Practical Reservoir Engineering and Characterization - Richard O. Baker, Jerry Jensen, Harvey W. Yarranton

Practical Reservoir Engineering and Characterization (eBook)

Richard O. Baker, Jerry Jensen, Harvey W. Yarranton (Autoren)

eBook Download: PDF | EPUB

2015 | 1. Auflage
534 Seiten
Elsevier Science (Verlag)
978-0-12-801823-1 (ISBN)

Practical Reservoir Characterization expertly explains key technologies, concepts, methods, and terminology in a way that allows readers in varying roles to appreciate the resulting interpretations and contribute to building reservoir characterization models that improve resource definition and recovery even in the most complex depositional environments.

It is the perfect reference for senior reservoir engineers who want to increase their awareness of the latest in best practices, but is also ideal for team members who need to better understand their role in the characterization process. The text focuses on only the most critical areas, including modeling the reservoir unit, predicting well behavior, understanding past reservoir performance, and forecasting future reservoir performance.

The text begins with an overview of the methods required for analyzing, characterizing, and developing real reservoirs, then explains the different methodologies and the types and sources of data required to characterize, forecast, and simulate a reservoir.

Thoroughly explains the data gathering methods required to characterize, forecast, and simulate a reservoir
Provides the fundamental background required to analyze, characterize, and develop real reservoirs in the most complex depositional environments
Presents a step-by-step approach for building a one, two, or three-dimensional representation of all reservoir types

Practical Reservoir Characterization expertly explains key technologies, concepts, methods, and terminology in a way that allows readers in varying roles to appreciate the resulting interpretations and contribute to building reservoir characterization models that improve resource definition and recovery even in the most complex depositional environments. It is the perfect reference for senior reservoir engineers who want to increase their awareness of the latest in best practices, but is also ideal for team members who need to better understand their role in the characterization process. The text focuses on only the most critical areas, including modeling the reservoir unit, predicting well behavior, understanding past reservoir performance, and forecasting future reservoir performance. The text begins with an overview of the methods required for analyzing, characterizing, and developing real reservoirs, then explains the different methodologies and the types and sources of data required to characterize, forecast, and simulate a reservoir. Thoroughly explains the data gathering methods required to characterize, forecast, and simulate a reservoir Provides the fundamental background required to analyze, characterize, and develop real reservoirs in the most complex depositional environments Presents a step-by-step approach for building a one, two, or three-dimensional representation of all reservoir types

Introduction

Abstract

This chapter provides a brief outline of the nature and practice of reservoir engineering. The main functions of a reservoir engineer are discussed, including estimates of hydrocarbon volumes in place, production forecasting, and field development planning. Typical well types and completion types are discussed. The role and significance of reservoir geology and characterization are highlighted. Reservoir classification by fluid type, reservoir architecture, drive mechanism, and flow characterization is reviewed, and workflows for reservoir characterization are presented. The chapter concludes with an explanation of the approach, purpose, and organization of the book.

Keywords

Characterization; Classification; Reservoir engineering; Well types; Workflows

Chapter Outline

1.1 Overview of Reservoir Engineering 5

1.1.1 Estimation of Volumes in Place, Reserves, and Rates of Recovery 5

1.1.2 Determining the Field Development Plan 9

1.2 Reservoir Classifications 10

1.2.1 Fluid Type 12

1.2.2 Drive Mechanism 12

1.2.3 Reservoir Architecture and Bulk Fluid Flow 14

1.2.3.1 Direction of Fluid Flow 16

1.2.3.2 Uniformity of Flow 17

1.2.3.3 Flow of Solution Gas 20

1.2.3.4 Reservoir Architecture Limitations of Data and Need for Iteration 21

1.2.4 Near-Wellbore Flow 22

1.2.5 Using Reservoir Classifications 22

1.3 General Workflow for Reservoir Characterization 25

1.3.1 The Conceptual Model—From the Simple to the Complex 25

1.3.2 Recommended Workflow 28

1.4 Approach and Purpose of This Book 30

1.4.1 Approach to Reservoir Engineering 30

1.4.2 Purpose and Organization of Book 31

Petroleum is a hydrocarbon mixture derived from organic material. It can exist as a solid (coal), a liquid (oil), or a gas (natural gas). This book is primarily concerned with oil, although, as we shall see, gas and water are always associated with oil. Before considering oil reservoir engineering, let us review where oil is found and how oil is produced.

A common misconception is that oil and natural gas are found in underground caverns. In fact, oil and gas are found within the microscopic pores of rocks, Figure 1.0.1. A rock formation that contains petroleum is termed a petroleum-bearing reservoir. Not all petroleum reservoirs are productive. Petroleum must be able to flow through the pore spaces of the formation. Hence, the pores must form a connected network. The term permeability is defined as a measure of the flow capacity of this pore network. Petroleum can only be economically produced from a reservoir with sufficient permeability. The permeable rock formation must also be overlain by impermeable rock, forming a trap that prevents the petroleum from migrating out of the reservoir. Figure 1.0.2 shows a schematic of a trapped hydrocarbon deposit.

