Well Testing

Techniques


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Module PKR09
WELCOME
RAJNESH GOGOI


UTC
Module PKR09
Well testing is the technique and method
for the evaluation of well conditions and reservoir
characteristics.

It involves producing a well at a constant rate or
series of rates, some of which may be zero (well
closed in), while simultaneously taking a continuous
recording of the changing pressure in the well bore
using some form of pressure recording device.
WHAT IS WELL TEST


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Module PKR09
To determine the following parameters

Initial pressure (p)
Average pressure within the drainage boundary (p)
Permeability thickness product(kh) and
permeability(k)
Mechanical skin factor (S)
Area drained (A)
Dietz shape factor (C
A
)
WHY TEST A WELL
Types of Well Tests
Productivity Well Test
Descriptive/Reservoir Test
Productivity Well Tests
Well is produced at several flow
rates
Stabilized BHP is measured
Plot of Pwf Vs Q = IPR
Slope of lines indicative of well
productivity
Pwf
Q
Applications of Productivity Well Tests
Identify produced fluids
Measure reservoir pressure and temperature
Obtain samples for PVT analysis
Evaluate completion efficiency
Evaluate workover or stimulation treatments
Descriptive/Reservoir Testing
Involves introducing abrupt changes in production
Associated changes in BHP monitored
Disturbances penetrate more than near-wellbore
Other reservoir properties can be determined
Shape of Pw Vs time curve is defined by reservoir
characteristics
Applications of Descriptive Tests
Evaluate Reservoir parameters
Skin,Flow Efficiency,Productivity index
Permeability
Reservoir pressure
Characterize reservoir heterogeneity
Reservoir extent/geometry
Hydraulic communication
Well Testing In Different Phases
Drilling phase
Open hole testing(Descriptive )
DST
RFT
Completion Phase
Productivity Tests
Production phase
Cased hole testing
Descriptive Tests
Important datas required in well testing



Core,log data(to check homogeneity,dual porosity,OWC,GWC etc.)
RFT,pressure depth profiles(to check pressure equilibrium and thus
homogeneity)
Geological model(for structural interpretation,position of OWC,GOC)
Drive mechanism
PVT fluid properties(Pb,Bo,Co,
Well completion(partial completion and partial penetration)
Tests in neighbouring wells completed in the same reservoir
Equipment (position of pressure gauge from reservoir datum depth)

Types of Well Tests
Pressure Drawdown
Pressure Build up
Multirate
Injection/fall-off
Interference
Pulse
Pressure Drawdown Tests
Shut in the well till
pressure reaches
static level & then
flowing the well at a
constant rate ,q &
measuring Pwf.

P
wf
t
q
Shut in
time
rate
Pressure Drawdown Tests
BASIC EQUATION OF PRESSURE DRAWDOWN TEST:
Pwf=Pi (162.6qB
o
/kh)((log t + log (k/C
t
r
w
2
)3.23+0.87s)
This is the equation of a straight line with slope
m = 162.6(q B
o
/kh)

From slope permeability and skin can be calculated as

k = 162.6(q B
o
/mh)
and
skin,S = 1.151(((P1hr - Pwf)/m) - log(k/ C
t
r
w
2
)+3.23)



Pressure Drawdown Tests
Advantages:
Suitable in new wells
No need to lose production
K,S,reservoir size can be determined
Disadvantages:
Difficult to maintain constant production rate.
Long shut in so that Pi is achieved is required.So suitable in new
wells.
Mulitrate Tests
Accounts for variable rate
history
Applications
Rate variations
kh product, Pr
Boundary
configurations
Skin,FE,PI etc.

P
wf
q
1

q
2

q
n-1

q
n

Pi
0 t
1
t
2
t
n-1
t
n

Time,hrs
Mulitrate Tests
Advantages:
No problem with variable flow rate
No loss of production
Reduced wellbore storage
Disadvantages:
Rate fluctuations are difficult to
measure,especially on a continuous basis.
Q1
Q2
Q3
Pressure Build-up Tests
Most preferred well testing
technique
The well is first produced at a
constant rate till pressure is
stabilized and then the well is
shut in
Pressure is recorded as a
function of time

P
wf
t
t
p
flowing
Shut-in
q
P
i

Pressure Build-up Tests
The basic equation of pressure build up test is P
ws

= P
i
- (162.6qB
o
/kh)log(t
p
+t/t) (Horner equation)
This is the equation of a straight line when plotted as Pw Vs
log (t
p
+t/t) (Horner plot) with slope m
=162.6qB
o
/kh and intercept P
i
From this k & s can be determined as k =
162.6(qB
o
/mh) and S =
1.1513(((P1hr-Pwf)/m)-log( k/

