PVT Experiments Introduction P-V-T (Pressure-Volume-Temperature) analyses are performed in a specialized high-pressure laboratory and require well-trained laboratory

technologists. Routine PVT analyses generally consist of: Constant composition expansion (CCE) Differential liberation (DL) Constant volume depletion (CVD) Multi-stage separation

Each of these tests is described below in detail for both oil and retrograde gas. Constant composition expansion (CCE) Oil The pressure-volume relationship (or constant composition expansion) is studied at reservoir temperature, or at any other specified temperature, starting from a pressure above the initial static reservoir pressure down to a relative volume (Vr) at least equal to two:

Vr =

Total volume @ given p & Tr . Volume @ bubble po int & Tr

Side View

HP Pumps

Cathetometer

Solvent

oil

Magnetic Mixer

Figure 5.02. 1Schematic of DBR Phase Behavior System

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PVT Experiments

The reservoir fluid sample is first homogenized in the cylinder by agitation at reservoir temperature and pressure. Then a small portion of the fluid (30 ~ 50 cc) is transferred into the Oilphase-DBR PVT cell at the agitation conditions. Once the fluid has reached thermal equilibrium in the cell at the test temperature, the fluid total volume, liquid/vapor volume are measured at each step. The test is completed until the total volume reaches the cell maximum capacity (~100 cc). The fluids bubble point is defined as the pressure at which the first gas bubble evolves from the liquid. The release of the vapor phase usually makes the p-V curve bent upward due to higher compressibility of the vapor phase. A typical CCE data table is presented below:
Constant Composition Expansion for an Oil at 47C
Pressure (psia) Relative Vol (Vr=V/Vs) Liquid Vol% (Vl/Vt) Liquid Vol% (Vl/Vb) Liquid Density (g/cm3) 0.796 0.793 0.791 0.788 0.785 0.783 0.779 0.776 0.775 0.774 0.773 0.772 0.772 106Co psia-1 6.09 6.37 6.67 6.97 7.30 7.64 7.98 8.33 8.42 8.57 8.73 8.82 8.87 3.88 3.80 3.64 3.52 3.42 3.23 3.07 2.89 Y Function

pi pb

6015 5515 5015 4515 4015 3515 3015 2530 2415 2215 2015 1900 1825 1744 1636 1455 1297 1174 1016 816 633

0.970 0.972 0.976 0.979 0.982 0.986 0.990 0.994 0.995 0.997 0.998 0.999 1.000 1.012 1.030 1.070 1.116 1.162 1.246 1.403 1.652

100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 98.53 96.30 91.98 87.53 83.57 77.26 67.97 57.06

100 99.71 99.23 98.41 97.66 97.12 96.30 95.35 94.26

The isothermal compressibility is defined as follows: Co = 1 Vr Vr p

The Y function value is defined as:

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PVT Experiments

pb p . V p( 1) Vb The Y function, plotted as a function of pressure, is expected to be a straight line for most of the oil fluids and it is used to fine tune the bubble point pressure or to smooth the volume data in two phase region. Y= The following plot shows relative volume as a function of pressure. It can be seen that the fluid volume increases a lot more substantially at pressures below the bubble point than above the bubble point pressure.
1.7 1.6 1.5 Relative Volume (Vt/Vt @ Pb) 1.4 1.3 1.2 1.1 1 0.9 0.8 0 1000 2000 3000 Pressure (psia) 4000 5000 6000 7000

Retrograde Gas

The same PVT cell is used for a retrograde gas CCE test at reservoir temperature or any other specified temperature. The testing procedure is similar in terms of measuring fluid total volume, liquid/vapor volume in two-phase region. But a retrograde gas exhibits a dew point pressure, which is determined by observation of dews or foggy cloud. The dew point pressure is defined as the pressure at which the first liquid drop is formed. The pressure-volume relationship for a retrograde gas typically does not have a break point. In other words, it is a smooth curve for most of the retrograde gas samples. Condensate or liquid volumes in the cell are reported as a percentage of total fluid volume at the current pressure or as a percentage of total fluid volume at the dew point pressure pd. A graph of the retrograde liquid deposit versus declining reservoir pressure is also provided.

