Chapter 3

Material Balance Applied to Oil Reservoirs

3.1 Introduction

-The Schilthuis material balance equation

- Basic tools of reservoir engineering

=> Interpreting and predicting reservoir performance.

-Material balance

1. zero dimension this chapter

2. multi-dimension (multi-phase) reservoir simulation
 3.2 General form of the material balance equation for a
hydrocarbon reservoir

Underground withdrawal (RB)

= Expansion of oil and original dissolved gas (RB)(A)
+ Expansion of gascap gas (RB) (B)
+ Reduction in HCPV due to connate water expansion and decrease in
the pore volume (RB) .(C)
 N initial oil in place ( STB) V (1 S wc )
1
( STB)
Boi

initial H .C. Vol. of the gascap SCF ft 3 bbl

m ( const.) [] or or
initial H .C. Vol. of the oil SCF ft 3 bbl

N p cumulative oil production (STB)

cum. gas production ( SCF )

R p cumulative gas oil rato
cum. oil production ( STB)
 Expansion of oil & originally dissolved gas

Liquid exp ansion (oil exp ansion ) liq . (at p) liq . (at pi )
RB
NBo NBoi N ( Bo Boi )[ ]STB []RB (3.1)
STB

Liberated gas exp ansion [ solution gas (at p) solution gas (at pi )]
SCF RB
NRsi Bg NRs Bg N ( Rsi Rs ) Bg []STB []RB (3.2)
STB SCF
Expansion of the gascap gas

Expansion of the gascap gas =gascap gas (at p) gascap (at pi)

SCF RB
The total volume of gascap gas mNBoi [] STB []RB
SCF SCF
1 1
or G mNBoi []RB []SCF
B gi RB
SCF
1 RB
Amount of gas (at p) mNBoi B g []SCF []RB
B gi SCF

Bg
Expansion of the gascap gas mNBoi mNBoi []RB
B gi
Bg
mNBoi ( 1) ( RB ) (3.3)
B gi
 Change in the HCPV due to the connate water expansion &
pore volume reduction

d ( HCPV ) dVw dV f V f the total pore vol. HCPV /(1 S w )

(c wVw c f V f )p Vw the connate water vol. V f S wc
HCPV
(c wV f S wc c f V f )p V f (c w S wc c f )p (c w S wc c f )p
(1 S w )
c w S wc c f
(1 m) NBoi ( )p
1 S wc
 Underground withdrawal

Pr oduction at surface N p ( STB) oil N p R p ( SCF ) gas

Underground withdrawal N p Bo ( RB ) oil ( N p R p N p Rs ) B g ( RB ) gas
Underground withdrawal N p Bo N p ( R p Rs ) B g N p [ Bo ( R p Rs ) B g ]
 The general expression for the material balance as
Bg
N p [ Bo ( R p Rs ) B g ] N ( Bo Boi ) N ( Rsi Rs ) B g mNBoi ( 1)
B gi
c w S wc c f
(1 m) NBoi ( )p (We W p ) Bw
1 S wc

( Bo Boi ) ( Rsi Rs ) Bg Bg c w S wc c f
N p [ Bo ( R p Rs ) Bg ] NBoi m 1 (1 m) p
B
Boi gi 1 S wc
(We W p ) Bw (3.7)

Note : Bo , Rs , B g f ( p)
We f ( p, t )
Simple form : Pr oduction Expansion of reservoir fluids
dV c V p
Main difficulty : measuring p
F N ( Eo mEg mE f ,w ) We Bw (3.12)
where
F N p [ Bo ( R p R s ) B g ] W p B w []RB
E o ( Bo Boi ) ( Rsi Rs ) B g [] RB
STB
Bg
E g Boi ( 1) [] RB
B gi STB
c w S wc c f
E f , w (1 m) Boi ( )p RB
1 S wc STB
 F N ( Eo mEg mE f , w ) We Bw (3.12)

No initial gascap, negligible water influx c f & cw 0

Eq.(3.12) F NEo (3.13)

With water influx eq(3.12) becomes

F We
N (3.14)
Eo Eo
Eq.(3.12) having a combination drive-all possible sources of energy.
 3.4 Reservoir Drive Mechanisms

Reservoir drive mechanism

-reducing the M.B to a compact form to

quantify reservoir performance
- Solution gas drive -determining the main producing
- Gascap drive characteristics,
-Natural water
drive
In terms of for example, GOR; water cut
- Compaction drive -determining the pressure decline in the
reservoir
- estimating the primary recovery factor
 3.5 Solution gas drive

(a) above the B.P. pressure (b) below the B.P. pressure
Above the B.P. pressure
- no initial gascap, m=0
- no water flux, We=0 ; no water production, Wp=0
- Rs=Rsi=Rp

from eq.(3.7)

( Bo Boi ) ( Rsi Rs ) B g Bg c w S wc c f
N p [ Bo ( R p Rs ) B g ] NBoi m 1 (1 m) p

