Topic 7 FF in Res 1

FUNDAMENTALS OF
RESERVOIR FLUID FLOW

I
Reference: Tarek Ahmed (2006), Reservoir Engineering

Handbook, 3rd Edition, Gulf Professional Publishing
Acknowledgement
Dr. Ismail M. Saaid ,Mr. Ali Fikret and AP Dr Khalik M Sabil
Learning Outcome
To describe type of fluid in reservoir .
To identify flow regimes in reservoir.
To describe reservoir geometry.
To identify number of flowing fluids in the

reservoir
1
Introduction
• Flow in porous media is a very complex
phenomenon and as such cannot be
described as explicitly as flow through pipes
or conduits.
– In a pipe: measure the length and diameter of a pipe and
compute its flow capacity as a function of pressure
– In a porous media, there is no clear-cut flow paths which

lend themselves to measurement.
Why the flow is complex ?

The shapes of oil bearing formations and
aquifer are irregular.
Most oil bearing & water bearing formation

are heterogeneous with respect to porosity,
permeability , connate water saturation .
The wellbore usually deviates resulting in an

irregular well pattern through the pay zone .
2
Why the flow is complex ?
The production rates usually different from
well to well. In general, a high rate well
drains a larger radius than lower rate well.
Many wells do not fully penetrate the pay

zone or not fully perforated.
DARCY’S LAW
L
q
A
dx
For one-dimensional, horizontal flow through a porous •
medium, Darcy’s Law states that:
Flow rate (cm3/s)

kA dp Cross sectional area (cm2)
q=− Viscosity of flowing fluid (cp)
µ dx Permeability (Darcy)
Pressure gradient (atm/cm)
Transport eqn implying velocity is proportional to pressure gradient

and reciprocal to viscosity
3
Objectives
• To identify reservoir characteristics that
influence the flow
• To present mathematical equations
describing the flow behavior of reservoir
fluids.
• To apply fluid flow equations in reservoir
engineering scenarios
Reservoir Characteristics
• Types of fluids in the reservoir
• Flow regimes
• Reservoir geometry
• Number of flowing fluids in the

reservoir
4
Types of fluids
As classified by isothermal compressibility.
1. Incompressible fluids
2. Slightly compressible fluids
3. Compressible fluids
• described/classified mathematically by the isothermal compressibility
coefficient (c)
1. Incompressible fluids
• An incompressible fluid: fluid whose

volume (or density) does not change with
pressure, i.e.:
5
2. Slightly compressible fluids
• exhibit small changes in volume, or density, with
changes in pressure.
• changes in the volumetric behavior of this fluid
as a function of pressure can be mathematically
described by integrating the coefficient of
isothermal compressibility, ‘c’ to give:
where;
p = pressure
V = volume at pressure p,
pref = initial pressure
Vref = fluid volume at initial
pressure
-------------- (3)
6
• The ex may be represented by a series
expansion as:
-------------- (4)
• Because the exponent x [which represents

the term c (pref−p)] is very small, the ex term
can be approximated by truncating Equation
(4) to:
-------------- (5)
• Combining Equation (5) with Equation (3)

gives:
-------------- (6)
A similar derivation is applied to Equation (2)

to give:
-------------- (7)
where V = volume at pressure p

ρ = density at pressure p
Vref = volume at initial (reference) pressure pref
ρref = density at initial (reference) pressure pref
7
3. Compressible Fluids
• Fluids that experience large changes in
volume as a function of pressure.
• All gases are considered compressible
• The truncation of the series expansion, as
given by Equation (5), is not valid in this
category and the complete expansion as
given by Equation (4) is used.
• the isothermal compressibility of any

compressible fluid is described by:
-------------- (8)
8
Figure(1): P-V relationship
schematic illustrations of the volume and density changes

