Well Testing & Pressure Transient Analysis

Lecture 7: Reservoir Boundary Response

Abu Dhabi PolyTechnic

PET Department
Dr. Amar Sahed

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Reservoirs are not infinite in extent
The effect of reservoir boundaries will be felt
sooner than later at the well being tested
This time is dependent on:
Distance to the boundaries
Nature of permeable formation and the
fluids
Two types of reservoir boundaries:
1. Impermeable
2. Constant pressure

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1. Impermeable boundary
Reservoirs may be closed and no outer flow
Or due to interference between wells
2. Constant pressure boundary
A large aquifer
A large gas cap
Balanced injection scheme

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1. Pseudosteady state regime will occur when all
sides of the reservoir (or wells own drainage
region) have been reached by the pressure
perturbation
2. Pseudosteady state does not mean steady
rather a tank like reservoir pressure response

1. Pressure response everywhere is due mainly

to compression or decompression of the
reservoir fluid, BU and DD, respectively

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1 V
ct V p
1 qt
p
V ct

.................... Eq. 7.1

Where V is the total reservoir fluid volume and V

is the cumulative production
Eq. 7.1 infers that:
a plot of p Vs. t is identifiable as a straight line
on a Cartesian
p is dependent on the reservoir volume- hence
estimating reservoir size

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In terms of dimensionless variables the pressure
drop can be written as:

1 2.2458 A
2 t DA ln
s
2
2 C A rw

Where

2kh
pd qB pi pwf
0.000264kt

t DA
CA

A is the area of the reservoir

CA is the shape factor (Table 2.1)

.............. Eq. 7.2

Pseudosteady state occurs only after a certain value

of tDA. Column 7 in Table 2.1 can be considered the
end of infinite acting behavior (the end of semilog
straight line). column 6 can be considered as start of
Pseudosteady state (the start of the cartesian straight
line). For a circular reservoir with the well at the
center the pseudosteady state starts exactly at the
time of the infinite acting behavior ends (tDA =0.1).
These seem to overlap because of the 1% tolerance.
However, for the case of elongated shapes or
eccentric well locations the infinite acting ends long
before the pseudosteady state even starts. Hence a
transition period.

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In terms of dimensional variables the pressure drop
can be written as:
p

0.2342qB
qB 2.2458 A

t 70.65
ln
2 s ...... Eq. 7.3
2

ct hA
kh
C A rw

Thus the slope of the line p(psi) Vs. t(hr) will be

mcartesian

0.2342qB
ct hA

Notice storativity and total pore volume within the

drainage region
Generally at fault boundaries the semilog straight
will double in slope

Active aquifer or gas cap, or by fluid

injection, then a constant pressure boundary
will manifest

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The effect of any constant pressure boundary
will ultimately cause the well pressure response
to achieve steady state, the same constant
pressure at the boundary
For the case of circular constant pressure
boundary