WELL TESTING

• Reservoir characterization can (formation

evaluation) be done through various
measurements which are;
Well logs
Core analysis
PVT analysis
Well test
etc.
Comparison of the depth of investigation
• A brief disturbance is introduced in a well by
changing production rate or well bore
pressure and the signal travel away from the
wellbore into the reservoir at a rate that
depends on diffusivity constant.
• Reservoir pressure and sandface flow rates are
measured to interpret the test.
• The test provide information about the state
of a well and identification of a reservoir
capacity to produce hydrocarbon
• Investigates a much larger volume of the
reservoir than cores or logs
• Provides estimate of permeability of the
reservoir
• Provides estimates of near-wellbore condition
• Provides estimates of distances to boundaries
 Components of Well Test Models
Well
o Direction (horizontal or vertical)
o Storage
o Completion (damaged or stimulation)
Reservoir
o Homogeneous
o Heterogeneous
o Multilayer
o Dual porosity
Boundaries
o Flow boundaries (No flow, constant
pressure, infinite)
o Geometric boundaries (circular or
rectangular)
 Types of Test
• Drawdown Test
– A well is opened to flow at constant rate
• Builup Test
– A producing well at constant flow rate is shut-in
• Injection Test
• Falloff Test
– Injecting at constant rate, well is shut-in causing
pressure to fall off
• Interference test
Flow and Pressure Response
 Drawdown Test
• Conditions
– A static, stable and shut-in well is opened to flow.
– Flow rate is supposed to be constant (for using
traditional analysis).
• Objective
– To obtain average permeability of the reservoir
rock within the drainage area of the well
– To assess the degree of damage or stimulation
– To obtain pore volume of the reservoir
– To detect reservoir heterogeneity within the
drainage area of the well.
 Buildup Test
• Conditions
– A well which is already flowing (ideally constant
rate) is shut-in.
– Downhole pressure measured as the pressure
builds up.
• Objective
– To obtain average permeability of the reservoir
rock within the drainage area of the well
– To assess the degree of damage or stimulation
– To obtain initial reservoir pressure during the
transient state
– To obtain the average reservoir pressure over the
drainage area of the well during pseudo-steady
state
 Injection Test
• Conditions
– An injection test is conceptually identical to a
drawdown test, except flow is into the well rather
than out of it
• Objective
– Injection well testing has its application in water
flooding, pressure maintenance by water or gas
injection, gas recycling and EOR operations.
– In most cases the objective of the injection test is
the same as those of production test (k, S, Pavg).
– Determination of reservoir heterogeneity and
front tracing.
 Fall off Test
• A pressure falloff test is usually proceeded by
an injectivity test of a long duration. Injection
then is stopped while recording the pressure.
Thus, the pressure falloff test is similar to the
pressure buildup test.
 Interference Test
• In an interference test, one well is produced
and pressure is observed in a different well.
• To test reservoir continuity
• To detect directional permeability and other
major reservoir heterogeneity
• Determination of reservoir volume
 Drill Stem Test (DST)

• It is a test commonly used to test a newly

drilled well (since it can only be carried out
while a rig is over the hole).
• In a DST, the well is opened to flow by a valve
at the base of the test tool, and reservoir fluid
flows up the drill string.
• Analysis of the DST requires the special
techniques, since the flow rate is not constant
as the fluid rises in the drill string.
 Radius of investigation
• The radius of investigation is the effective
distance travelled by the pressure transients,
as measured from the tested well.
• This distance is related to formation rock and
fluid properties and time passed by since a
rate change in the well
Pressure distribution as function of time
 Primary Reservoir Characteristics
1. Types of fluids in the reservoir
• The isothermal compressibility coefficient is
essentially the controlling factor in identifying
the type of the reservoir fluid.
– Incompressible fluids
– Slightly compressible fluids
– Compressible fluids
2. Flow regimes
• There are basically three types of flow regimes
that must be recognized in order to describe
the fluid flow behaviour and reservoir
pressure distribution as a function of time.
– Steady-state flow
– Unsteady-state flow
– Pseudo-steady-state flow
Steady-state flow
• The flow regime is identified as a steady-state flow
if the pressure at every location in the reservoir
remains constant, i.e., does not change with time.

• In reservoirs, the steady-state flow condition can

only occur when the reservoir is completely
recharged and supported by strong aquifer or
pressure maintenance operations
Unsteady-state flow
• Unsteady-state flow (frequently called
transient flow) is defined as the fluid flowing
condition at which the rate of change of
pressure with respect to time at any position
in the reservoir is not zero or constant
• This definition suggests that the pressure
derivative with respect to time is essentially a
function of both position i and time t, thus:
Pseudosteady-state flow
• When the pressure at different locations in the
reservoir is declining linearly as a function of
time, i.e., at a constant declining rate, the
flowing condition is characterized as
pseudosteady-state flow.

• It should be pointed out that pseudosteady-

state flow is commonly referred to as
semisteady-state flow.
3. Reservoir flow geometry
• The shape of a reservoir has a significant
effect on its flow behaviour.
– Radial flow
– Linear flow
– Spherical and hemispherical flow
Radial flow
• In the absence of severe reservoir
heterogeneities, flow into or away from a
wellbore will follow radial flow lines a
substantial distance from the wellbore.
• Because fluids move toward the well from all
directions and coverage at the wellbore, the
term radial flow is used to characterize the
flow of fluid into the wellbore.
• Figure 1.4 shows idealized flow lines and
isopotential lines for a radial flow system
Linear flow
• Linear flow occurs when flow paths are
parallel and the fluid flows in a single
direction. In addition, the cross-sectional area
to flow must be constant.
• Figure 1.5 shows an idealized linear flow
system. A common application of linear flow
equations is the fluid flow into vertical
hydraulic fractures as illustrated in Figure 1.6
Spherical and hemispherical flow
• Depending upon the type of wellbore
completion configuration, it is possible to have
spherical or hemispherical flow near the
wellbore.
• A well with a limited perforated interval could
result in spherical flow in the vicinity of the
perforations as illustrated in Figure 1.7.
• A well which only partially penetrates the pay
zone, as shown in Figure 1.8, could result in
hemispherical flow. The condition could arise
where coning of bottom water is important.
4. Number of flowing fluids in the reservoir
– Single-phase flow (oil, water, or gas)
– Two-phase flow (oil–water, oil–gas, or gas–water)
– Three-phase flow (oil, water, and gas)