Reservoir Fluids

Lecturers
 Dynis Tchato, Senior petroleum engineer at Assala Energy (Gabon)
 Cédric Bella, Junior petroleum engineer
 Freddy Nganso, Junior petroleum engineer
 Course outline
1. Definition of PVT analysis
2. Chemical composition of petroleum fluids
3. Petroleum fluids properties
4. Correlations to estimate hydrocarbons
properties
5. Equation of state
6. Sampling
7. Determination of PVT parameters in the
laboratory
8. Water properties
 Required books
 The Properties of Petroleum Fluids, 2nd ed.,
McCain, W. D., Penn Well Publishing Co.,
Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1990.
 Fundamentals of reservoir engineering, 1st
ed., Dake, L. P., Elsevier science,
Amsterdam, 1978.
Chapter 1 : Definition of PVT analysis

Goal of a PVT study

Determine characteristics (chemical and physical) of the
reservoir fluids so as to predict its behaviour when pressure
and temperature vary.

Conclusions of a PVT study

 Parameters for hydrocarbons in-place evaluation (Bo, Bg)
 Recovery-factor calculations
 Fluid composition analysis (chromatography and
distillation)
 Phase behaviour during production
 Input to reservoir numerical simulation
Chapter 1 : Definition of PVT analysis

Who uses PVT data ?

 Reservoirs engineers
To understand the oil and gas behaviour in the
reservoir and establish a coherent development plan
 Process engineers
To choose the separation process equipment
Chapter 1 : Definition of PVT analysis
 THE PVT FLUID analyzed must be the most representative
of the RESERVOIR FLUID.
Representativity guarantees an accurate production
prediction, exactness of the bubble or dew point, nature of
the fluid in the reservoir, amount of oil produced.
 Requirements are:
acquisition of adequate volume of representative fluid
samples
exact PVT data measurements with strict quality-
assurance/quality control (QA/QC)
 The PVT cost is minimal in regard to economical benefits or
losses brought by the lack of knowledge of the fluid
properties present in the reservoir.
Chapter 1 : Definition of PVT analysis
 Consequences
Don’t hesitate to sample fluids for PVT analysis
Representativity of the sampling is essential
End of chapter 1.
Chapter 2 : Chemical composition of
petroleum fluids
 Petroleum fluids are mainly constituted of
organic elements as hydrocarbons
 Hydrocarbons contains only carbon and hydrogen
 Also crude oils contains non hydrocarbons as
nitrogen (N2), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), carbon
dioxyde (CO2), carbon monoxyde (CO), and
mercaptans (R-S-H)
 Also contains elements as traces Hg, Ni, Va, S, O
Chapter 2 : Chemical composition of
petroleum fluids

Methods
 Compositional analysis of the gas phase by gas
chromatography; N2, CO2, C1-C10
 Compositional analysis of the liquid phase by
gas chromatography up to C20+, often(C11+,
C7+) and/or distillation from C10 to C20+.
 Chapter 2 : Chemical composition of
petroleum fluids
Main families of hydrocarbons
Hydrocarbons

Aromatics
(ex. benzene, toluene, Aliphatics
xylene)

Saturated (or
Unsaturated
Alkanes)

Normal Cycloalkanes
alkanes Iso-alkanes (or Alkenes (ex. Alkynes (ex.
(ex. methane, (ex. napthtenes)
ethylene) acetylene)
ethane, isobutane) (Ex.
propane) cyclohexane)
Chapter 2 : Chemical composition of
petroleum fluids
 Depending on its composition, crude oil can either
be paraffinic, napthenic, aromatic or asphaltenic
 For paraffinic crude oils, wax precipitation can
occur at some temperatures
 Wax precipitation can occur
– In wells
– In production facilities
– In pipelines
 Wax precipitation can occur for
– Gas condensates
– Light oil at T < 150 °F
– Heavy oil at T < 150 °F
End of chapter 2.
 Homework 1
 Ex 1, 2, 3 p42 &43 From : The properties of
reservoir fluids
Chapter 3 : petroleum fluids properties
Types of reservoir fluids
 Physical properties of petroleum fluids are
function of pressure, temperature and
composition.
 There are five types of reservoir fluids :
 Crude oil : Saturated oil, Undersaturated oil
 Gas : Dry gas, wet gas, gas condensate
 We can see the difference between these
fluids by looking at their phase diagrams
Chapter 3 : petroleum fluids properties
D C
B