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PVT Experiments

The low liquid volume is measured by use of a cone-shaped piston. The liquid occupies the annular space between the glass tube and the piston with an increased liquid column height for better accuracy. The gas deviation factor (z) is calculated by: z= where: p MW R T = = = = = pressure molecular weight (mass) density universal gas constant temperature pMW , RT

The following table presents an example of CCE test data table for a lean retrograde gas.

Constant Composition Expansion for a Retrograde Gas at 70C

Pressure (psia) % Liquid (Vl/Vt) % Liquid (Vl/Vd) Rel. Vol. (Vt/Vd) Bulk Density (g/cc) (g/cm3) 0.305 0.300 0.293 0.289 0.282 0.274 0.266 0.257 0.241 0.235 0.222 0.215 0.203 0.190 0.171 0.149 0.125 0.098 0.087 106Co (1/psia) Z-Factor

10015 9515 9015 8515 8015 7515 7015 6515 5800 5515 5013 4730 4352 3965 3454 2953 2447 1942 1710

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Nil 0.06 0.13 0.21 0.29 0.43 0.54 0.57 0.48 0.42

0 Nil 0.07 0.14 0.25 0.37 0.60 0.88 1.10 1.18 1.17

0.792 0.804 0.823 0.837 0.857 0.881 0.908 0.941 1.000 1.028 1.086 1.125 1.187 1.268 1.412 1.620 1.939 2.459 2.778

29 33 38 44 51 59 67 76 91

1.435 1.385 1.343 1.290 1.244 1.198 1.153 1.109 1.050

It can be seen from the above table that the dew point was observed at 5800 psia but the first measurable liquid was not available until 5000 psia. This is usually shown on the retrograde liquid deposit (RLD) curve as a tail. The leaner a retrograde gas, the longer the tail.

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PVT Experiments

1.4

1.2

Vl/Vd

1.0

0.8 Liquid (%) 0.6

0.4

Vl/Vt

0.2

0.0 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 Pressure (psia) 4000 4500 5000 5500 6000

Differential Liberation (DL)

Differential liberation is a test considered better describing the separation process, taking place in the reservoir and is also considered to simulate the flowing behavior of hydrocarbon systems above the critical gas saturation. During this test the reservoir fluid is depleted by 6 to 10 steps from saturation pressure to abandonment pressure and the solution gas liberated at each step is continuously removed from contact with its equilibrium oil.
Gas off Gas V1=Vb Oil V3=V2<Vb
Gas

V4=V3=V2<Vb

Oil V5<V4<Vb

Gas

V2<Vb

Oil

Oil

Oil

p1=pb

p2<pb

p2<pb

p2<pb

p3<p2<pb

Figure 5.02. 2 - Schematic of a Differential Liberation Test

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PVT Experiments

When the pressure of the cell is reduced to a value below pb, the gas cap that is formed is pushed out from the cell to a gasometer. The remaining liquid is subsequently depleted down to the next pressure step. The liberated gas is analyzed by gas chromatography for molecular composition. The gas gravity and viscosity are calculated based on the measured composition. The following parameters are measured or calculated from other sets of data:
Differential Liberation Test Liquid Properties
Pressure Oil Volume Factor (Bo) (psia) pi 15000 13138 12206 11275 10344 9413 8481 7550 6619 5688 4756 pb 4629 3335 2688 2041 1394 747 100 15 (bbl/stb) 1.245 1.252 1.257 1.261 1.266 1.272 1.278 1.284 1.292 1.300 1.310 1.311 1.227 1.189 1.153 1.118 1.084 1.043 1.024 Solution Gas GOR Rs (scf/bbl) 682 682 682 682 682 682 682 682 682 682 682 682 471 375 285 199 117 26 0 Calculated Liquid Density (g/cm3) 0.803 0.798 0.795 0.792 0.789 0.786 0.782 0.778 0.774 0.769 0.763 0.762 0.790 0.803 0.818 0.832 0.848 0.865 0.872

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PVT Experiments Differential Liberation Vapor Properties

