Overview of Key Remaining Issues in Reservoir Fluid Properties and Phase Behavior for Successful Reservoir Development Applications

1993 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.K. Pande ◽  
B.J. Meyer ◽  
B.S. Banthia ◽  
A.S. Lawal
Keyword(s):  
Phase Behavior ◽  
Reservoir Development ◽  
Reservoir Fluid ◽  
Fluid Properties ◽  
Development Applications

Numerical Investigation of Gravitational Compositional Grading in Hydrocarbon Reservoirs Using Centrifuge Data

2009 ◽  
Vol 12 (05) ◽  
pp. 793-802 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. David Ting ◽  
Birol Dindoruk ◽  
John Ratulowski
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Phase Behavior ◽  
Rock Properties ◽  
Model Parameters ◽  
Fluid Composition ◽  
Bulk Fluid ◽  
Reservoir Fluid ◽  
Fluid Systems ◽  
Fluid Properties ◽  
The Impact

Summary Fluid properties descriptions are required for the design and implementation of petroleum production processes. Increasing numbers of deep water and subsea production systems and high-temperature/high-pressure (HTHP) reservoir fluids have elevated the importance of fluid properties in which well-count and initial rate estimates are quite crucial for development decisions. Similar to rock properties, fluid properties can vary significantly both aerially and vertically even within well-connected reservoirs. In this paper, we have studied the effects of gravitational fluid segregation using experimental data available for five live-oil and condensate systems (at pressures between 6,000 and 9,000 psi and temperatures from 68 to 200°F) considering the impact of fluid composition and phase behavior. Under isothermal conditions and in the absence of recharge, gravitational segregation will dominate. However, gravitational effects are not always significant for practical purposes. Since the predictive modeling of gravitational grading is sensitive to characterization methodology (i.e., how component properties are assigned and adjusted to match the available data and component grouping) for some reservoir-fluid systems, experimental data from a specially designed centrifuge system and analysis of such data are essential for calibration and quantification of these forces. Generally, we expect a higher degree of gravitational grading for volatile and/or near-saturated reservoir-fluid systems. Numerical studies were performed using a calibrated equation-of-state (EOS) description on the basis of fluid samples taken at selected points from each reservoir. Comparisons of measured data and calibrated model show that the EOS model qualitatively and, in many cases, quantitatively described the observed equilibrium fluid grading behavior of the fluids tested. First, equipment was calibrated using synthetic fluid systems as shown in Ratulowski et al. (2003). Then real reservoir fluids were used ranging from black oils to condensates [properties ranging from 27°API and 1,000 scf/stb gas/oil ratio (GOR) to 57°API and 27,000 scf/stb GOR]. Diagnostic plots on the basis of bulk fluid properties for reservoir fluid equilibrium grading tendencies have been constructed on the basis of interpreted results, and sensitivities to model parameters estimated. The use of centrifuge data was investigated as an additional fluid characterization tool (in addition to composition and bulk phase behavior properties) to construct more realistic reservoir fluid models for graded reservoirs (or reservoirs with high grading potential) have also been investigated.

Effect of Dilution on Acoustic and Transport Properties of Reservoir Fluid Systems and Their Interplay

SPE Journal ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (06) ◽  
pp. 2867-2880
Author(s):  
Ram R. Ratnakar ◽  
Edward J. Lewis ◽  
Birol Dindoruk
Keyword(s):  
Measurement Techniques ◽  
Saturation Pressure ◽  
Ultrasonic Pulse ◽  
Acoustic Velocity ◽  
Viscosity Data ◽  
Reservoir Fluid ◽  
Fluid Systems ◽  
Fluid Properties ◽  
Volume Measurements ◽  
Live Oil

Summary Acoustic velocity is one of the key thermodynamic properties that can supplement phase behavior or pressure/volume/temperature (PVT) measurements of pure substances and mixtures. Several important fluid properties are relatively difficult to obtain through traditional measurement techniques, correlations, or equation of state (EOS) models. Acoustic measurements offer a simpler method to obtain some of these properties. In this work, we used an experimental method based on ultrasonic pulse-echo measurements in a high-pressure/high-temperature (HP/HT) cell to estimate acoustic velocity in fluid mixtures. We used this technique to estimate related key PVT parameters (such as compressibility), thereby bridging gaps in essential data. In particular, the effect of dilution with methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) at pressures from 15 to 62 MPa and temperatures from 313 to 344 K is studied for two reservoir fluid systems to capture the effect of the gas/oil ratio (GOR) and density variations on measured viscosity and acoustic velocity. Correlative analysis of the acoustic velocity and viscosity data were then performed to develop an empirical correlation that is a function of GOR. Such a correlation can be useful for improving the interpretation of the sonic velocity response and the calibration of viscosity changes when areal fluid properties vary with GOR, especially in disequilibrium systems. In addition, under isothermal conditions, the acoustic velocity of a live oil decreases monotonically with decreasing pressure until the saturation point where the trend is reversed. This observation can also be used as a technique to estimate the saturation pressure of a live oil or as a byproduct of the target experiments. It supplements the classical pressure/volume measurements to determine the bubblepoint pressure.