This is a typical phase diagram of a reservoir fluid. From this diagram it is

necessary to define the following key points : cricondentherm,
cricondenbar, critical point, phase envelope, quality lines, bubble point
curve, dew point curve.
Chapter 3 : petroleum fluids properties
Definitions
 Cricondentherm (Tct) : The Cricondentherm is defined as the maxi-
mum temperature above which liquid cannot be formed regardless of
pressure (point E). The corresponding pressure is termed the Cricon-
dentherm pressure pct
 Cricondenbar (pcb) : The Cricondenbar is the maximum pressure
above which no gas can be formed regardless of temperature
(point D). The corresponding temperature is called the Cricondenbar
temperature Tcb.
 Critical point : The critical point for a multicomponent mixture is
referred to as the state of pressure and temperature at which all inten-
sive properties of the gas and liquid phases are equal (point C).
At the critical point, the corresponding pressure and temperature
are called the critical pressure pc and critical temperature Tc of the
mixture.
Chapter 3 : petroleum fluids properties
Definitions
 Phase envelope (two-phase region) : The region enclosed by the
bubble-point curve and the dew-point curve (line BCA), wherein
gas and liquid coexist in equilibrium, is identified as the phase
envelope of the hydrocarbon system.
 Quality lines : The dashed lines within the phase diagram are
called quality lines. They describe the pressure and temperature
conditions for equal volumes of liquids. Note that the quality
lines converge at the critical point (point C).
 Bubble-point curve : The bubble-point curve (line BC) is defined
as the line separating the liquid-phase region from the two-
phase region.
 Dew-point curve : The dew-point curve (line AC) is defined as
the line separating the vapor-phase region from the two-phase
region.
Chapter 3 : petroleum fluids properties

Saturated oil :
Chapter 3 : petroleum fluids properties

Undersaturated oil :
Chapter 3 : petroleum fluids properties

Dry gas:
Chapter 3 : petroleum fluids properties

Wet gas:
Chapter 3 : petroleum fluids properties

Gas condensate:
Chapter 3 : petroleum fluids properties
Classification of reservoir fluids according to the
chemical composition

- heavy oil C1 < 20% C7+ >40%

- black oil 20% < C7+ < 40%
- light oil C1 – C5 > 60% 13% < C7+ < 20%
- volatile oil/rich condensate 8% < C7+ < 13%
- gas condensate C7+ < 8%
- wet gas C1 > 80%
Chapter 3 : petroleum fluids properties
Example
Component %mol C1 = 64.19%
Nitrogen+CO2 2.37 C1-C5 = 86.3%
C7+ = 10.11%
H2S
Methane 64.19 Fluid is volatile oil/rich condensate
Ethane 11.18
Propane 6.20
Isobutane 0.75
n-Butane 2.31
Isopentane 0.64
n-Pentane 1.03
C6 1.22
C7+ 10.11
Total 100.00
Chapter 3 : petroleum fluids properties
Homework : Identify the type of fluid
1) Component %mol
Nitrogen+CO2 2.16
H2S
Methane 30.28
Ethane 6.28
Propane 10.21
Isobutane 1.23
n-Butane 5.75
Isopentane 1.62
n-Pentane 2.61
C6 3.28
C7+ 36.58
Total 100.00
Chapter 3 : petroleum fluids properties
2) Component %mol
Nitrogen+CO2 4.49
H2S 3.45
Methane 50.12
Ethane 7.78
Propane 5.18
Isobutane 1.04
n-Butane 2.65
Isopentane 1.11
n-Pentane 1.43
C6 1.92
C7+ 20.83
Total 100
Chapter 3 : petroleum fluids properties
3) Component %mol
Nitrogen+CO2 2.12
H2S
Methane 63.91
Ethane 8.29
Propane 4.37
Isobutane 0.94
n-Butane 2.21
Isopentane 0.72
n-Pentane 1.15
C6 1.86
C7+ 14.43
Total 100
Chapter 3 : petroleum fluids properties
4) Component %mol
Nitrogen+CO2 4.09
H2S
Methane 73.80
Ethane 9.43
Propane 4.43
Isobutane 0.87
n-Butane 1.63
Isopentane 0.71
n-Pentane 0.66
C6 0.91
C7+ 3.47
Total 100
Chapter 3 : petroleum fluids properties
5) Component %mol
Nitrogen+CO2 1.01
H2S
Methane 88.54
Ethane 5.32
Propane 2.30
Isobutane 0.56
n-Butane 0.59
Isopentane 0.27
n-Pentane 0.23
C6 0.27
C7+ 0.91
Total 100
Chapter 3 : petroleum fluids properties
6) Component %mol
Nitrogen+CO2 0.40
H2S
Methane 94.32
Ethane 3.90
Propane 1.17
Isobutane 0.08
n-Butane 0.13
Isopentane
n-Pentane
C6
C7+
Total 100
Chapter 3 : petroleum fluids properties
Ternary diagram
The petroleum mixture is reduced to three
components :
- a light component (like methane)
- intermediates (like C2 - C5)
- a heavy component (like C6+)
The phase behaviour of this three-component
mixture is represented through an equilateral
triangle, called the ternary diagram
Chapter 3 : petroleum fluids properties
Chapter 3 : petroleum fluids properties
 each corner of the triangle corresponds to 100
% of a single component
 each side represents two-component mixtures
 points within the triangle represents three-
component mixtures
Composition is plotted in mole fraction
For a ternary diagram the pressure and the
temperature are constant, only the composition
changes
Chapter 3 : petroleum fluids properties
PROPERTIES OF CRUDE OIL SYSTEMS
 Petroleum (an equivalent term is crude oil) is a complex
mixture consisting predominantly of hydrocarbons and
containing sulfur, nitrogen,oxygen, and helium as minor
constituents.
 The physical and chemical properties of crude oils vary
considerably and are dependent on the concentration
of the various types of hydrocarbons and minor
constituents present.
Chapter 3 : petroleum fluids properties
PROPERTIES OF CRUDE OIL SYSTEMS
 An accurate description of physical properties of
considerable importance in the solution of petroleum
reservoir engineering problems.