Pressure Gas FVF Bg (psia) pb 4629 3335 2688 2041 1394 747 100 15 895 1091 1433 2129 4102 32114 218967 0.910 0.894 0.892 0.905 0.934 0.979 0.981 0.021 0.019 0.017 0.015 0.014 0.012 0.009 0.652 0.637 0.627 0.623 0.636 0.827 1.588 (bbl/mm ft )
3

Z Factor

Calculated Gas Viscosity (cP)

Vapor Gravity (air=1)

Total FVF Bt (bbl/stb) 1.311 1.416 1.528 1.729 2.144 3.335 20.779 141.051

Oil Formation Volume Factor:

Bo =

Volume of oil at given p & Tr Volume of residual oil at std conditions

1.35 1.3 Oil Volume Factor Bo (bbl/stb) 1.25 1.2 1.15 1.1 1.05 1 0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 12000 14000 16000

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PVT Experiments Solution Gas Oil Ratio:

Rs =

Volume of liberated gas at std. conditions Volume of residual oil at std. conditions

800 700 Solution Gas Oil Ratio (scf/stb) 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 12000 14000 16000

Liquid Density:

Liquid density is computed at a given pressure step, using the mass of gas liberated at that pressure and the mass of oil at the previous step and the volume ratios measured during the DL experiment.

0.88 0.86 0.84

Liquid Density (g/cm3)

0.82 0.8 0.78 0.76 0.74 0 2000 4000 6000 8000 Pressure (psia) 10000 12000 14000 16000

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PVT Experiments Gas Deviation Factor:

Z=
0.99 0.98 0.97 Gas Deviation Factor (Z) 0.96 0.95 0.94 0.93 0.92 0.91 0.9 0.89 0.88 0

p MW pV z std. T std. or = T p std. Vstd. RT

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

Gas Gravity:

g =

MW MW of Air (28.96)

0.85 0.8 0.75 Gas Gravity (air=1) 0.7 0.65 0.6 0.55 0.5 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000

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PVT Experiments Gas Viscosity:

Gas viscosity is usually calculated by correlations or corresponding states theory.

0.025

0.02

Gas Viscosity (cP)

0.015

0.01

0.005

0 0 500 1000 1500 2000 Pressure (psia) 2500 3000 3500 4000

Constant Volume Depletion (CVD)

Constant volume depletion is a process by which the reservoir fluid is depleted in a PVT cell by usually 8-10 steps from saturation pressure down to a selected abandonment pressure. Abandonment pressure, which is defined as the lowest pressure below which the reservoir is no longer economical, is typically chosen to be in the range of 500 to 1000 psia. The fluid sample, once charged into the PVT cell, is first measured for volume at saturation pressure. For each step, the cell volume is expanded until the pressure is reduced to the specified stage level. After equilibrium is established at this pressure, enough gas is produced from the top of the cell so that the total fluid volume occupies the same volume that it was occupied at the initial step at the saturation pressure. When the gas is produced from the top of the cell, it is analyzed for composition and measured for volume. These data enable the calculation of recovery as a function of pressure. In addition, the retrograde liquid deposit in the cell is measured. It is considered that this process simulates closely the actual depletion that takes place in a gas condensate reservoir, where only gas is produced, the condensate deposits stays in the pores of the formation, the total hydrocarbon pore volume remains constant regardless of pressure change and there is no water influx into the reservoir. The following schematic shows a typical series steps in a constant volume depletion study:

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PVT Experiments
Gas off

V1=Vd

V2>Vd

Oil

Oil

Oil Oil

p1=pd

p2<pd

p2<pd

p2<pd

V4>Vd

Gas

V3 =Vd

Gas

Gas

Gas

Gas

p3<p2<pd

Figure 5.02. 3 - Schematic of a Constant Volume Depletion Study

Constant Volume Depletion

Pressure psia 5975 5200 4500 3800 3200 2700 2100 1500 1000 Total Recovery (%) 0.00 6.34 13.66 23.11 32.96 42.28 54.25 66.94 77.63 1.067 0.991 0.926 0.878 0.854 0.845 0.848 0.869 0.899 Produced Vapor Properties Z Factor MW (g/gmol) 27.39 27.21 26.72 25.29 24.17 23.47 22.89 22.57 22.55 Density (g/cm ) 0.345 0.321 0.292 0.246 0.204 0.169 0.127 0.088 0.056 0.00 0.40 2.03 6.48 8.69 9.38 9.37 8.90 8.29 0.784 0.615 0.590 0.603 0.619 0.651 0.681 0.704
3

