Rate Transient Analysis

1-4: TRADITIONAL
DECLINE ANALYSIS

1. Traditional (Arps) Decline Curves

23-32: RADIAL TYPE

CURVES

23. Calculations for Oil

(Agarwal-Gardner Type Curves)

3. Exponential Decline

EXPONENTIAL DECLINE:

23-24: RADIAL FLOW MODEL: TYPE CURVE

ANALYSIS

Decline rate is constant.

All radial flow type curves are based on the same

reservoir model:

Log flow rate vs. time is a straight line.

Flow rate vs. cumulative production is a straight line.

Well in centre of cylindrical homogeneous reservoir.

Decline rate is not constant (D=Kqb).

Straight line plots are NOT practical and b is determined

by nonlinear curve fit.

The shapes are different because of

different plotting formats.

Each format represents a different look at the data

and emphasizes different aspects.

Provides minimum EUR (Expected Ultimate Recovery).

HYPERBOLIC DECLINE:

b value
0
0.1-0.4
0.4-0.5
0.5
0.5-1.0

2. Decline Rate Definitions

Reservoir Drive Mechanism

Single phase liquid (oil above bubble point)
Single phase gas at high pressure
Solution gas drive
Single phase gas
Effective edge water drive
Commingled layered reservoirs

Information content of all type curves

(Figures 25-32) is the same.

rwa

26. Blasingame: Integral-Derivative

1. qDd vs. tDd (Figure 25).

2. Rate integral (qDdi) vs. tDd (has the same shape
as qDd).
3. Rate integral-derivative (qDdid) vs. tDd (Figure 26).

Decline rate is directly proportional to flow rate (b=1).

Log flow rate vs. cumulative production is a straight line.

Boundary-dominated flow only.

Constant operating conditions.

In general: qDd

qD bDpss , tDd

2
t
b Dpss DA

bDpss is a constant for a particular well / reservoir

Developed using empirical relationships.

configuration.

Quick and simple to determine EUR.

EUR depends on operating conditions.
Does NOT use pressure data.
b depends on drive mechanism.

27. Agarwal-Gardner: Rate (Normalized)

5-10: FETKOVICH
ANALYSIS

5. Analytical: Constant Flowing Pressure

6. Analytical: Constant Flowing Pressure

27-28: AGARWAL-GARDNER

Notes:
1. Pressure derivative is defined as pDd

d ( pD )
d (ln t DA )

2. Inverse of pressure derivative is usually too noisy

and inverse of pressure integral-derivative is
used instead.

boundary-dominated stems.

qDd and tDd definitions are convenient for

production data analysis.

28. Agarwal-Gardner: Integral-Derivative

qD and tDA definitions are similar to well testing.

Normalized rate (q/ p or q/ pp) is plotted.
Three sets of type curves:
1. qD vs. tDA (Figure 27).
2. Inverse of pressure derivative (1 / pDd) vs. tDA
(not shown).
3. Inverse of pressure integral-derivative (1 / pDid)
vs. tDA (Figure 28).

qD and tD definitions are similar to well test.

Convenient for transient flow.
Results in single transient stem but multiple

7. Empirical: Arps Depletion Stems

re

Skin factor represented by rwa.

qDd and tDd definitions are similar to Fetkovich.

Normalized rate (q/ p or q/ pp) is plotted.
Three sets of type curves:

SUMMARY:

No flow outer boundary.

25-26: BLASINGAME

25. Blasingame: Rate (Normalized)

4. Harmonic Decline

HARMONIC DECLINE:

24. Calculations for Gas

(Agarwal-Gardner Type Curves)

29-30: NORMALIZED PRESSURE

INTEGRAL (NPI)

29. NPI: Pressure (Normalized)

Convenient for boundary-dominated flow.

Results in single boundary-dominated stem but
multiple transient stems.

30. NPI: Integral-Derivative

pD and tDA definitions are similar to well testing.

Normalized Pressure ( p/q or pp /q) is plotted

8. Empirical: Arps-Fetkovich Depletion Stems

rather than normalized rate (q/ p or q/ pp).

Three sets of type curves:

1. pD vs. tDA (Figure 29).
2. Pressure integral (pDi) vs. tDA (has the same
shape as pD).
3. Pressure integral-derivative (pDid) vs. tDA (Figure
30).

