II-Reservoir Rock Properties

-2-COMPRESSIBILITY OF RESERVOIR ROCKS

II-2. Reservoir Rock Basic Reservoir Engineering 1

Properties
 COMPACTION OF SEDIMENTS

• Porosity is reduced by compaction

– Porosity reduction is determined by maximum burial depth
– Principal effects are:
• Changes in packing
• Pressure solution
• Recrystallization
• Deformation of rock fragments
• Compaction effects are not reversed by erosional
unroofing (hysteresis effect)

II-2. Reservoir Rock Basic Reservoir Engineering 2

Properties
 MECHANICS OF COMPACTION
Pressure Solution
Rotation and Closer Ductile Grain Breakage of At Grain
Packing Deformation Brittle Grains Contacts

Platy Grains
(e.g., clays)
Non-Platy Grains
(e.g., qtz., feldspar)
Ductile Framework
II-2. Reservoir Rock Basic Reservoir
Grain, e.g.,Engineering
Shale Rock 3
Properties Fragment) Modified from Jonas and McBride, 1977
 Relationship of Original Formation
Porosity to Overburden Pressure
50

40
Sandstones

30

20

Shales
10

0
0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000
II-2. Reservoir Rock Basic Reservoir Engineering 4
Properties Overburden pressure, psi
 Isothermal Compressibility
• General Definition
– The relative volume change of matter per unit
pressure change under conditions of constant
temperature
• Usually, petroleum reservoirs can be considered isothermal
(an exception: thermal stimulation)
• Increasing pressure causes volume of material to decrease
(compression) - e.g. reservoir fluids
• Decreasing pressure causes volume of material to increase
(expansion) - e.g. reservoir fluids

II-2. Reservoir Rock Basic Reservoir Engineering 5

Properties
 Isothermal Compressibility
• General Equation 1  V 
C    
V  p 
– C: Coefficient of Isothermal Compressibility
• ALWAYS positive value
• oilfield units: 1/psia
– V: Volume
• oilfield units: ft3
– p: Pressure exerted on material
• oilfield units: psia
– Negative sign in equation determined by V/p term, to force the
coefficient C to be positive
– Volume is a function of pressure only (temperature is constant,
and amount of material is constant)

II-2. Reservoir Rock Basic Reservoir Engineering 6

Properties
 Formation Compressibility
• Importance
– Formation compressibility can have a significant impact on
reservoir performance
– Subsidence can have significant environmental impact
• Types
– Matrix Compressibility ( Cm ): relative change in volume of solid
rock material (grain volume) per unit pressure change (usually Cm
 0).
– Pore Compressibility ( Cf ): relative change in pore volume per
unit pressure change.
– Bulk Compressibility ( Cb ): relative change in bulk volume per
unit pressure change ( usually DVb  DVp). Significant decrease in
bulk volume can cause subsidence.

II-2. Reservoir Rock Basic Reservoir Engineering 7

Properties
 FORMATION COMPRESSIBILITY
1  Vp 
Cf   
Vp  p 
F O
Under static conditions, downward overburden
1. force must be balanced by upward forces of the
matrix and fluid in pores
F M FF

F Fo m
 F
f

2. Thus: AND
p p  p
o m
3. 4.
As fluids are produced from reservoir, fluid pressure (p) usually decreases
Pressure Gradients, while overburden is constant, and:
Normal Reservoirs: (a) force on matrix increases ( “net compaction pressure”, pm=po-p)
dpo/dZ = 1.0 psia/ft (b) bulk volume decreases, and
(c) pore volume decreases.
dp/dZ = 0.465 psia/ft

II-2. Reservoir Rock Properties Basic Reservoir Engineering 8

 Formation Compressibility
1  Vp 
• Equation Cf   
Vp  p 

– Cf: Formation Compressibility (Pore Volume Comp.)

• ALWAYS positive value
• oilfield units: 1/psia
– Vp: Pore volume
• oilfield units: ft3
– p: Pressure of fluid in pores
• oilfield units: psia
– Positive sign in equation determined by Vp/p term, to force Cf to be
positive
– Pore volume is function of pressure only (temperature is constant,
amount of reservoir rock is constant)

II-2. Reservoir Rock Basic Reservoir Engineering 9

Properties
 Subsidence and Bulk Compressibility
 Process of subsidence
 Bulk volume decreases as fluids are produced
 Area is constant
  Formation thickness decreases (causing subsidence of strata above)
 Porosity:  = Vp/Vb = 1-(Vm/Vb); where Vb=Vp+Vm
 Net compaction pressure: pm = po - p
 Overburden (po) is constant  dpm= -dp
 As net compaction pressure increases
 Bulk volume decreases; Cb = -1/Vb (Vb/pm)
 Pore volume decreases; Cf= -1/Vp (Vp/pm)
 Matrix volume decreases; Cm= -1/Vm (Vm/pm)
 Substituting from definitions above
 Cb = (-1/Vb) [(Vp/pm) + (Vm/pm) ]
 Cb = (-1/Vb) [(- Cf Vp) + (- Cm Vm)]
 Cb = Cf + (1-)Cm; usually Cm << Cf

II-2. Reservoir Rock Basic Reservoir Engineering 10

Properties
 Laboratory Determination of Cf
• In reservoirs, overburden pressure is constant and the pressure of
fluid in pores changes, resulting in pore volume change
• In the laboratory, we change the confining pressure on the core plug
(overburden) while holding the pore pressure constant
• Remember that the net compaction pressure on the matrix is the
difference between the overburden and pore pressures
– This allows us to obtain useful results in the laboratory

II-2. Reservoir Rock Basic Reservoir Engineering 14

Properties
 Laboratory Determination of Cf

• Laboratory Procedure
– Core plug is 100% saturated with brine
– Core plug is placed in rubber or soft copper sleeve
– As pressure outside sleeve is increased, pore volume decreases and the
volume of expelled brine is measured

pconfining

II-2. Reservoir Rock Basic Reservoir Engineering 15

Properties
 Hysteresis Effect - Formation Compressibility
• Hysteresis is used by Petroleum Engineers to describe the effects of path
dependence and irreversibilities we observe in reservoir behavior
– For example, if we decrease reservoir pressure from initial conditions, pore
volume decreases. If we then increase reservoir pressure back to the initial
pressure, pore volume does not increase all the way back to the initial pore
volume.

Initial
Conditions

Pore Volume Pore Pressure

II-2. Reservoir Rock Basic Reservoir Engineering 16

Properties