Production Engineering I

Reservoir Deliverability
© 2013 INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY PETRONAS SDN BHD
All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any
means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the permission of the copyright owner.
 Activities related to Lecture 1

1- Pair QA.

2- Group discussion: 10 groups (10 min for preparation, 5 min for

discussion).

Task 1: Typical O/G production process (production part only).

Task 2: Wellhead and X-mass tree components.

 Lecture Outcomes

At the end of this lecture, students should be able to:

1- Identify the factors upon which a reservoir deliverability depends.

2- Identify the components of a production system where pressure dissipates

and understand the effect of flow characteristics on pressure loss.

3- Describe the main drive mechanisms from a reservoir and evaluate the
contribution of each to natural production.

4- Calculate the initial oil in place and discuss the material balance of the

reservoir.
 Introduction
Reservoir deliverability is defined as the oil or gas production
rate achievable from reservoir at a given bottom-hole pressure.

https://health.howstuffworks.com/diseases-conditions/cardiovascular/blood-pressure/how-can-alcohol-affect-my-blood-pressure.htm
 Introduction
Reservoir deliverability depends on several factors including the following:

❖ Reservoir pressure

❖ Pay zone thickness and permeability

❖ Reservoir boundary type and distance

❖ Wellbore radius

❖ Reservoir fluid properties

❖ Near-wellbore condition

❖ Reservoir relative permeabilities

 Introduction
• Oil and gas in reservoirs posses high
energy due to high pressure and
temperature at their depth.

• Sometimes this energy enables the oil/gas

to come out without using external source
of energy.

• In other cases an external source of

energy from an artificial lift method such
pump or gas lift is required to support the http://www.rag-austria.at/en/business-areas/produce/natural-gas.html

fluids
 Introduction
As fluids are raised up, they loss their

energy due to pressure losses in:

❖ The reservoir

❖ The wellbore

❖ The tubing

❖ The choke

❖ The well head

❖ The separator
http://www.rag-austria.at/en/business-areas/produce/natural-gas.html
 Introduction
• General rule: reservoir pressure should be greater
than pressure losses along the flowing path.
 Energy (pressure) losses
The pressure is lost in different locations:
➢ Reservoir pressure drop (drawdown): Inside the reservoir up to
wellbore.
➢ Completion pressure drop: due to perforation and other near bore
equipment.
➢ Vertical lift pressure drop: the sum of the following pressure drops
1. Frictional pressure loss: due to viscosity
2. Hydrostatic head pressure loss: due to fluid column inside tubing
3. Kinetic pressure loss: due to acceleration and deceleration of flow of
the fluid.
➢ Surface pressure loss: in flow lines
➢ Choke pressure loss: in the choke which located upstream to separator.
Energy (pressure) losses
 Minimizing Energy (pressure) losses
Pressure losses can be minimized by one of two options or both:

Option 1: decreasing reservoir drawdown:

increasing formation permeability through acidizing or fracturing

(stimulation).

Option 2: enhance fluid flow by reducing viscosity.

➢ Well completion pressure drop: control the perforation density and lengths

➢ Vertical pressure drop: perfect design of tubing and fittings

➢ Surface pressure drop: perfect design of flow lines and avoiding of

inclinations
 Introduction
 The reservoir rock compaction
along with the high pressure of the
fluid enforce fluids to flow
naturally

 The reservoir derive mechanism is

the mechanism by which reservoir

produces fluids and compensate for

the production https://www.spec2000.net/20-struct2.htm

 Introduction

After reservoir energy

delivers the fluids to the

wellbore, then the fluids can

be delivered to the surface

naturally (natural flow) or

supplementary energy is

https://www.epmag.com/getting-boost-1659046
needed (artificial lift)
 Reservoir depletion concepts

The natural energy to deliver reservoir fluids is supplied from:

i. Compaction of the reservoir rock matrix

ii. Expansion of the connate water

iii. Expansion of hydrocarbon phases present in the reservoir.

iv. Expansion of an underlying aquifer.

