development & Production Strategy
• Evaluate Reservoir Fluid Quality
• Analyze past and future behaviour of
petroleum reservoirs under various depletion
conditions
• Interpret well test and production log data.
• Design calculations and equipment sizing
 Quality Check on Crude Oil Properties

• Density, Specific gravity or API gravity

• Viscosity
• Sulphur content
• Pour point.
 Some other Important Properties

• Compressibility
– Oil is slightly compressible
– Water is incompressible
– Gas is highly compressible
• Formation Volume Factor
• Gas Solubility in Oil (or Solution
GOR)
• Refractive Index
 OIL GRAVITY

• S. G. is the commonest means for classifying

crude oils and provide a guide to the quality
and value.

• S.G for most crudes fall within a small range of

0.75 to and 1.00, hence they are commonly
referred to the API or Baume scale.

• °API = (141.5/ SG ) - 131.5

 GAS

• Most important property for gas

Characterization is the Z -factor

• Law of corresponding States

At the same reduced pressure and temperature, all pure
gases have the same Z factor.
Gas Mixtures
GAS
GAS
Gas Mixtures Exercises
Gas Mixtures
Gas Mixtures
 Z-Factor Correlations

• Brill and Beggs' z-factor correlation:

 Z-Factor Correlations

• Hall and Yarborough (1973) correlation:

 Sources of Reservoir Fluid Properties

• Laboratory measurements made on

representative fluid samples.

• Use of mathematical model (EOS) and Empirical

Correlations.

• In-situ measurement of reservoir fluid relative

densities with production log tools
Laboratory Measurements – PVT Analysis

• Bottom-hole reservoir samples

• Recombined (Surface) samples of oil and

gas are taken at the separator

• Both have their advantages and

disadvantages
 Data Obtained from PVT (Lab) Analysis

• Solution GOR’s and Liquid phase volumes.

• Formation volume factors
• Tank oil gravities.
• Bubble point pressure of the reservoir oil.
• Compressibility of the saturated reservoir oil.
• Viscosity of the reservoir oil as a function of
pressure.
• Compositional Analysis of separator gas sample
and of the saturated reservoir fluid.
 QA/QC OF PVT RESULTS

• Check Sampling Conditions for BHS and Well

conditions for recombined samples.

• Calibrate results with Geological data, Pressure

and Production data.

• Study carefully any anomalies in results.

 Gas Liberation Processes

• Flash liberation

• Differential liberation
 Gas Liberation Processes

• In Flash liberation, both gas and liquid

phases remain in contact. The overall
composition and mass of the system
therefore remain unchanged. (CME)

• In a Differential liberation, the gas evolved

is removed as it comes out of the liquid
phase. (CVE)
 Gas Liberation Processes

• The two methods of liberation give different

results for Rs and Bo with the values for
Differential liberation being higher at any
given pressure.
 Gas Liberation Processes

• In practice, the actual processes occurring in the

reservoir during production are complex and
usually results from the two liberation processes.

• Results of the two processes are therefore provided

in the PVT reports, and must be combined by the
engineer in a way that gives the best description of
the system.
 FORMATION VOLUME FACTORS

• They relate reservoir volumes of liquids and gases

to the surface volumes. They are important in
estimation of hydrocarbon in place and the
ultimate recovery.

There are three types:

• Oil formation volume factor, Bo
• Gas formation volume factor, Bg
• Total or two-phase formation volume factor, Bt.
 OIL FORMATION VOLUME FACTOR

• Defined as the volume of reservoir oil

required to produce one stock tank barrel of
oil.
• It's unit is rb/stb.

• The reciprocal of the oil formation volume

factor is called shrinkage factor.
 OIL FORMATION VOLUME FACTOR

• The volume of a given amount of crude oil

obtained at the surface tanks is always less
than the volume that left the reservoir.

• This volume change is caused by three

factors: Rs, P, T.
 GAS FORMATION VOLUME FACTOR

• The gas formation volume factor is the volume of gas in

the reservoir required to produce one standard cubit feet
of gas at the surface.

• Its unit varies: rb/scf, cu.ft/scf, etc.

• Care must be taken not to confuse gas formation volume

factor, with its reciprocal: gas expansion factor. The
volume of a gas is always higher at surface conditions
than at reservoir conditions.