Applied Reservoir Engineering

Reservoir Engineering – What it is?

A sub-discipline of petroleum engineering that

seeks to
–determine and
–maximize
the ultimate value of a hydrocarbon, water or
storage resource
 Reservoir Engineering – What it requires?
• Develop an understanding of the nature of rock-fluid
interactions in the reservoir

• Develop a model for the reservoir, consistent with geological

data, rock and fluid property measurements and past
performance characteristics

• Predict resource in place, recovery efficiencies etc.

• Develop an understanding of the complex displacement of

fluids within the reservoir

• Develop processes and methods for improved recovery of

hydrocarbons from the reservoir
 A Typical Reservoir Engineering Study
Brassey Oil Field, British Columbia: Development of an Aeolian
Sand – A Team approach – SPE Reservoir Engineering, May
1992, Pages 165-172
 Brassey Field Development

• Main objective : To delineate reservoir boundary

and recommend an optimum strategy for
exploiting the reserves

• Geological Setting:
– Artex Member is a porous aeolian sandstone –
compacted sand dune. Extent of the dunes dictated by
wind direction and supply of sand
– Oil stratigraphically trapped where aeolian sand
pinches out into tight non-aeolian facies
 Brassey Field
• Reservoir description: Well-sorted fine to lower-medium-
grained, quartz sandstone
• Reservoir depth – 10,000ft. Porosity – 16% -23%
Permeability- 152 md – 1 darcy
• Connate water saturation < 2% : oil wet rock
• Overall decrease in porosity and permeability towards
base. Permeability and porosity heterogeneity due to
presence of anhydrite cement and diagenesis.
 Brassey Field

• Reservoir Fluid Properties

– 57o API oil low density
– Volatile, undersaturated fluid
– 0.09 cps viscosity
– Formation Volume Factor – 1.8RB/STB
– Gas Oil Ratio – 1,433 scf/STB
– Over pressured reservoir > 1000 psi

Reservoir excellent candidate for miscible flooding

Requires delineation of reservoir boundaries
 Brassey Field
• Reservoir Model

Continuity of permeability established by well pulse

testing and interpretation by expert reservoir engineers
 Reservoir Engineering Aspects
•Production Data
3000

Cumulative Production, bbl

Production Rate (bbl/day)
2500 pressure 5000 50 x 106
2000 4000 40 x 106
1500 Instantaneous 3000 30 x 106
GOR
1000 2000 20 x 106
500 Cummulative 1000 10 x 106
GOR
0 0
Time Time

•Reservoir Drive Mechanisms 100

Pressure, % of initial
Water drive
80
Gas-cap drive
60

40 Dissolved Gas drive

Oil Produced, % of original

 Brassey Field

• Reservoir Volume and Areal Extent

– Material balance calculations to estimate initial oil in
place 22.0 – 27.0 MMSTB
– Volume in place also derived by hand contouring,
digitizing and planimetry – 24 MMSTB
• Reservoir Simulations using geological models as
the basis. Sensitivity to permeability variations.
Ultimate recovery using miscible flood estimated
at 66%.
 Classifying Reservoirs …
•Location, e.g.
Onshore, arctic, offshore, deepwater
•Predominant mineral type (lithology), e.g.
Sandstone, carbonate, fractured
•Type of trap
Structural, stratigraphic
•Production phase
Primary, Secondary, Tertiary
•Fluid types
Gas, condensate, oil, volatile oil
•Drive mechanisms
•Solution-gas, gas cap, water influx
 Generic Reservoir …
Seal or trap Gas cap

Oil column
Water column or aquifer
Original gas-oil contact (OGOC) GOC,
Original water-oil contact (OWOC) WOC
Change
with time
Also: Original water-gas contact (OWGC)
Some Complications
 Production Phases….

Primary recovery - intrinsic or natural energy

Secondary recovery - added energy (gas or water)

Tertiary recovery - after secondary

 Reservoir Fluids…
•Hydrocarbon only
•Six classes from heaviest to lightest…
 Heavy or dead oil
 Black oil
 Volatile oil
 Gas condensate
 Wet gas
 Dry gas
Reservoir Pressure, Temperature…

Surface Geopressure
 Reservoir Pressure, …
z= subsurface depth
aP=geopressure gradient
(0.433 psi/ft fresh water; 0.465 psi/ft brine)
 Some Complications…

Top of
geopressure
Reservoir Pressure, Temperature…

Geothermal

Surface
 Reservoir Temperature…
aT=geothermal gradient (typical 0.01 F/ft)
Geothermal
Gradient
Field oF/100 ft
East Texas Woodbine 2.20
Burbank, OK 2.20
North Pettus, Bee 2.17
County, TX
Leduc, Alberta, 2.10
Canada
Fort St. John, British 1.81
Columbia
Deep Lake, La. 1.15
Oklahoma City, OK 1.14
Hugoton, OK 0.84
Panhandle, TX 0.70
Monument, New Mex. 0.60
 Class Outline
 Reservoir Rock Properties
 Reservoir Fluids, Their Behavior, and Estimation of
Their Properties
 Material Balance Calculations and Reserve Estimation
for Gas and Oil Reservoirs
 Reservoir Drive Mechanisms
 Single-Phase Flow through Linear and Radial Porous
Media (Steady State and Transient Flow)
 Aquifer Models
 Other Details
Textbook: Applied Petroleum Reservoir Engineering, 3rd ed., B. C.
Craft, M. Hawkins, Revised by R. E. Terry and J. Brandon Rogers,
Pearson Education Inc., ISBN: 13: 978-0-13-315558-7.
Reference: Fundamentals of Reservoir Engineering, L. P.
Dake, Elsevier, 1978
Assignments: The plan is to have eight assignments worth
30% in total
Quiz and Exams: There will be two mid-terms (each worth
15%) and one final exam (worth 30%).
 Important Dates
• Class Test 1: Tuesday, Mar.19th, 2019, 6 – 8 pm
• Class Test 2: Tuesday, April 16th, 2019, 6 – 8 pm
• 8 Assignments (see lecture schedule for due dates)

Final Examination scheduled by Registrar’s Office

 Units…
•Commonly encountered SI and oilfield units
 Unit Conversions…

aT=geothermal gradient (0.01 F/ft)

aP=geopressure gradient (0.433 psi/ft)