Replot on Log-Log Scale

31-32: TRANSIENT-DOMINATED DATA

31. Rate (Normalized)

10. Fetkovich/Cumulative Type Curves

9. Fetkovich Type Curves

qD and tD definitions are similar to well testing.

Normalized rate (q/ p or q/ pp) is plotted.
Three sets of type curves:

SUMMARY:

Combines transient with boundary-dominated flow.

Constant operating conditions.

Transient: Analytical, constant pressure solution.

1. qD vs. tD (Figure 31).

2. Inverse of pressure integral (1 / pDi) vs. tD (not
shown).
3. Inverse of pressure integral-derivative (1 / pDid)
vs. tD (Figure 32).

Boundary-Dominated: Empirical, identical to traditional

(Arps).
Used to estimate EUR, skin and permeability.
EUR depends on operating conditions.
Does NOT use pressure data.
Cumulative curves are smoother than rate curves.
Combined cumulative and rate type curves give more
unique match (Figure 10).

33-40: FRACTURE
TYPE CURVES

33. Rate

11. Comparison of

qD and 1/pD

32. Integral-Derivative

Similar to Figures 27 & 28 but uses tD instead of tDA.

This format is useful when most of the data are in
TRANSIENT flow.

11-14: MODERN DECLINE

ANALYSIS: BASIC
CONCEPTS

34. Integral-Derivative

33-37: FINITE CONDUCTIVITY FRACTURE

Fracture with finite conductivity results in bilinear flow

(quarter slope).

Material Balance Time (tc) effectively converts constant

pressure solution to the corresponding constant rate
solution.

Dimensionless Fracture Conductivity is defined as:

Exponential curve plotted using Material Balance Time

becomes harmonic.

Fracture with infinite conductivity results in linear flow

(half slope).

Material Balance Time is rigorous during

boundary-dominated flow.

For FCD>50, the fracture is assumed to have infinite

conductivity.

12. Equivalence of

qD and 1/pD

11-12: MATERIAL BALANCE TIME

Actual Rate Decline

FCD

Constant Rate
Q
q

tc

1
q

t
0

qdt

35. Elliptical Flow: Integral-Derivative

Actual Time (t)

kf w
kxf

36. Elliptical Flow: Integral-Derivative

37. Elliptical Flow: Integral-Derivative

Material Balance Time

13. Concept of Rate Integral

(t c) = Q /q

14. Derivative and Integral-Derivative

13-14: TYPE CURVE INTERPRETATION AIDS

Rate (Normalized)

Combines rate with flowing pressure.

Integral (Normalized Rate)

Smoothes noisy data but

attenuates the reservoir signal.

Derivative (Normalized Rate)

Amplifies reservoir signal but

amplifies noise as well.

Integral-Derivative (Normalized Rate)

15-18: GAS FLOW

CONSIDERATIONS

15. Darcys Law

38-40: INFINITE CONDUCTIVITY FRACTURE

Smoothes the scatter

of the derivative.

38. Blasingame: Rate and Integral-Derivative

39. NPI: Pressure and Integral-Derivative

40. Wattenbarger: Rate

16. Pseudo-Pressure (pp)

15-16: PSEUDO-PRESSURE
Gas properties vary with pressure:

Z-factor (Pseudo-Pressure, Figures 15 & 16)

Compressibility (Pseudo-Time, Figures 17 & 18)

Pseudo-pressure corrects for changing viscosity and

Z-factor with pressure.

In all equations for liquid, replace pressure (p) with

pseudo-pressure (pp).

Viscosity (Pseudo-Pressure & Pseudo-Time, Figures

15, 16 & 18)

Note: For gas,

41-43: HORIZONTAL WELL TYPE CURVES

17-18: PSEUDO-TIME

17. Gas Compressibility Variation

Compressibility represents energy in reservoir.

Ignoring compressibility variation can result in

significant error in original gas-in-place (G) calculation.

Pseudo-time(ta) corrects for changing viscosity and

compressibility with pressure.

Pseudo-time calculation is ITERATIVE because it

depends on g and ct at average reservoir pressure,
and average reservoir pressure depends on G (usually
known).

