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For gas; gravity drainage, water drive and depletion drive can provide
> 80% recovery.
Solution gas Drive
The principle of solution gas drive or depletion drive
is the expansion of dissolved gas and liquid oil in
response to a pressure drop. The change in fluid
volume results in production.
Above the bubble point, only liquid oil expansion
occurs. Below the bubble point, both liquid oil
expansion and gas expansion contribute to volume
change.
B CP
C
A. Original Conditions
LIQUID
P
X
ated
80% r on
ibe uti
60% 20% GAS
40%
Oil producing wells L l
so gas
T
Bubblepoint pressure
0 5 10 15
Oil recovery, % of
OOIP
Dissolved gas reservoirs typically recover between 5 and 25% OIIP and
60 to 80% GIIP.
SOLUTION GAS GOR (R)
pressure
DRIVE
HISTORY
OIL PRODUCTON
watercut
Rsi
Pb time
• Rapid and continuous pressure drop, rate of decline falls at bubble point pressure.
• R (producing gas oil ratio) low until p = pb, then increases to maximum and
declines.
• Absent or minimal water influx (watercut).
• Gravity drainage is a special case in steeply dipping reservoirs where gas drives
out more oil.
• Well production declines rapidly; early pumping often required.
Gas Cap Drive Mechanism
The principle of gas cap drive is the
expansion of free gas in response to
a pressure drop. The change in flui d
Oil producing well
volume results in production.
Gas cap expansion e Oil zone
Oil Gas cap
maintains th pressure in the oilzone
leg.
Gas cap drive reservoirs typically
recover 20 to 40% OIIP, sometimes Cross Section
as high as 60%.
The Lower Mississippian Turner
Valley carbonate was a gas cap
drive reservoir.
pressure
GAS CAP DRIVE
HISTORY
OIL PRODUCTON
GOR (R)
Rsi watercut
time
It is not uncommon for flow from the surface to supply the energy for
natural water drive.
When a pressure drop occurs, both the oil and water liquid phases
expand resulting in production. Additionally, water inflow radially and
vertically displaces the oil towards the producers.
Hydrocarbon
Water
Cross-section view
Plane view
The Upper Devonian Leduc pools are driven by inflow from the Cooking
Lake Aquifer.
Different Water Drive Mechansims
Both bottom water drive, where the water leg underlies the entire
reservoir, and edge water drive, where only part of the areal extent is
contacted by water, are recognized.
GOR (R)
Rsi
time
Gas
Oil
Ga
Oil Point C
s
Point B
Oil
Point A
Formation of a Secondary Gas Cap during gas
solution liberation
COMBINATION DRIVE
Solution-gas drive 5 - 30 15
Gas-cap drive 15 - 50 30
Water drive 30 - 60 40
Gravity-drainage 16 - 85 50
drive
Recovery factor is defined as the fraction (or percentage) of the volume
of hydrocarbon produced (recovered) from the amount of volume initially
in place.
Recovery Factors for Gas Reservoirs
Volumetric reservoir 70 - 90 80
(Gas expansion drive)
Water drive 35 - 65 50
Suitable Characteristics for
Oil Recovery
Solution-gas drive oil reservoirs Water drive oil reservoirs
Low oil density ●
Large aquifer
Low oil viscosity ●
Low oil viscosity
High oil bubblepoint pressure ●
High relative oil permeability
●
Little reservoir heterogeneity
and stratification
• Gas-cap drive oil reservoirs Gravity drainage oil reservoirs
Favorable oil properties
Relatively large ratio of gas cap to ●
High reservoir dip angle
oil zone ●
Favorable permeability
High reservoir dip angle distribution
Thick oil column ●
Large fluid density difference
●
Large segregation area
●
Low withdrawal
Suitable Characteristics for
Gas Recovery
Volumetric gas reservoir (gas
expansion drive)
– Low abandonment pressure