C
t
r
w
2
)+3.23) Fault
distance=(0.0122kt
x
/ C
t
)
1/2
p
skin
= 0.87ms
Pressure Build-up Tests
Advantages:
Precise control of rate
P* can be determined
Disadvantages:
Loss of production due to shut in.
Q(t)
Well Test Planning
Before designing a test an engineer should ensure that there should
not be
more than one zone open to wellbore
interzone communication due to poor cement bond
partial zone completion
It includes
Test type
Test duration

Well Test Planning
Operational requirements
well completion data
location and pattern of wells completed in the same
reservoir
rate data
fluid type
pressure data
Well Testing - Data Acquisition
Downhole Recorders
Record pressure and temperature
Components
Pressure Gauge
Power Source
Memory unit
1 to 2 recorders used
Surface pressure readout
Wireline link
Well Test Data Analysis
Diffusivity Equation
Model Recognition
Interpretation Software
DARCYS LAW AND ITS APPLICATION
IN 1856, A FRENCH ENGINEER HENRY DARCY
FORMULATED THE LAW
THIS IS THE MOTHER OF ALL RESRVOIR ENGINEERING
CALCULATIONS
STUDY WAS ON UNCONSOLIDATED SAND FILTER BEDS
DARCYS LAW AND ITS APPLICATION
DARCYS LAW STATES THAT THE VELOCITY OF A
HOMOGENEOUS FLUID IN A POROUS MEDIA IS
PROPORTIONAL TO THE PRESSURE GRADIENT, AND
INVERSELY PROPORTIONAL TO THE FLUID VISCOSITY
V= - (K/ ) ( P/ L)=q/A
DARCYS LAW AND ITS APPLICATION
APPLIES ONLY IN LAMINAR FLOW
DOESNOT APPLY IN TURBULENT FLOW
DOES NOT REPRESENT THE FLOW THROUGH
INDIVIDUAL PORE SPACES BUT AVERAGES THE
FLOW OF SEVERAL PORE CHANNELS.IT IS A
STATISTICAL LAW
DARCYS LAW AND ITS APPLICATION
THE UNIT OF PERMEABILITY IS DARCY.
A ROCK OF 1DARCY PERMEABILITY IS ONE IN
WHICH A FLUID OF 1 CP VISCOSITY MOVE AT A
VELOCITY OF 1CM/SEC UNDER A PRESSURE
GRADIENT OF 1ATMOSPHERE/CM.
DARCYS LAW AND ITS APPLICATION
THE UNIT OF PERMEABILITY IS DARCY.
A ROCK OF 1DARCY PERMEABILITY IS ONE IN
WHICH A FLUID OF 1 CP VISCOSITY MOVE AT A
VELOCITY OF 1CM/SEC UNDER A PRESSURE
GRADIENT OF 1ATMOSPHERE/CM.
DARCYS LAW AND ITS APPLICATION
APPLICATIONS
TO CALCULATE THE FLOW RATE
TO CALCULATE THE P.I. OF A WELL
TO CALCULATE PRESSURE DRAWDOWN
IN RESERVOIR SIMULATION
TO INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY BY WELL
STIMULATION
A properly designed, executed, and analyzed well test can provide information:

about formation permeability

reservoir initial or average pressure

sand-face condition (well damage or stimulation)

volume of drainage area

boundary and discontinuities

reservoir heterogeneity

distance or extension of the fracture induced

validation of geological model.

To sum up : Well Test

Well Test data when combined with hydrocarbon production data, and laboratory
data on fluid and rock properties:

afford the means to estimate the original hydrocarbon in-place

and the recovery that may be expected from the reservoir under various modes of
exploitation

In addition, well test data and IPR well performance equations, combined with
production data, help to design, analyze, and optimize total well production system
or production optimization.
To sum up : Well Test

Further, it is important to determine the ability of a formation to produce
reservoir fluids and underlying reason for a well's productivity.
Flare
Surge Tank
3 Phase
seperator
Choke
manifold
I/Heater
Lab cum data
center
Pumps
Typical layout of well test setup
48 THREE PHASE SEPARATOR
CHOKE MANIFOLD
3 HEAD SEA SNAKE BURNER
GROUND FLARE
Diffusivity Equation