18. Pseudo-Time (ta)

41. Blasingame: Integral-Derivative

42. Blasingame: Integral-Derivative

43. Blasingame: Integral-Derivative

Gas compressibility is strong function of pressure

(especially at LOW PRESSURES).

19-22: FLOWING
MATERIAL BALANCE

19. Oil: Flowing Material Balance

20. Gas: Determination of

bpss

44-45: WATER-DRIVE
TYPE CURVES

44. Blasingame: Rate

45. Agarwal-Gardner: Rate

Infinite Aquifer

Oil

Reservoir

Mobility ratio (M) represents the strength of the aquifer.

Gas

k aq res
kres aq

Copyright

Note: bpss is the inverse of productivity index and is

constant during boundary-dominated flow.

M = 0 is equivalent to Radial Type Curves (Figures

25-32).

21. Gas: Flowing Material Balance

22. Procedure to Calculate Gas-In-Place

SUMMARY:

Uses flowing data. No shut-in required.

Applicable to oil and gas.
Determines hydrocarbon-in-place, N or G.
Oil (N): Direct calculation.
Gas (G): Iterative calculation because of pseudo-time.
Simple yet powerful.
Data readily available (wellhead pressure can be
converted to bottomhole pressure).
Supplements static material balance.
Ideal for low permeability reservoirs.

a
A
b
b
b
B
B
B
B
c
c
c
D
D
D
F
G
G
G
h
k
k
k

Dpss

pss

gi
o
oi

g
t
t

e
i

CD

p
pa

aq
f

semi-major axis of ellipse

area
hyperbolic decline exponent or
semi-minor axis of ellipse
dimensionless parameter
inverse of productivity index
formation volume factor
initial gas formation volume factor
oil formation volume factor
initial oil formation volume factor
gas compressibility
total compressibility
total compressibility at average reservoir pressure
nominal decline rate
effective decline rate
initial nominal decline rate
dimensionless fracture conductivity
original gas-in-place
gas cumulative production
pseudo-cumulative production
net pay
permeability
aquifer permeability
fracture permeability

k
k
k
K
L
M
N
N
p
p
p
p
p
p
p
p
p
p
p
p
p
q
q
q
h

res
v

O
D

Dd
Di
Did
i

p
p

pi

pwf
wf

Dd

horizontal permeability
reservoir permeability
vertical permeability
constant
horizontal well length
mobility ratio
original oil-in-place
oil cumulative production
pressure
average reservoir pressure
reference pressure
dimensionless pressure
dimensionless pressure derivative
dimensionless pressure integral
dimensionless pressure integral-derivative
initial reservoir pressure
pseudo-pressure
pseudo-pressure at average reservoir pressure
initial pseudo-pressure
pseudo-pressure at well flowing pressure
well flowing pressure
flow rate
dimensionless rate
dimensionless rate

q
q
q
Q
Q
r
r
r
r
s
S
S
t
t
t
t
t
t
t
t
t
T
w
x

Ddi
Ddid
i

Dd

eD
w

wa

gi
oi

a
c

ca
D

DA

Dd

Dxf
Dye

dimensionless rate integral

xf
dimensionless rate integral-derivative
ye
initial flow rate
yw
cumulative production
Z
Z
dimensionless cumulative production
exterior radius of reservoir
Zi
dimensionless exterior radius of reservoir

wellbore radius

apparent wellbore radius

skin
aq
initial gas saturation
g
initial oil saturation
g
flow time
pseudo-time
o
material balance time
res
material balance pseudo-time
dimensionless time
Oil field units;
dimensionless time
dimensionless time
dimensionless time
dimensionless time
reservoir temperature
fracture width
reservoir length

2008 Fekete Associates Inc. Printed in Canada

Note: Pseudo-time in build-up testing is evaluated at well

flowing pressure NOT at average reservoir pressure.

fracture half length

reservoir width
well location in y-direction
gas deviation factor
gas deviation factor at
average reservoir pressure
initial gas deviation factor
constant
porosity
viscosity
aquifer fluid viscosity
gas viscosity
gas viscosity at average
reservoir pressure
oil viscosity
reservoir fluid viscosity

q (MMSCFD); t (days)
g

All analyses described can be performed using Feketes Rate Transient Analysis software