High-Pressure Data and Modeling Results for Phase Behavior and Asphaltene Onsets of Gulf of Mexico Oil Mixed With Nitrogen

2014 ◽  
Vol 17 (03) ◽  
pp. 384-395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Odd Steve Hustad ◽  
Na Jia ◽  
Karen Schou Pedersen ◽  
Afzal Memon ◽  
Sukit Leekumjorn
Keyword(s):  
High Pressure ◽  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Phase Behavior ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Viscosity Reduction ◽  
Fluid Composition ◽  
Viscosity Data ◽  
Oil Viscosity ◽  
Reservoir Fluid

Summary This paper presents fluid composition, high-pressure pressure/volume/temperature (PVT) measurements, and equation-of-state (EoS) modeling results for a recombined Tahiti oil, Gulf of Mexico (GoM), and for the oil mixed with nitrogen in various concentrations. The data include: Upper and lower asphaltene onset pressures and bubblepoint pressures for the reservoir fluid swelled with nitrogen. At the reservoir conditions of 94 MPa (13,634 psia) and 94°C (201.2°F), asphaltene precipitation is seen after the addition of 27 mol% of nitrogen. Viscosity data for the swelled fluids showing that the addition of nitrogen significantly reduces the oil viscosity. Slimtube runs indicating that the minimum miscibility pressure (MMP) of the oil with nitrogen is significantly higher than estimated from published correlations. The data were modeled with the volume-corrected Soave-Redlich-Kwong (SRK) EoS and the perturbed-chain statistical association fluid theory (PC-SAFT) EoS. Although both equations provide a good match of the PVT properties of the reservoir fluid, PC-SAFT is superior to the SRK EoS for simulating the upper asphaltene onset pressures and the liquid-phase compressibility of the reservoir fluid swelled with nitrogen. Nitrogen-gas flooding is expected to have a positive impact on oil recovery because of its favorable oil-viscosity-reduction and phase behavior effects.

A Sensitivity Study of Reservoir Performance Using a Compositional Reservoir Simulator

1972 ◽  
Vol 12 (01) ◽  
pp. 3-12
Author(s):  
Edward T.S. Huang
Keyword(s):  
Limited Range ◽  
Measured Data ◽  
Compositional Variation ◽  
Fluid Sample ◽  
Laboratory Measurements ◽  
Reservoir Performance ◽  
Reservoir Fluid ◽  
Liquid Phases ◽  
Fluid Properties ◽  
Compositional Simulator

Abstract Simulation of isothermal fluid flow in a reservoir using a compositional simulator requires fluid properties that are functions of pressure and properties that are functions of pressure and composition. These properties, i.e., K-values, densities and viscosities of both vapor and liquid phases, are usually obtained from general correlations phases, are usually obtained from general correlations or laboratory measurements of a reservoir fluid sample during a differential-depletion experiment in a PVT cell. prediction of fluid properties of complex mixtures using existing correlations is generally subject to great uncertainties. The laboratory measured data that are generally correlated as functions of pressure have validity only over a limited range of compositional variation. The purposes of this paper were (1) to assess, using a linear compositional simulator, the error introduced into calculated reservoir performance by employing fluids with a given range of uncertainties in their physical properties; and (2) to examine the validity of using the physical data correlated in the compositional simulator as functions of pressure rather than functions of both pressure and composition. The gas cycling process was chosen for illustration because composition changes during this process are large and results are affected more than in a depletion-type process. The hypothetical reservoir fluid system considered in this study was a methane-n-butane-n-decane mixture chosen to simulate a volatile oil system. The results of this investigation show for the particular system studied that:(1)the K-values for particular system studied that:(1)the K-values for the lighter components have the most significant effect on the calculated reservoir performance; and(2)simulations using fluid properties that are equivalent to the data measured during a differential depletion experiment reliably predict reservoir performance even under conditions where significant performance even under conditions where significant variations in reservoir fluid composition occur. Introduction A number of papers have recently been published concerning the development of compositional reservoir simulators-the mathematical models that simulate isothermal flow of multiphase, multicomponent fluids in porous media considering mass transfer effects. These models, which properly describe the distribution of each individual component in both vapor and liquid phases and account for pressure and compositional dependence of K-values, phase densities and viscosities, are more rigorous than the conventional simulators. The latter assumes that the heavy component does not exist in the vapor phase. To use the compositional simulator, it is highly desirable that fluid properties, i.e., K-values, densities and viscosities, as functions of pressure and composition, be available. However, for complex reservoir fluid mixtures, this information is rarely available. These fluid properties are usually calculated from published generalized correlations or obtained from laboratory measurements of a reservoir fluid sample by performing differential depletion experiments in a PVT cell. Prediction of fluid properties of complex mixtures using existing correlations is generally subject to great uncertainty. These errors will certainly have effects on the predicted reservoir performance. These effects may predicted reservoir performance. These effects may even be amplified if all the fluid properties are calculated from correlations. Improvement of the correlation predicted data by adjusting these data to match the limited available experimental values for the system of interest can be make. Yet there is no guarantee that the adjusted data will describe reliable fluid behavior in the region away from the matched points. On the other hand, the laboratory measured data, which are expressed as functions of pressure only, have validity over a limited range of pressure only, have validity over a limited range of compositional variation. When compositions of reservoir fluids vary significantly, the reliability of applying the laboratory measured data in the numerical simulation becomes questionable. SPEJ p. 3

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document