Calculated Liquid Properties Volume % Density (g/cm )

3

Two Phase Z Factor

1.067 0.992 0.931 0.882 0.853 0.837 0.826 0.827 0.831

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PVT Experiments Cumulative Recovery:

Qp =

Cumulative Moles of Pr oduced Gas x100% Total Initial Moles of Fluid in Cell

90 80 70 60 Total Recovery (%) 50 40 30 20 10 0 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 Pressure (psia) 5000 6000 7000

Retrograde Liquid Deposit:

rld or VL % =

Volume of Liquid at p & T X100% Volume of Fluid at Dew Po int Pr essure

10 9 8
Retrograde Liquid Deposit (%)

7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 Pressure (psia) 5000 6000 7000

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PVT Experiments Gas Deviate Factor (Z):

1.1

1.05

1 Gas Z Factor

0.95

0.9

0.85

0.8 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 Pressure (psia) 5000 6000 7000

Separation Test (ST)

A separation test is to simulate the separation process of the reservoir fluid when it is produced to the surface. The data obtained from this test help design the optimal separator conditions for maximal amount of stock tank oil recovery. With the Oilphase-DBR PVT cell, the procedure for performing a separation test is similar to that for a differential liberation test except that the temperature in a ST may vary from stage to stage. A sample of reservoir fluid is charged into the cell and measured for volume at reservoir temperature and saturation pressure. Then the cell pressure and temperature are set to the first specified stage conditions, at which the sample is equilibrated. After the vapor and liquid volume is quantified, the vapor is completely pushed out from the cell for compositional and volumetric measurement. The remaining liquid in the cell is then flashed to the next specified separator conditions and repeat the measurements and analyses, until the last stage typically at atmospheric pressure. The following table presents an example multistage separation test data set. The definition for GOR, oil formation volume factor is the same as that in a DL test. The shrinkage factor is defined as: Shr = Oil Volume at Pr evious Stage . Oil Volume at Current Stage

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PVT Experiments Four Stage Separation Test

STAGE #1 Pressure-psia Temperature-F Vap. Den (g/cm3) Liq. Den (g/cm ) Vap. MW Vap. Gravity
c a 3

STAGE #2 250 110 0.012 0.872 18.21 0.628 1114 26 25 1.029

STAGE #3 100 90 0.005 0.880 19.46 0.672 1185 20 19 1.016

STAGE #4 15 70 0.001 0.887 28.09 0.969 1648 17 17 1.004

500 150 0.023 0.859 18.18 0.627 1106 581 554 1.049

Vap Heat Val.b GOR

d

GOR Sep. FVFe

a) Calculated, at 60F (air=1) b) Calculated, Dry basis BTU/scf c) scf gas/bbl of oil at STD conditions d) scf gas/bbl of oil at separator conditions e) Liquid volume at sep conditions/liquid volume at STD conditions Residual oil density at standard conditions 0.891 g/cm
3

0.638 Sep gas gravity (average) Sg = Rpjj/Rpj Where: Rp: GOR (scf gas/bbl of oil at STD conditions), j: separator stages Sep gas gross heating value (average) Lc =Rpj*Lcj/Rpj 1124 Where: Rp: GOR (scf gas/bbl of oil at STD conditions), j: separator stages BTU/scf (dry basis)

Shrinkage From Psat & Tres to first Sep conditions From first to second Sep conditions From second to third Sep conditions From third to fourth Sep conditions From fourth to fifth Sep conditions From fifth to sixth Sep conditions SEPARATOR SUMMARY 0.814 0.981 0.988 0.988

FVF 1.229 1.019 1.012 1.012

Total Separator GOR SeparatorSTO Gravity b Separator FVF

a) scf gas/bbl of STO at STD conditions b) Liquid volume at pb & Ti/STO volume at STD

644 27.4 1.288

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