B
Boi gi 1 S wc
(We W p ) Bw (3.7)

Note : ( R p Rs ) 0 ; ( Rsi Rs ) 0 ; m 0 ;We 0 ;W p 0

( Bo Boi ) (c w s wc c f )
N p Bo NBoi [ p ]
Boi 1 S wc
cw S w c f 1 dVo 1 dBo
N p Bo NBoi [co ( )]p co
1 S wc Vo dp Bo dp
co S o c w S w c f ( Boi Bo ) ( Bo Boi )
N p Bo NBoi ( )p (3.17)
1 S wc Boi p Boi p
or N p Bo NBoi ce p (3.18) S o S wc 1
co S o c w S w c f
where ce the effective, saturation weighted compressib ility
1 S wc
 Exercise3.1 Solution gas drive, undersaturated oil reservoir
if p pi pb
Determine R.F. PVT table2.4 ( p.65)
c w 3 10 6 psi 1 c f 8.6 10 6 psi 1 S w 0.2

Solution:
1 dVo 1 dBo
FromTable2.4(p.65) co
Vo dp Bo dp
Bob Boi
pi 4000 psi, Boi 1.2417 RB co
STB Boi p
1.2511 1.2417
pb 3330 psi, Bob 12511 RB
1.2417(4000 3330)
11.3 10 6 psi 1
STB
Eq(3.18)

N p Bo NBoi ce p
Np Boi
R.F . c e p
N Pb
Bob
1.2417
22.8 10 6 ( 4000 3330)
1.2511
0.015 1.5%
 Table 2.4 Field PVT

P(psia) Bo (Rb/STB) Rs(SCF/STB) Bg( Rb/SCF)

4000 (pi) 1.2417 510

3500 1.2480 510
3300 (pb) 1.2511 510 0.00087
3000 1.2222 450 0.00096
2700 1.2022 401 0.00107
2400 1.1822 352 0.00119
2100 1.1633 304 0.00137
1800 1.1450 257 0.00161
1500 1.1287 214 0.00196
1200 1.1115 167 0.00249
900 1.0940 122 0.00339
600 1.0763 78 0.00519
300 1.0583 35 0.01066
Bo as Function of Pressure
Rs as Function of Pressure
Bg and E as Function of Pressure
Producing Gas-oil Ratio (R) as Function of Pressure
Note :
co S o c w S w c f
ce
1 S wc
1
(11.3 10 6 0.8 3 10 6 0.2 8.6 10 6 )
1 0.2
22.8 10 6
4000 3330
p% 0.167 16.7%
4000
 Below B.P. pressure (Saturation oil)

P<Pb =>gas liberated from saturated oil

1 1 1
cg 300 106 psi 1 cg 300 106 psi 1
p Pb 3300
co 11.3 106 psi 1
cw 3 106 psi 1
c f 8.6 106 psi 1
Exercise3.2 Solution gas drive; below bubble point pressure
Reservoir-described in exercise 3.1
Pabandon = 900psia
(1) R.F = f(Rp)? Conclusion?
(2) Sg(free gas) = F(Pabandon)?

Solution:

(1) From eq(3.7)

( Bo Boi ) ( Rsi Rs ) B g Bg c w S wc c f
N p [ Bo ( R p Rs ) B g ] NBoi m 1 (1 m) p

B
Boi gi 1 S wc
(We W p ) Bw (3.7)

for solution gas below B.P.

m 0 no initial gas cap
We 0 ; W p 0
c w S wc c f
NBoi ( )p is negligible if S g is developed
1 S wc
Eq(3.7) becomes

N p [ Bo ( R p Rs ) B g ] N [( Bo Boi ) ( Rsi Rs ) B g ] (3.20)

Np ( Bo Boi ) ( Rsi Rs ) B g
R.F .
N Bo ( R p Rs ) B g
Np (1.0940 1.2417) (510 122) 0.00339 344
R.F . p 900
N p 900
1.0940 ( R p 122) 0.00339 R p 201

1
Conclusion: RF
Rp

From Fig .3.3 ( p.55)

Np
R p 500 SCF 49% 0.49
STB N 900
(2) the overall gas balance

liberated total gas gas still

gas in the = amount produced dissolved
reservoir of gas at surface in the oil

NBoi HCPV
pore volume for p pb
1 S wc (1 S wc )
NBoi S g
NRsi B g N p R p B g ( N N p ) Rs B g
(1 S wc )
[ N ( Rsi Rs ) N p ( R p Rs )]B g (1 S wc )
Sg (3.21)
NBoi

Np
[ N ( Rsi Rs ) Np( R p Rs )] Bg (1 S wc ) [( Rsi Rs ) ( R p Rs )]
Sg N Bg (1 S wc )
NBoi Boi
[( 510 122) 0.49(500 122)]
0.00339 0.8 0.4428
1.2417