as a function of pressure for the three types of fluids:
(Gas)
Figure(2)
Fluid density versus pressure for different fluid types
9
FLOW REGIMES
• Three types of flow regimes that describe
the fluid flow behavior and reservoir
pressure distribution as a function of time:
Steady-state flow
Unsteady-state flow
Pseudo steady-state flow
Steady-State Flow
• The pressure at every location in the reservoir
remains constant does not change with time
-------------- (9)
10
• In reservoirs, the steady-state flow
condition can only occur when the
reservoir is completely recharged and
supported by strong aquifer or pressure
maintenance operations.
Scenario:
Open outer boundary. Infinite reservoir boundary.
Production is balanced by fluid entry across the outer boundary.
Never occur in reality!
Unsteady / Transient State Flow

• the rate of change of pressure with respect
to time at any position in the reservoir is
not zero or constant
-------------- (10)
Scenario:
analysis of well test where rate is deliberately changed and pressure
response is analyzed.
Pressure disturbance for a short period (In cases of well closure/ repair)
No boundary effect
11
Pseudo steady-State Flow
• The pressure at different locations in the
reservoir is declining linearly as a function
of time
-------------- (11)
Reservoir Scenario?
- Reservoir has been producing long enough.
- Pressure reduction has reached boundary of reservoir. Boundary
effect.
Figure (3)
Flow regimes
12
RESERVOIR GEOMETRY
• The shape of a reservoir has a significant
effect on its flow behavior
• Most reservoirs have irregular boundaries
• Rigorous mathematical description of
geometry is often possible only with the
use of numerical simulators
• One of the following flow geometries:
Radial flow
Linear flow
Spherical and hemispherical flow
13
Radial Flow
• Flow into or away from a wellbore will follow radial
flow lines from a substantial distance from the
wellbore
• In the absence of severe reservoir heterogeneities
fluids move toward the well from all directions and
coverage at the wellbore.
Figure (4)
Ideal radial flow into a wellbore.
14
Linear Flow
• When flow paths are parallel and the fluid
flows in a single direction
• The cross sectional area to flow must be
constant
• A common application of linear flow
equations is the fluid flow into vertical
hydraulic fractures
Figure (5)
Linear flow
15
Figure (6)
Ideal linear flow into vertical fracture
Spherical and Hemispherical

Flow
• Depending upon the type of wellbore
completion configuration
• possible to have a spherical or hemispherical
flow near the wellbore
• A well with a limited perforated interval could
result in spherical flow in the vicinity of the
perforations
• A well that only partially penetrates the pay
zone could result in hemispherical flow
16
Figure (7)
Spherical flow due to limited entry
Figure (8)
Hemispherical flow in a partially penetrating well
17
NUMBER OF FLOWING
FLUIDS IN THE RESERVOIR
• Single-phase flow (oil, water, or gas)
• Two-phase flow (oil-water, oil-gas, or gas-water)
• Three-phase flow (oil, water, and gas)
18

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FUNDAMENTALS OF

RESERVOIR FLUID FLOW

Reference: Tarek Ahmed (2006), Reservoir Engineering

To identify flow regimes in reservoir.

To describe reservoir geometry.

To identify number of flowing fluids in the

– In a porous media, there is no clear-cut flow paths which

Why the flow is complex ?

Most oil bearing & water bearing formation

The wellbore usually deviates resulting in an

Many wells do not fully penetrate the pay

Flow rate (cm3/s)

Transport eqn implying velocity is proportional to pressure gradient

• Number of flowing fluids in the

• An incompressible fluid: fluid whose

• Because the exponent x [which represents

• Combining Equation (5) with Equation (3)

A similar derivation is applied to Equation (2)

where V = volume at pressure p

• the isothermal compressibility of any

schematic illustrations of the volume and density changes

Unsteady / Transient State Flow

Spherical and hemispherical flow

Spherical and Hemispherical

• Two-phase flow (oil-water, oil-gas, or gas-water)

• Three-phase flow (oil, water, and gas)

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