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 ft 3 bbl

m ( const.) [] or or
initial H .C. Vol . of the oil SCF ft 3 bbl

N p  cumulative oil production (STB)

cum. gas production ( SCF )

R p  cumulative gas  oil rato 
cum. oil production ( STB)
 Expansion of oil & originally dissolved gas

Liquid exp ansion (oil exp ansion)  liq. (at p)  liq. (at pi )
RB
 NBo  NBoi  N ( Bo  Boi )[]STB []RB  (3.1)
STB

Liberated gas exp ansion   [ solution gas (at p )  solution gas (at pi )]
SCF RB
 NR si B g  NR s B g  N ( Rsi  Rs ) B g []STB []RB  (3.2)
STB SCF
Expansion of the gascap gas

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

SCF RB
The total volume of gascap gas  mNB oi [ ] STB []RB
SCF SCF
1 1
or G  mNB oi []RB []SCF
B gi RB
SCF
1 RB
Amount of gas (at p )  mNB oi B g []SCF []RB
B gi SCF

Bg
Expansion of the gascap gas  mNBoi  mNB oi []RB
B gi
Bg
 mNBoi (  1) ( RB)  (3.3)
B gi
 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
HCPV
 (c wV f  S wc  c f V f )p  V f (c w S wc  c f )p   (c w S wc  c f )p
(1  S w )
c w S wc  c f
 (1  m) NBoi ( )p
1  S wc
 Underground withdrawal

Pr oduction at surface N p ( STB)  oil N p R p ( SCF )  gas

Underground withdrawal N p Bo ( RB )  oil ( N p R p  N p Rs ) B g ( RB )  gas
 Underground 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
Bg
N p [ Bo  ( R p  Rs ) B g ]  N ( Bo  Boi )  N ( Rsi  Rs ) B g  mNB oi (  1)
B gi
c w S wc  c f
 (1  m) NBoi ( )p  (We  W p ) Bw
1  S wc

 ( 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) p 
B 
 Boi  gi   1  S wc  
 (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 [] RB
STB
Bg
E g  Boi (  1) [] RB
B gi STB
c w S wc  c f
E f , w  (1  m) Boi ( )p RB
1  S wc STB
 F  N ( E o  mE g  mE f , w )  We Bw  (3.12)

 No initial gascap, negligible water influx c f & cw  0

Eq.(3.12)  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

-reducing the M.B to a compact form to

quantify reservoir performance
- Solution gas drive -determining the main producing
- Gascap drive characteristics,
-Natural water
drive
In terms of for example, GOR; water cut
- Compaction drive -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  
N p [ Bo  ( R p  R s ) B g ]  NBoi   m  1  (1  m) p 

B 
 Boi  gi   1  S wc  
 (We  W p ) B w  (3.7)

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
cw S w  c f 1 dVo 1 dBo
 N p Bo  NBoi [co  ( )]p co   
1  S wc Vo dp Bo dp
co S o  c w S w  c f  ( Boi  Bo ) ( Bo  Boi )
 N p Bo  NBoi ( )p  (3.17)  
1  S wc Boi p Boi p
or N p Bo  NBoi ce p  (3.18) S o  S wc  1
co S o  c w S w  c f
where ce   the effective, saturation  weighted compressib ility
1  S wc
 Exercise3.1 Solution gas drive, undersaturated oil reservoir
if p  pi  pb
Determine R.F. PVT  table2.4 ( p.65)
c w  3  10 6 psi 1 c f  8.6  10 6 psi 1 S w  0.2

Solution:
1 dVo 1 dBo
FromTable2.4(p.65) co   
Vo dp Bo dp
Bob  Boi
pi  4000 psi, Boi  1.2417 RB co 
STB Boi p
1.2511  1.2417
pb  3330 psi, Bob  12511 RB   11 .3  10 6 psi 1
STB 1.2417(4000  3330)

Eq(3.18)

N p Bo  NBoi c e p
Np Boi
R.F .   c e p
N Pb
Bob
1.2417
  22.8  10  6  ( 4000  3330)
1.2511
 0.015  1.5%
 Table 2.4 Field PVT

P(psia) Bo (Rb/STB) Rs(SCF/STB) Bg( Rb/SCF)

4000 (pi) 1.2417 510

3500 1.2480 510
3300 (pb) 1.2511 510 0.00087
3000 1.2222 450 0.00096
2700 1.2022 401 0.00107
2701 1.1822 352 0.00119
2702 1.1633 304 0.00137
1800 1.1450 257 0.00161
1500 1.1287 214 0.00196
1200 1.1115 167 0.00249
900 1.0940 122 0.00339
901 1.0763 78 0.00519
300 1.0583 35 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

1 1 1
cg    300  106 psi 1  cg  300  106 psi 1
p Pb 3300
co  11 .3  106 psi 1
cw  3  106 psi 1
c f  8.6  106 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  Rs ) B g ]  NBoi   m  1  (1  m) p 

B 
 Boi  gi   1  S wc  
 (We  W p ) Bw  (3.7)

for solution gas below B.P.

m 0 no initial gas cap
 We  0 ; W p  0
c w S wc  c f
 NBoi ( ) p is negligible if S g is developed
1  S wc
Eq(3.7) becomes

N p [ Bo  ( R p  Rs ) B g ]  N [( Bo  Boi )  ( Rsi  Rs ) B g ] (3.20)

Np ( Bo  Boi )  ( Rsi  Rs ) B g
R.F .  
N Bo  ( R p  R s ) B g
Np (1.0940  1.2417)  (510  122)  0.00339 344
R.F . p 900   
N p 900
1.0940  ( R p  122)  0.00339 R p  201

1
Conclusion: RF 
Rp

From Fig .3.3 ( p.55)

Np
R p  500 SCF   49%  0.49
STB N 900
(2) the overall gas balance

liberated total gas gas still

gas in the = −amount − produced dissolved
reservoir of gas at surface in the oil

NBoi HCPV
 pore volume  for p  pb
1  S wc (1  S wc )
NBoi S g
  NRsi B g  N p R p B g  ( N  N p ) Rs B g
(1  S wc )
[ N ( Rsi  Rs )  N p ( R p  Rs )]B g (1  S wc )
 Sg   (3.21)
NBoi

Np
[ N ( Rsi  Rs )  Np( R p  Rs )]Bg (1  S wc ) [( Rsi  Rs )  ( R p  Rs )]
Sg   N Bg (1  S wc )
NBoi Boi
[(510  122)  0.49(500  122)]
  0.00339  0.8  0.4428
1.2417