The reservoir can be under one or more derive mechanism

 Reservoir depletion concepts
Expansion of hydrocarbon phases present in

the reservoir depends mainly on the

reservoir pressure:

(a) Above the bubble point, expansion of the

http://www.timism.com/GlobalDying/OilDroughts/AW-
oil in place. AfricaWest/!R-Gen/NiShare-NigeriaFlaringShellOilCo.htm

(b) Below the bubble point expansion of the

co-existing oil and gas phases

(c) Expansion of any overlying gas cap.

http://slideplayer.com/slide/8400487/
Stage in field development
 Reservoir derive mechanisms
Solution Gas Drive

• If the reservoir is above the bubble point pressure, then with

production of oil, the energy is compensated by expansion of

the gas dissolved in the oil phase

• This will continue until the reservoir pressure drops to below

bubble point pressure.

Reservoir derive mechanisms
Solution Gas Drive
 Reservoir derive mechanisms
Gas Cap Expansion Drive
• Below bubble point pressure free gas will
be formed and the subsequent production
is compensated by expansion of both
dissolved and free gases.

• The released gas may migrate upward to

http://www.timism.com/GlobalDying/OilDroughts/AW-
AfricaWest/!R-Gen/NiShare-
form a gas cap. NigeriaFlaringShellOilCo.htm

• As a result, the properties of oil phase The volume of the gas cap
depends on:
change (higher viscosity and lower i. Average reservoir pressure
ii. Bubble point pressure
mobility) iii. GOR and gas composition
Reservoir derive mechanisms
Gas Cap Expansion Drive
 Reservoir derive mechanisms
Water Drive
• Water drive mechanism replaces the fluids produced from the
reservoir by either water aquifer expansion (edge or bottom
water drive) or via water injection.

From Ptech MSc module, Heriot Watt Univ.

Reservoir derive mechanisms
Water Drive

A- Strong water drive B-Partial water drive

http://wiki.aapg.org/Reservoir_drive_mechanisms
Reservoir derive mechanisms
Water Drive
 Reservoir derive mechanisms
Gravity Drive
• In gravity drive, a downdip drive to produced well is provided by the oil

column hydrostatic pressure and pressure of the gas cap.

• For such a system to be effective requires

maximum structural dip, low oil viscosity,

good vertical and horizontal permeability,

preferably an active gas cap and negligible

aquifer activity.
Reservoir derive mechanisms
Gravity Drive
 Reservoir derive mechanisms
Compaction Drive
• The energy provided by the fluids produced from the pores of the
rocks are compensated by overlaying sediments compacting lower
sediments (compactions of sediments above the production zone)

• The results: reduction in porosity and thus a potential compression

effect.

https://www.petropedia.com/understanding-reservoir-drive-mechanisms/2/9856
 Reservoir derive mechanisms
Combination Drive
• In the majority of reservoirs, the reservoir is controlled by
more than one drive mechanism.

http://wiki.aapg.org/Reservoir_drive_
http://wiki.aapg.org/Reservoir_drive_mecha
mechanisms
nisms
 Reservoir Depletion
(Material Balance Concepts)
Self-reading material
 Reservoir Depletion
Material Balance
• Material balance is a technique which relates the

movement into and removal of fluids from the reservoir to

the amount of fluid contained within the reservoir.

• The technique follows the principle of mass conservation

 Reservoir Depletion
Material Balance
• As a result of reservoir pressure declinations, the following changes take

place:

i. The rock pores become smaller

ii. Connate water will expand

iii. Oil, if undersaturated, will expand

iv. Oil, if saturated (below BBP), will shrink as gas is released

v. Free gas, if present will expand.

vi. Water may flow from an aquifer

Cumulative recovery from a reservoir
 Compressibility
• The (rock, oil, gas, water) compressibility is the change of the volume

of (rock, oil, gas, water) due to the change of reservoir pressure

Example of values
at 2000 psia
 General Form of Material Balance

Assuming that the reservoir contains: Oil, connate

water, solution gas, free gas, and rock
General Form of Material Balance
 Summary

• In this lecture, different drive mechanisms contributing

in production of hydrocarbons have been presented and
discussed. The material balance concepts was
introduced as introductory description and discussion
of reservoirs depletion.
 References
• Significant part of this lecture is taken from Heriot-Watt University MSc module (Production Technology).
 THANK YOU
© 2013 INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY PETRONAS SDN BHD
All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the permission of the copyright owner.