Petroleum Engineering 613 — Natural Gas Engineering Lecture 7 — Deliverability Testing of Gas Wells

Deliverability Testing of Gas Wells

At the end of this module, you will:

●Be able to describe the absolute open-flow (AOF) potential.
●Be able to describe the gas backpressure curve.
●Be able to describe how to conduct a "flow-after-flow" test.
●Be able to describe a "single point" test.
●Be able to describe the isochronal and modified isochronal test approaches.
●Be able to describe the Houpeurt theoretical gas-flow equations.
●Be able to describe the Rawlins and Schellhardt empirical gas flow equations.
●Be familiar with Houpeurt's comments regarding Eqs. 7.23 and 7.24.
●Be familiar with "stabilization time" as it relates to deliverability testing.
●Be able to sketch a schematic plot (rate & pressure) for a "flow-after-flow" test.
●Be familiar with the major limitations of a "single point" test.
●Be able to sketch a schematic plot (rate & pressure) for an "isochronal" test.
●Be able to sketch a schematic plot (rate & pressure) for a "modified isochronal" test.

From: Lee, W.J. and Wattenbarger, R.A.: Gas Reservoir Engineering, SPE (1996).

Tom BLASINGAME | t-blasingame@tamu.edu | Texas A&M U. Slide — 1

Petroleum Engineering 613 — Natural Gas Engineering Lecture 7 — Deliverability Testing of Gas Wells

Rawlins and Schellhardt Relation (1936)

From: Energy Resources and Conservation Board, 1975, Theory and Practice of the Testing of Gas

22 n
q sc  C ( p  p wf )
Wells, third edition, Pub. ERCB-75-34, ERCB, Calgary, Alberta.

qsc = Flowrate at standard conditions, MSCFD

(14.65 psia, 60°F) (ERCB prefers MMSCFD)
p = Average reservoir pressure obtained by shut-
in of the well to complete stabilization, psia
pwf = Flowing sandface pressure, psia
C = A coefficient which describes the position of
the stabilized deliverability line.
n = An exponent which describes the inverse of
the slope of the stabilized deliverability line.

Tom BLASINGAME | t-blasingame@tamu.edu | Texas A&M U. Slide — 2

Petroleum Engineering 613 — Natural Gas Engineering Lecture 7 — Deliverability Testing of Gas Wells

Deliverability Test Plot — Simplified Flow Analysis

From: Energy Resources and Conservation Board, 1975, Theory and Practice of the Testing of Gas
Wells, third edition, Pub. ERCB-75-34, ERCB, Calgary, Alberta.

Tom BLASINGAME | t-blasingame@tamu.edu | Texas A&M U. Slide — 3

Petroleum Engineering 613 — Natural Gas Engineering Lecture 7 — Deliverability Testing of Gas Wells

Forchheimer (Houpeurt) (1959)

2
  (  wf )  aq sc  bq sc
From: Energy Resources and Conservation Board, 1975, Theory and Practice of the Testing of Gas

2
  bq sc  aq sc
 = Pseudopressure corresponding to p.
Wells, third edition, Pub. ERCB-75-34, ERCB, Calgary, Alberta.

 wf = Pseudopressure corresponding to pwf.

aq sc = Pseudopressure drop due to laminar flow and
2 well conditions.
bq sc = Pseudopressure drop due to inertial-turbulent
flow effects.

Original Pseudopressure New Pseudopressure

p p  z  p p
 2  pbase z
dp pp    
 p  pref  pi pbase z
dp

Tom BLASINGAME | t-blasingame@tamu.edu | Texas A&M U. Slide — 4

Petroleum Engineering 613 — Natural Gas Engineering Lecture 7 — Deliverability Testing of Gas Wells

Deliverability Test Plot — LIT  Flow Analysis

From: Energy Resources and Conservation Board, 1975, Theory and Practice of the Testing of Gas
Wells, third edition, Pub. ERCB-75-34, ERCB, Calgary, Alberta.

Tom BLASINGAME | t-blasingame@tamu.edu | Texas A&M U. Slide — 5

Petroleum Engineering 613 — Natural Gas Engineering Lecture 7 — Deliverability Testing of Gas Wells

Conventional Test — Flow Rate and Pressure Diagrams

From: Energy Resources and Conservation Board, 1975, Theory and Practice of the Testing of Gas
Wells, third edition, Pub. ERCB-75-34, ERCB, Calgary, Alberta.

Schematic Diagrams for Traditional 4-Point Tests

Tom BLASINGAME | t-blasingame@tamu.edu | Texas A&M U. Slide — 6

Petroleum Engineering 613 — Natural Gas Engineering Lecture 7 — Deliverability Testing of Gas Wells

Conventional Test — Flow Rate and Pressure Diagrams

From: Energy Resources and Conservation Board, 1975, Theory and Practice of the Testing of Gas
Wells, third edition, Pub. ERCB-75-34, ERCB, Calgary, Alberta.

Deliverability Plots for Traditional 4-Point Tests

Tom BLASINGAME | t-blasingame@tamu.edu | Texas A&M U. Slide — 7

Petroleum Engineering 613 — Natural Gas Engineering Lecture 7 — Deliverability Testing of Gas Wells

Isochronal Test — Flow Rate And Pressure Diagrams

From: Energy Resources and Conservation Board, 1975, Theory and Practice of the Testing of Gas
Wells, third edition, Pub. ERCB-75-34, ERCB, Calgary, Alberta.