To produce petroleum, wells are drilled into the reservoir. The pressure in the wellbore is lower than in the reservoir, and reservoir fluid flows into the wellbore and up to surface. As shown in Figure 1.0.3, there are several types of wells, including vertical, deviated, horizontal, and multilateral. Historically, most wells are vertical wells. Vertical wells contact the full height of the reservoir, but through a single hole that is usually less than a foot in diameter. Deviated wells are vertical wells drilled at an angle up to about 65°. Deviated wells are used when it is necessary to drill underneath a surface obstacle, such as a lake, or when many wells are drilled from a single drilling platform. Horizontal wells are a relatively recent technical advance. They can contact a large reservoir area, but may not contact the full height of a reservoir. Multilaterals are horizontal wells with extensions added to the main bore hole.

Figure 1.0.1 Photograph of a core cut from a reservoir and a micrograph of a thin section from a core. The black regions in the micrograph are the pore space, while the dark and light grey areas are the solid rock. Images from: http://rockhou.se/page/3/ and http://ior.senergyltd.com/issue8/pnp/herriot_watt/, January 7, 2012.

Figure 1.0.2 Hydrocarbon trap containing oil and gas.

Figure 1.0.3 Types of wells.

There are also different approaches to making the wellbore ready to produce fluids, that is, completing the well. Some wells are open hole at the formation of interest. Most wells are cased; that is, steel pipe is cemented in the drilled hole to prevent hole collapse and fluid migration from one formation to another. The casing is then perforated; holes are made through the casing into the formation so that reservoir fluid can reach the wellbore. Schematics of some different completion types are provided in Figure 1.0.4.

In some cases, the formation around the well is stimulated, typically through acid injection or hydraulic fracturing. Acid injection can dissolve material near the wellbore that may be restricting production. Hydraulic fracturing involves injecting fluid at high pressure to crack open the formation. Proppants (solid particles such as sand or ceramic beads) are injected into the open fractures to hold the fracture open after the pressure is reduced. The propped fractures create two planar conduits for fluid flow. Once the well is drilled and completed, production tubing is placed in the well, and the reservoir fluids are produced. A pump may be added to reduce the pressure in the wellbore and increase production rates. A schematic of a producing well is provided in Figure 1.0.5.

Figure 1.0.4 Schematics of four methods of well completion. Other configurations are also possible.

Once reservoir fluids reach the surface, they are separated into gas, oil, and water streams. An oilfield surface facility is shown in Figure 1.0.6. Gas, liquid, and water flow rates are measured for each well or group of wells so that the produced volumes can be allocated to the owners of the wells. Gas is compressed and sent by pipeline to a gas plant for further processing. Sometimes in remote locations or due to lack of market for gas, the gas is flared. Oil is sent to an oil pipeline and eventually to a refinery. Water is usually re-injected into a suitable formation.

Figure 1.0.5 Schematic of a producing oil well.

Figure 1.0.6 Photograph of a large oil battery in Kuwait. http://www.en-fabinc.com/en/gathering.shtml, 2012.

1.1. Overview of Reservoir Engineering

Petroleum reservoirs and their associated wells and facilities make up the assets of petroleum-producing companies. The main objective of a petroleum-producing company is to increase the value of its petroleum reservoirs for its stakeholders. The value of a petroleum reservoir depends on several factors: the amount of petroleum in the reservoir; the amount that can be produced; how rapidly the petroleum can be produced; the capital and operating costs involved in recovering the petroleum; royalties and taxes; and the price paid for the petroleum. Petroleum assets can also be discovered, acquired, or sold to increase the value of the company. A petroleum producer usually attempts to maximize its value in all of these areas and to do so calls on various disciplines, including land management, geophysics, geology, engineering, economics, marketing, and accounting.

Roughly speaking, geologists, geophysicists, and petrophysicists describe rock properties and reservoir structure. Production engineers manage wells and surface facilities. Reservoir engineers manage the reservoir. The objective of a reservoir engineer is to produce as much of the petroleum in the reservoir as possible, as quickly as possible, and at the lowest cost, but at the same time maximize economic value. In other words, the role of the reservoir engineer is to determine the maximum amount of petroleum that can be recovered economically, the optimum production rate under existing operations, and the applicability of waterflooding, gas flooding, or enhanced oil recovery (EOR) for the reservoir.

1.1.1. Estimation of Volumes in Place, Reserves, and Rates of Recovery

There is an important distinction to be made between the hydrocarbon in the reservoir (original oil in place and original gas in place, or OOIP and OGIP) and the recoverable hydrocarbon (oil and gas reserves). OOIP and OGIP are what nature provides, while the reserves are what we can economically extract from the reservoir. The OOIP and OGIP partially dictate what recovery schemes can be used and how much of those reserves can be recovered. The ratio of reserves to hydrocarbon in place is defined as the recovery factor.

Two general methods can be used to predict oil in place volumes:

• Volumetrics,

• Material balance.

Five general forecasting methods can be used to determine recoverable volumes (reserves) and production rates:

• Analogy,

• Decline analysis,

• Data mining,

•...

Erscheint lt. Verlag	30.4.2015
Sprache	englisch
Themenwelt	Naturwissenschaften ► Physik / Astronomie
Themenwelt	Technik ► Elektrotechnik / Energietechnik
ISBN-10	0-12-801823-2 / 0128018232
ISBN-13	978-0-12-801823-1 / 9780128018231

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