PVT Short Course for Cairo University

SPE Student Chapter

Ahmed Muaz
Khalda Petroleum Company
April 23, 2011
 Contents
• Why Study PVT?
• Objectives of PVT Analysis
• Types of Reservoir Fluids
• Differentiation Between the Different Types of
Reservoir Fluids
• Fluid Sampling
• Laboratory Experiments
• PVT Reports
 Why Study PVT?

Gas

Sep.
Oil Stock
Tank
Transport
Diff. Flow Regime
 Objectives of PVT Analysis
Need to understand PVT analysis for:
• Determination of reservoir fluid type

• Knowledge of physical properties of reservoir fluids

• Match an EOS to the measured data

• Creation of PVT models

• Ultimate recoveries of different components

• Amounts and composition of liquids left behind

• Determination of well stream composition

 Objectives of PVT Analysis – Cont.

• Completion design

• Separator/NGL plant specifications

• Product values Vs. time

• Prediction compositional gradient

 The Five Reservoir Fluids

Black Volatile Retrograde Wet Dry

Oil Oil Gas Gas Gas
 Reservoir Fluid Type Identification

• Analyzing a representative sample in the lab

• Production data

1. Initial GOR

2. API

3. Oil color

4. C7+
 Black Oil

• An initial GOR, 1750 SCF/STB or less

• A 45 API initial stock tank oil gravity or less

• A dark color of stock tank oil

• C7+ > 20 mole %

• Initial Bo of 2 res bbl/STB or less

 Black Oil Phase Diagram

• The initial reservoir

conditions (P&T) are
much lower than the
critical conditions

• The heavy molecules

concentration is high
 Volatile Oil

• An initial GOR, 1750 SCF/STB or greater

• A 51.2 API initial stock tank oil gravity

• A “medium orange” stock tank oil color

• C7+ concentration between 19 and 22 mole %

• Bo 2.0 res bbl/STB or greater

 Volatile Oil Phase Diagram

• The initial reservoir

conditions (P&T) are close
to the critical conditions

• Have fewer heavy

molecules than black oil
 Retrograde Gas Condensate

• An initial GOR > 3200 SCF/STB

• API > 45 initial stock tank oil gravity

• A light stock tank oil color

• C7+ concentration <12.5 mole %

 Retrograde Gas Phase Diagram

• The initial reservoir

conditions (P&T) are higher
than the critical conditions
• Have fewer heavy molecules
than volatile oils
• The overall composition of
the reservoir fluid becomes
heavier as the lighter gas is
produced and the heavier
condensate remains behind
 Wet Gas

• An initial GOR > 15,000 SCF/STB

• API up to 70 initial stock tank oil gravity

• Water white of tank oil color

• C7+ concentration <4 mole %

 Wet Gas Phase Diagram

• Reservoir Temperature Pressure path

above Cricondentherm
in reservoir

(pressure path not enter

phase envelope)
• The reservoir fluid is gas Wet gas

throughout the life of the

Pressure
reservoir
% Liquid

• The separator condition is

Critical
point

two phases 2

• Gravity of stock tank liquid Separator

same as retrograde gas -

constant during life of field Temperature
 Dry Gas

• An initial GOR > 1000,000 SCF/STB

• Almost no liquid

• C7+ concentration < 0.7 mole %

 Dry Gas Phase Diagram

• Primarily methane and some Pressure path

in reservoir

intermediates 1

• The reservoir fluid is gas

throughout the life of the
reservoir
• No liquids formed either in Dry gas

Pressure
reservoir or at surface
% Liquid

Separator

Temperature
 Reservoir Fluids Phase Diagram Window
OIL GAS

Heavy Oil Black Oil Volatile Critical Critical Gas Wet Dry
Oil Oil Gas Condens. Gas Gas

Cricondenbar Critical Point

B
Bubble
Point Dew Point
Loci
Pressure

Loci

Retrograde
Region
Cricondenterm

A Two Phase Region C

Temperature
C7+ & GOR for Reservoir Fluids
Reservoir Fluid Types Classification
 Composition of Reservoir Fluids

Comp Black Oil Volatile Gas Dry Gas.

Name Oil Conden.
C1 43.83 64.36 87.07 95.85
C2 2.75 7.52 4.39 2.67
C3 1.93 4.74 2.29 0.34
C4 1.6 4.12 1.74 0.52
C5 1.15 2.97 0.83 0.08
C6 1.59 1.38 0.6 0.12
C7+ 42.15 14.91 3.8 0.42
100 100 100 100
 Differences Between Black and
Volatile Oil

Black Oil
• The evolved gas is a dry gas.