Assumptions:
Horizontal flow of a single phase fluid inward to a wellbore
located at the center of a radial volumetric element
Formation is both homogeneous and isotropic
The central well is perforated across the entire formation
thickness
Negligible gravity effect
Applicability of Darcys law
,,C
t ,
k are independent of pressure
Single phase fluid is present in the reservoir
Diffusivity Equation
2
p/ r
2
+ 1/r ( p/ r) = (C
t
k) p/ t


Partial differential equation
Describes physical processes occurring in the reservoir
Solutions depend on boundary conditions
Reservoir Extent
Initial Pressure
Pressure Build-up Tests
MDH plots
Q(t)
P
ws

log (t)
LTR MTR ETR
Deep fracture,small wbs
Small wbs
No s,no wbs
+s,large wbs
- s,large wbs
No s medium wbs
+s,small wbs
Closed boundary
Semi log straight line
Constant pressure boundary
Pressure increase due to fault
Pressure decline from offset production
LOG-LOG PLOTS
Log-log plots are used in welltest interpretation
It is a plot of pressure change Vs log( t
p
+t/t) in BU & Vs logt in DD
In wellbore storage affected region it gives
unit slope line
Derivatives are differentiation of pressure
change wrt time
Boundary effects are evident by late time
variation of the derivative value

Q(t)
Pressure
change &
derivative
Elapsed time
LOG-LOG PLOTS
0.010 0.100 1.000 10.000 100.000
0
1x10
1
1x10
2
1x10
3
1x10
4
1x10
Elapsed time
P
r
e
s
s
u
r
e

c
h
a
n
g
e

&

d
e
r
i
v
a
t
i
v
e

1.5 log cycles
1
6
4
3
2
5
7
1=Infinite homogeneous reservoir
2=No flow barrier-faulted reservoir
3=Parallel faults-linear reservoir
4=Perpendicular faults
5=Constant pressure boundary
6=Parallel no flow &constant
pressure boundary
7=Net pay variation-linear


Special Cases In Well Testing
Afterflow
occurs because of surface shut in
end of this region can be approximately 1 1/2log cycle
away from unit slope
LOG-LOG PLOTS
0.010 0.100 1.000 10.000 100.000
0
1x10
1
1x10
2
1x10
3
1x10
4
1x10
Elapsed time
P
r
e
s
s
u
r
e

c
h
a
n
g
e

&

d
e
r
i
v
a
t
i
v
e

1.5 log cycles
Special Cases In Well Testing
Partial penetration or completion
results in additional pressure drop
S=(h
t
/h
p
)s
d
+s
p
where s=total skin h
t
=total
formation thickness h
p
=perforated
interval s
d
=damage skin s
p
=partial penetration
skin
s
p
=(h
t
/h
p
-1)(ln(h
t
/h
p
(k
h
/k
v
)
0.5
)-2)
Some Special Formation Types
Composite System
the fluid & rock properties varies in a steplike fashion
in radial direction away from the well
.
well
Zone 1: k
1
,c
t1
,
1,
,
1
Zone 2:k
2
,c
t2
,
2
,
2


Some Special Formation Types
Layered Reservoir:Two types
layered reservoir with crossflow in which the layers
are hydrodynamically communicating at the contact
planes
layered reservoir without crossflow in which the layers
communicate only through wellbore(commingled
production)


Some Special Formation Types
Double porosity system
two distinct porosity types-matrix & fracture porosity
the condition applies to fractured reservoir or layered
reservoir with a large contrast in rock properties



HORNER PLOTS(Double porosity system)
0.010 0.100 1.000 10.000 100.000
0
1x10
1
1x10
2
1x10
3
1x10
4
1x10
Elapstyed time
D
i
m
e
n
s
i
o
n
l
e
s
s

p
r
e
s
s
u
r
e

1.5 log cycles


Pw
Elapsed time
Pressure Transient Analysis
Raw Data
Model
Identification
log-log analysis
Specialized
Analysis
Well and Reservoir
Parameters
Checking Procedures
Methodology
Pressure Transient Analysis - Steps
1. Draw diagnostic (log-log) plot
2. Identify flow regimes
3. Draw specialized plots(if any)
4. Calculate well and reservoir parameters
5. Choose basic well and reservoir model and
re-compute parameters using Type Curves
6. Check for consistency by comparing results
Model Recognition
Step 5: Re-compute parameters using Type Curves
Type Curves
Generalized solutions to diffusivity equation
Graphical form
Depends on reservoir models and flow regimes
Most common
Homogeneous reservoir with wellbore storage
Type Curve Matching
Diagnostic Plot is matched with a Type Curve
Calculate parameters from given equations
Type Curve for a Homogeneous Reservoir
Wellbore Storage Effect