Schematic Diagrams for an Isochronal Test

Tom BLASINGAME | t-blasingame@tamu.edu | Texas A&M U. Slide — 8

Petroleum Engineering 613 — Natural Gas Engineering Lecture 7 — Deliverability Testing of Gas Wells

Isochronal Test — Flow Rate And Pressure Diagrams

From: Energy Resources and Conservation Board, 1975, Theory and Practice of the Testing of Gas
Wells, third edition, Pub. ERCB-75-34, ERCB, Calgary, Alberta.

Deliverability Plots for Isochronal Tests

Tom BLASINGAME | t-blasingame@tamu.edu | Texas A&M U. Slide — 9

Petroleum Engineering 613 — Natural Gas Engineering Lecture 7 — Deliverability Testing of Gas Wells

Modified Isochronal Test — Flow Rate and Pressure Diagrams

From: Energy Resources and Conservation Board, 1975, Theory and Practice of the Testing of Gas
Wells, third edition, Pub. ERCB-75-34, ERCB, Calgary, Alberta.

Schematic Diagrams for a Modified Isochronal Test

Tom BLASINGAME | t-blasingame@tamu.edu | Texas A&M U. Slide — 10

Petroleum Engineering 613 — Natural Gas Engineering Lecture 7 — Deliverability Testing of Gas Wells

Modified Isochronal Test — Flow Rate and Pressure Diagrams

From: Energy Resources and Conservation Board, 1975, Theory and Practice of the Testing of Gas
Wells, third edition, Pub. ERCB-75-34, ERCB, Calgary, Alberta.

Deliverability Plots for a Modified Isochronal Test

Tom BLASINGAME | t-blasingame@tamu.edu | Texas A&M U. Slide — 11

Petroleum Engineering 613 — Natural Gas Engineering Lecture 7 — Deliverability Testing of Gas Wells

Wellhead Deliverability Plots

From: Energy Resources and Conservation Board, 1975, Theory and Practice of the Testing of Gas
Wells, third edition, Pub. ERCB-75-34, ERCB, Calgary, Alberta.

Wellhead Deliverability Plot Wellhead IPR Plot

Tom BLASINGAME | t-blasingame@tamu.edu | Texas A&M U. Slide — 12

Petroleum Engineering 613 — Natural Gas Engineering Lecture 7 — Deliverability Testing of Gas Wells

Cullender Isochronal Flow Analysis

From: Cullender, M. H. (1955). The Isochronal Performance Method of Determining the Flow
Characteristics of Gas Wells. Society of Petroleum Engineers.

Tom BLASINGAME | t-blasingame@tamu.edu | Texas A&M U. Slide — 13

Petroleum Engineering 613 — Natural Gas Engineering Lecture 7 — Deliverability Testing of Gas Wells

Cullender Isochronal Flow Analysis

From: Cullender, M. H. (1955). The Isochronal Performance Method of Determining the Flow
Characteristics of Gas Wells. Society of Petroleum Engineers.

Tom BLASINGAME | t-blasingame@tamu.edu | Texas A&M U. Slide — 14

Petroleum Engineering 613 — Natural Gas Engineering Lecture 7 — Deliverability Testing of Gas Wells

Cullender Isochronal Flow Analysis

From: Cullender, M. H. (1955). The Isochronal Performance Method of Determining the Flow
Characteristics of Gas Wells. Society of Petroleum Engineers.

Tom BLASINGAME | t-blasingame@tamu.edu | Texas A&M U. Slide — 15

Petroleum Engineering 613 — Natural Gas Engineering Lecture 7 — Deliverability Testing of Gas Wells

Cullender Isochronal Flow Analysis

From: Cullender, M. H. (1955). The Isochronal Performance Method of Determining the Flow
Characteristics of Gas Wells. Society of Petroleum Engineers.

Tom BLASINGAME | t-blasingame@tamu.edu | Texas A&M U. Slide — 16

Petroleum Engineering 613 — Natural Gas Engineering Lecture 7 — Deliverability Testing of Gas Wells

Example 7.1 — Lee and Wattenbarger

4-point Test Data
From: Lee, W.J. and Wattenbarger, R.A.: Gas Reservoir Engineering, SPE (1996).

Tom BLASINGAME | t-blasingame@tamu.edu | Texas A&M U. Slide — 17

Petroleum Engineering 613 — Natural Gas Engineering Lecture 7 — Deliverability Testing of Gas Wells

Example 7.1 — Lee and Wattenbarger

4-point Test Data — Rawlins and Schellhardt (p2)
From: Lee, W.J. and Wattenbarger, R.A.: Gas Reservoir Engineering, SPE (1996).

Tom BLASINGAME | t-blasingame@tamu.edu | Texas A&M U. Slide — 18

Petroleum Engineering 613 — Natural Gas Engineering Lecture 7 — Deliverability Testing of Gas Wells

Example 7.1 — Lee and Wattenbarger

4-point Test Data — Rawlins and Schellhardt (pp)
From: Lee, W.J. and Wattenbarger, R.A.: Gas Reservoir Engineering, SPE (1996).

Tom BLASINGAME | t-blasingame@tamu.edu | Texas A&M U. Slide — 19

Petroleum Engineering 613 — Natural Gas Engineering Lecture 7 — Deliverability Testing of Gas Wells

Example 7.1 — Lee and Wattenbarger

4-point Test Data — Houpeurt (pp/qg)
From: Lee, W.J. and Wattenbarger, R.A.: Gas Reservoir Engineering, SPE (1996).

Tom BLASINGAME | t-blasingame@tamu.edu | Texas A&M U. Slide — 20