ENM200 Subsurface

Flow through Porous Media

Alastair Baillie

Why does a well flow?

How do we predict flowrates?

Pwh

Psep
Sep

reservoir drawdown!

Q = PI (PR Pwf)
kh

Pwf

PR
drawdown

PI = how easily fluids flow through the reservoir rock and into the wellbore

Flow through a pipe

Limestone
Sandstone

Pwf

PR

Pwf
r

Drainage radius (r)

100 300 m

PR

pressure loss in the reservoir is a friction loss

very similar to pressure loss in a pipe (radial vs. linear)
documented by Henry Darcy in 1856

Darcys Law
L

d
P pipe

P pipe

QL
d

P res.

Qr
kh

PI

kh

linear
flow

radial
flow

Darcys Law
Pressure distribution in the reservoir
Pwf

Pwf

PR

Drainage radius (r)

PR

PR

Why?

Pressure

velocity

Q
=
area

Drainage radius
(r)

Pwf

Radial Flow Inflow Performance

P reservoir

QL r
kh

Pe - Pwf = 141.2

Qo o B0
kh

ln

PR

Pwf

re

rw

re
+S
rw

Darcy equation in oil field units

where S (skin) is near wellbore pressure loss

single phase oil

homogeneous reservoir
steady state radial flow
(constant pressure outer boundary)

PI =

kh

141.2 B0 ln

re
+S
rw

Inflow performance for oil reservoirs

= ( )

... or ...

= / PI

Inflow Performance Relationship (IPR) curve:

PR

re

Slope = - 1/PI
Vogel equation:

Pwf
PI

Pb

Qo

(100% WC)

Vogel
(0% WC)

QL (stbl/d)

AOF

Qo max

Pwf

PR
2

= 1 0.2

Pwf

PR

0.8

Pwf
PR

developed for solution gas drive

reservoirs (WC = 0)

Skin components
- often described as a near wellbore pressure loss
- really describes the pressure loss variation from Darcys law assumptions
- can be positive (adds extra pressure loss) or negative

Stotal = Smechanical + Sdeviation + Spartial penetration h

+ ve

mud filtrate invasion (damage)

- ve

hp

+ ve

deviated or horizontal wells

% of net h open (hp/h)

solids deposition (scale, wax, sand) naturally fractured wells

blocked perforations

pressure drop across perforations

limited perforations

stimulated wells

Inflow performance for gas reservoirs

originally developed from empirical observations (Rawlins & Schellhardt, 1936)

QG = C (PR 2 Pwf 2) n
- known as backpressure equation

PR

.. also C & n equation

.. also gas deliverability equation
- n accounts for turbulence
n = 1.0 for laminar flow (Darcy)

Pwf
C & n obtained by curve
fitting multi-rate tests
(QG and Pwf)

n = 0.5 for fully turbulent flow

- C is roughly analogous to PI
.. depends on rock & fluid properties

QG

AOF

Effective and Relative Permeability

no water
flow

no oil
flow

oil and water flow

kro = 1
water
not
mobile

Relative
Permeability kr

oil not
mobile

Oil
krw

Swc = connate water saturation

Sor = residual oil saturation

0.37

Water

0.06

Swc

Sw

1 - Sor

Water saturation

Water Oil Rock Relative Permeability Curves

Fractional Flow
- a reservoir model predicts the change of phase saturation (So, Sw, Sg) with time
but how do we predict watercut (WC) and GOR with time?
use relative permeability curves!
downhole WC:

surface WC:

=
+

(rb)

/w

(rb)

/o

1
=

1 +

1
=
(1 )
1+

Fractional Flow (water wet rock)

1
=

1 +

1
=
(1 )
1+

Fractional Flow (oil wet rock)

1
=

1 +

1
=
(1 )
1+

Steady state radial flow

- Darcys law modified for each phase flowing:

0.00708 kh kro (PR Pwf)

Qo =
r
o Bo [ln ( ) + s]
rw
0.00708 kh krw (PR Pwf)
Qw =
r
w Bw [ln ( ) + s]
rw
kh krg (PR2 Pwf2)
Qg =
r
1442 g Z T [ln
0.75 + s]
rw
semi-steady state

compressible fluid

stbo/d

stbw/d

mscf/d

Immiscible displacement
- how effective is water injection at displacing oil? (sweep efficiency)
- need to look at how water saturation changes in the reservoir

- described by Buckley-Leverett (1942) & Welge

- determines time to water breakthrough and recovery factor
Water Injector

Producer

Swc

flood front
(Swf)

Water saturation
(Sw)

Swc
Distance from injector

Immiscible displacement
Light oil (0.4 cP) displacement

Water saturation
(Sw)

Swc
Heavy oil (1000 cP) displacement

Water saturation
(Sw)
Swc
Length (feet)

Suggested Reading