Production Engineering I

Reservoir Drawdown (Steady State)

© 2013 INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY PETRONAS SDN BHD

All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any
means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the permission of the copyright owner.
 Lecture OUTCOMES

By the end of this lecture, the students should be able to:

1- Identify the theoretical equations used to describe the

performance of a formation producing oil and/or gas.

2- Describe steady state reservoir and use the appropriate

equation to calculate pressure drop.

 Recap

Reservoir deliverability.

Factors affecting reservoir deliverability.

Pressure loss components during petroleum production.

 Minimizing Energy (pressure) losses

Minimize losses
Dealing
Dealing Dealing Dealing
with
with the with the with the
near-
reservoir well surface
wellbore
 Models Used for Reservoir performance
Equations used to Describe the
Performance of Flowing Wells

Empirical Theoretical

Zero-skin (e.g. Non-Zero-skin

Darcy
Vogel) (e.g. Standing)

Linear Radial

Semi-
steady transient
steady
 Reservoir performance-Darcy’s Equation
• Developed by Henry Darcy 1856
𝑘 𝑑𝑃
• No effects of fluid properties and 𝑈=
𝜇 𝑑𝑥
saturation
𝑘𝐴 𝑑𝑃
• Constant cross-sectional area 𝑄 = 𝑈𝐴 =
𝜇 𝑑𝑥
 Darcy’s Equation-Linear Flow
𝑝2
−𝑄𝜇 𝐿
න 𝑑𝑝 = න 𝑑𝑥
𝑝1 𝑘𝐴 0

Integration of the above equation leads to

−𝑄𝜇
𝑝2 − 𝑝1 = 𝐿
𝑘𝐴 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIfpniTERRo

Or

𝐶𝐾𝐴(𝑝1 − 𝑝2 )
𝑄=
𝜇𝐿
 Darcy’s Equation-Linear Flow
Viscous Gravitation
effect al effect
𝑄𝑟 −𝑘 𝑑𝑃 −𝑘 𝑑𝑃
=𝑈= − 𝜌𝑔
𝐴 𝜇 𝑑𝐿 𝜇 𝑑𝐿

http://nptel.ac.in/courses/105103026/3
 Darcy’s Equation-Linear Flow

For horizontal flow the gravitational effect=0, and hence

Darcy’s law become:
𝑄𝑟 −𝑘 𝑑𝑃
=𝑈=
𝐴 𝜇 𝑑𝐿

Or in stock tank flow rate

𝑄𝑠 𝐵 𝑘 𝑑𝑃
=
𝐴 𝜇 𝑑𝐿
 Darcy’s Equation-Linear Flow
For compressible fluids

𝐶𝑍𝑇𝜇𝐿
𝑝12 − 𝑝22 = 𝑄𝑔
𝑘𝐴
For field units (psia, R, cp, ft, md, ft2, scf/day), C=8.93
 Darcy’s Equation-Linear Flow

The linear flow model assumes horizontal flow and constant

cross section area between the flow inlet and outlet

For non-compressible flow (constant density), Darcy’s law

can be modified to this one:

 Darcy’s Law-Radial Flow

In the radial flow, velocity, and

so pressure gradient

increase while we approach

the well
 Darcy’s Law-Radial Flow
Assumptions for radial flow flow model:

1. Horizontal reservoir with constant thickness h

2. Constant formation porosity and permeability

3. Constant fluid viscosity

4. Vertical and completed open hole well with radius (rw) located in

the center of a circular reservoir of radius (re)

5. Single phase flow

 Darcy’s Law-Radial Flow

Semi-steady Transient
Steady state
state state

dp/dt=0 P(x)=f(t)
P=f(x,t)
P(x)=constant dp/dt=constant

Pressure is pressure at pressure wave

constant any point in propagation from
over time the reservoir wellbore has
declines
not reached any
at the same boundaries of the
constant rate reservoir
over time
 Darcy’s Law-Radial Flow

Steady state Semi-steady Transient state

state
 Radial Flow- Steady State

In steady state there is a flow from the boundary. The flow rate

from the boundary equals to production rate from the

reservoir.

The pressure at any point is constant regardless of production

duration
 Radial Flow- Steady State

Reservoir bbl Stock tank bbl Field units with skin

 Radial Flow- Steady State
Applicability:

• A well in a reservoir supported

by infinitively large aquifer.

• A reservoir with pressure highly

maintained by water or gas
injection

• A reservoir supported by
substantial expansion of gas cap
 Summary

In this lecture, reservoirs deliverability concepts have been

discussed and explained. Pressure source and pressure

loss concepts were introduced and the theoretical model

used to calculate pressure loss in the reservoir

(drawdown) was discussed.

 References
1.Beggs H.D. Production Optimization using Nodal Analysis, Oil and Gas Consultants Inc. 1991

2.Economides M, Hill A & Economides C. Petroleum Production Systems, Prentice Hall 1994.

3. Boyun Guo, William C. Lyons, Ali Ghalambor, Petroleum Production Engineering, A Computer-

Assisted Approach, Gulf Professional Pub., 2007.

 THANK YOU
© 2013 INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY PETRONAS SDN BHD
All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the permission of the copyright owner.