• The solution gases remain gas phase in the reservoir, tubulars

and separator.

• As reservoir pressure decreases, the gas leaving solution,

becomes richer in intermediate components.

• API gradually decreases during the reservoir life.

Phase Diagram of Black Oil and Associated Gas
Production Processes for a Black Oil
 Differences Between Black and
Volatile Oil

Volatile Oil
• The evolved gas is a retrograde gas.

• The evolved retrograde gases release a large amount of.

condensate at surface conditions.

• Often over one half of the stock tank liquid produced during the
reservoir’s life.

• API steadily increases with time.

Phase Diagram of Volatile Oil and Associated Gas
Production Processes for a Volatile Oil
 Analysis and Prediction Tool

Black Oil Mbal

• Assume free gas in the reservoir remains gas in the separator
• Treat a multi component black oil mixture as a two-component
mixture: gas and oil

Volatile Oil Mbal

• Treat mixture as a multi-component mixture
• Total composition of the production stream is known
Effect of Using Black Oil Mbal for Volatile Oil
 Differentiation between Volatile and Retrograde

• A GOR of 3200 SCF/STB

is a good cut-off

• A value of 12.5 mole %

of C7+ is a useful
dividing line
 Differences between Volatile Oil and
Retrograde Gas
Retrograde Gas
• GOR increases with time as condensate dropout
• API increases with time
• Compositional Mbal should be used in reservoir calculations
• Conventional gas Mbal can be used above dew point
• Also, it can be used below dew point if two phase Z-factors are
used
 Differences between Retrograde and Wet Gas

• An initial GOR of 15,000

SCF/STB can be a cutoff

• A value of 4 mole% or
less can be useful
dividing line
Field and Laboratory Identification of
Reservoir Fluids
 Reservoir Fluid Sampling
Open Hole Sampling:
• RFT, small sample volume and often contaminated
• MDT, allows controlled drawdown and multiple sample chambers
• Optical MDT, allows to identify the type of fluid being sampled

Cased Hole Sampling:

• Surface Sampling
• Subsurface Sampling
Surface & Subsurface Sampling
 Well Conditioning during Sampling

• Small perforation is preferable

• Limiting drawdown
• Large tubing diameter in case of high rates
• Better well cleaning
• Stable production
• No liquid slugging
• Small amount of produced fluid prior to sampling
 Laboratory Tests

• Primary tests

• Routine laboratory tests

• Special laboratory PVT tests

 Primary Tests

• API

• Gas specific gravity

• Separator gas composition

• GOR
 Routine Laboratory Tests

• Constant-Composition Expansion - CCE

• Differential Liberation

• Constant-Volume Depletion – CVD

• Separator Test
 Constant Composition Expansion - CCE Test

The test is conducted for the purposes of determining:

• Saturation pressure (bubble-point or dew-point pressure)

• Isothermal compressibility coefficients of the single-phase fluid

in excess of saturation pressure

• Compressibility factors of the gas phase

• Total hydrocarbon volume as a function of pressure

 CCE Test Procedures

pb

Vt Liquid Vt Liquid
Liquid Liquid
Liquid
Liquid Gas
Vt
Vt Gas
Vt
Liquid
Hg Hg Hg
Liquid
Hg
Hg

First Second Third Fourth

Step Step Step Step
CCE Test Data
 Differential Liberation Test

The experimental data obtained from the test include:

• Amount of gas in solution as a function of pressure

• The shrinkage in the oil volume as a function of pressure

• Properties of the evolved gas including the composition of the

liberated gas, the gas compressibility factor, and the gas specific
gravity

• Density of the remaining oil as a function of pressure

Differential Liberation Expansion Test Procedures

Gas Gas
pb

Gas Vo Liquid Gas Vo Liquid

Vo Liquid

Liquid Liquid
Hg Hg Hg
Hg Hg

First step
Differential Liberation Test Data
 Separator Test Procedures
scf
pb Rsb =
STB
Gas
Gas
scf
Liquid
scf

resbbl
Stock
tank
Hg
Hg Liquid

STB

Liquid

resbbl
Bob =
STB
Separator Test Data
CVD Test Procedures
Constant Volume Depletion – CVD Test
PVT Reports
Thank You