Fluid Saturations

Introduction

Fluid Saturations
Definition - The fluid saturation for a particular fluid is the
fraction of pore volume occupied by that fluid; H2O, oil or gas
Fluid saturation = total volume of the fluid phase
pore volume
Saturation is an intensive property
Equation Form: So=Vo/Vp, Sw=Vw/Vp, Sg=Vg/Vp
These fluid volumes are measured under specific conditions of pressure
and temperature (e.g. reservoir, or laboratory)
reservoir conditions are often noted as in situ

Fluid Saturations
Fundamental Relationships
Pore volume is occupied by fluids (water, oil, and/or gas)

Vp Vw Vo Vg
1

Vw Vo Vg
V

S w So Sg

p case, only one of the two saturations is independent, the other

for the two phase
must make the sum of the saturations equal to unity (1)

similarly, for the three phase case, only two saturations are independent

Fluid Saturations
Fundamental Relationships (continued)
Mass of fluids in the pore volume is comprised of: water, oil,
and/or gas

fluid mass m w m o m g
w Vw o Vo g Vg

Vp w Sw oSo gSg

at laboratory conditions it is often assumed that gas density is negligible

Initial Fluid Saturations in Reservoir

Concepts: typical petroleum accumulation scenario
pores are initially saturated with water (S w=1)
hydrocarbons migrate up dip into traps due to having density less than water density
(gravity force)
hydrocarbons (oil and/or gas) is distributed such that gravity and capillary forces are
in equilibrium
minimum interstitial water saturation remains in hydrocarbon zone, even after accumulation occurs
water wet, drainage accumulation process
irreducible wetting phase saturation
oil wet, imbibition accumulation process
residual non-wetting phase saturation

Initial Fluid Saturations in Reservoir

Methods for determination of reservoir fluid saturations
Direct Measurement
Core Analysis of samples obtained from the formation of interest in
their original state and measure saturations directly is ideal.

Indirect Measurement
Capillary Pressure Measurement
Well Log Analysis
electrical conductivity depends primarily on water saturation

Fluid Saturations - Core Analysis

Factors affecting fluid saturations in cores
flushing of core by filtrate from drilling fluids (especially for
overbalanced drilling)
water filtrate
water based mud
oil emulsion mud

oil filtrate
oil based mud
inverted oil emulsion mud

gas filtrate
air drilling
foam drilling

Fluid Saturations - Core Analysis

Factors affecting fluid saturations in cores (continued)
Changes in pressure and temperature as core sample is
brought from bottomhole conditions to surface conditions
Example: Oil zone at minimum interstitial water saturation,
water based drilling mud

Application of Core Saturations

Application of Core Saturations: Water Based Mud
presence of oil zone
original oil/gas contact
original oil/water contact

Application of Core Saturations: Oil Based Mud

fairly accurate minimum interstitial water saturation
original oil/water contact

Other Applications of Core Saturations

correlation of indirect methods

Estimating Fluid Contact Depths from Core

Saturations
0

So

50

Gas
Depth
Oil

Water

So 0 in gas zone
So > 0.15 in oil production
zone
0 < So < 0.15 in water
production zone

Maximum Water Saturation

for Oil and Gas Production

The trend shown here

continues for even lower
permeability, with productive
reservoirs existing with
Sw>0.60 for k<0.01 md

Commentary on Core Saturations

Qualitative Value: The saturation values obtained directly
from rock samples [cores] are usually not reliable for
determining the quantity of each fluid in the rock [reservoirs].
Other uses exist for fluid-saturation determinations from core
samples.

Overall Value: Thus, in summary, it is seen that although

fluid-saturation determinations made on core samples at the
surface may not give a direct indication of the saturations
within the reservoir, they are of value and do yield very useful
and necessary information

Fluid Saturation
Connate water (Swc): water entrapped in the
interstices of the rock (either sedimentary
or extrusive igneous) at the time the rock
was deposited.
Interstitial water: Water that occurs naturally
within the pores of rock. Water from fluids
introduced to a formation through drilling or
other interference, such as mud and
seawater, does not constitute interstitial
water. Interstitial water, or formation water,
might not have been the water present
when the rock originally formed. In contrast,
connate water is the water trapped in the
pores of a rock during its formation, also
called fossil water.

Fluid Saturation
Irreducible water saturation (Swir): the fraction of pore volume
occupied by water in a reservoir at maximum hydrocarbon saturation.
In water-wet rock, it represents the layer of adsorbed water coating
solid surfaces and the pendular grain contacts and at pore throats.
The irreducible saturation of a fluid is the minimum saturation of that
fluid attainable when that fluid is displaced from a porous medium by
another fluid immiscible with the first.
Residual oil (Sor): Oil remaining in the reservoir rock after the
flushing or invasion process, or at the end of a specific recovery
process or escape process.