 Physical properties of primary interest in petroleum

engineering studies include: Fluid gravity, Specific
gravity of the solution gas, Gas solubility, Bubble-point
pressure, Oil formation volume factor, Isothermal
compressibility coefficient, Total formation volume
factor, Crude oil viscosity
Chapter 3 : petroleum fluids properties

 Data on most of these fluid properties are

usually determined by laboratory
experiments performed on samples of
actual reservoir fluids.
 In the absence of experimentally measured
properties of crude oils, it is necessary for
the petroleum engineer to determine the
properties from empirically derived
correlations.
Chapter 3 : petroleum fluids properties

Crude oil gravity

 The crude oil density is defined as the mass
of a unit volume of the crude at a specified
pressure and temperature. It is usually
expressed in pounds per cubic foot. The
specific gravity of a crude oil is defined as
the ratio of the density of the oil to that of
water. Both densities are measured at 60°F
and atmospheric pressure
Chapter 3 : petroleum fluids properties
Crude oil gravity
It should be pointed out that the liquid specific
gravity is dimensionless, but traditionally is given
the units 60°/60° to emphasize the fact that both
densities are measured at standard conditions.
The density of the water is approximately 62.4
lb/ft
Although the density and specific gravity are
used extensively in the petroleum industry, the
API gravity is the preferred gravity scale.
Chapter 3 : petroleum fluids properties

Crude oil gravity

This gravity scale is precisely related to the
specific gravity by the following expression:
°API = 141.5/d -131.5
Chapter 3 : petroleum fluids properties

Classification of crude oils based on API

gravity :
Condensate, very light oils : d ≤ 0.8 (more
than 45°API)
Light oils 0.8 ≤ d ≤ 0.86 (33 à 45°API)
Black oils 0.86 ≤ d ≤ 0.92 (22 à 33°API)
Heavy oils0.92 ≤ d ≤ 1 (less than 22°API)
Chapter 3 : petroleum fluids properties
Gas solubility
The gas solubility Rs is defined as the number of standard
cubic feet of gas that will dissolve in one stock-tank barrel of
crude oil at certain pressure and temperature. The solubility
of a natural gas in a crude oil is a strong function of the
pressure, temperature, API gravity, and gas gravity.

𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑔𝑎𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠

𝑅𝑆 =
𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑖𝑙 𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠
Chapter 3 : petroleum fluids properties
Gas solubility
For a particular gas and crude oil to exist at a constant
temperature, the solubility increases with pressure until the
saturation pressure is reached. At the saturation pressure
(bubble-point pressure) all the available gases are dissolved in
the oil and the gas solubility reaches its maximum value.
Rather than measuring the amount of gas that will dissolve in
a given stock-tank crude oil as the pressure is increased, it is
customary to determine the amount of gas that will come out
of a sample of reservoir crude oil as pressure decreases.
Chapter 3 : petroleum fluids properties

Gas solubility
As the pressure is reduced from the initial
reservoir pressure pi to the bubble-point
pressure pb, no gas evolves from the oil and
consequently the gas solubility remains
constant at its maximum value of Rsb. Below
the bubble-point pressure, the solution gas is
liberated and the value of Rs decreases with
pressure.
Chapter 3 : petroleum fluids properties

Gas solubility
Chapter 3 : petroleum fluids properties

Bubble point pressure

The bubble-point pressure pb of a
hydrocarbon system is defined as the highest
pressure at which a bubble of gas is first
liberated from the oil.
This important property can be measured
experimentally for a crude oil system by
conducting a constant-composition expansion
test.
Chapter 3 : petroleum fluids properties

Oil formation volume factor

Surface conditions

Reservoir conditions
200 m3 gas

1 m3 oil

0.8 m3 oil

Formation volume factor (FVF) :

Bo = 1/0.8 = 1.25 m3/m3

Gas oil ratio :

GOR = 200/0.8 = 250 Sm3/m3
Chapter 3 : petroleum fluids properties

Oil formation volume factor

The oil formation volume factor, Bo, is defined as the ratio of
the volume of oil (plus the gas in solution) at the prevailing
reservoir temperature and pressure to the volume of oil at
standard conditions. Bo is always greater than or equal to
unity. The oil formation volume factor can be expressed
mathematically as:

𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑖𝑙 𝑖𝑛 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑜𝑖𝑟 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠

𝐵𝑜 =
𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑖𝑙 𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠
Chapter 3 : petroleum fluids properties

Oil formation volume factor

Chapter 3 : petroleum fluids properties

Oil formation volume factor

As the pressure is reduced below the initial reservoir pressure
pi, the oil volume increases due to the oil expansion. This
behavior results in an increase in the oil formation volume
factor and will continue until the bubble-point pressure is
reached. At pb, the oil reaches its maximum expansion and
consequently attains a maximum value of Bob for the oil
formation volume factor. As the pressure is reduced below
pb, volume of the oil and Bo are decreased as the solution gas
is liberated. When the pressure is reduced to atmospheric
pressure and the temperature to 60°F, the value of Bo is equal
to one.
Chapter 3 : petroleum fluids properties

Isothermal compressibility
Isothermal compressibility Co, quantifies the volume changes
arising from pressure depletion at reservoir temperature,
above the bubble point pressure. By definition, the
isothermal compressibility of a substance is defined
mathematically by the following expression :

1 𝜕𝑉
𝐶𝑜 = −
𝑉 𝜕𝑃 𝑇
Chapter 3 : petroleum fluids properties

Isothermal compressibility
Average oil compressibility is often assumed constant (valid
except for volatile oil at high pressure) and then:
Bo = Bob [ 1 – Co (p-pb)]
Oil compressibility varies between
1 * 10^(-4) bar ^(-1) black oil 7 * 10^(-6) psi ^(-1)
4 * 10^(-4) bar ^(-1) volatile oil 30 * 10^(-6) psi ^(-1)
Chapter 3 : petroleum fluids properties
Oil viscosity
Crude oil viscosity is an important physical property that
controls and influences the flow of oil through porous
media and pipes. The viscosity, in general, is defined as the
internal resistance of the fluid to flow.
The oil viscosity is a strong function of the temperature,
pressure, oil gravity, gas gravity, and gas solubility.
Whenever possible, oil viscosity should be determined by
laboratory measurements at reservoir temperature and
pressure. The viscosity is usually reported in standard PVT
analyses. If such laboratory data are not available,
engineers may refer to published correlations, which
usually vary in complexity and accuracy depending upon
the available data on the crude oil.
Chapter 3 : petroleum fluids properties
Oil viscosity
According to the pressure, the viscosity of crude oils can be
classified into three categories:
 Dead-Oil Viscosity
The dead-oil viscosity is defined as the viscosity of crude oil at
atmospheric pressure (no gas in solution) and system temperature.
 Saturated-Oil Viscosity
The saturated (bubble-point)-oil viscosity is defined as the viscosity
of the crude oil at the bubble-point pressure and reservoir
temperature.
 Undersaturated-Oil Viscosity
The undersaturated-oil viscosity is defined as the viscosity of the
crude oil at a pressure above the bubble-point and reservoir
temperature.
Chapter 3 : petroleum fluids properties

Oil viscosity
The viscosity varies with the pressure,
temperature and quantity of dissolved gas. In
the reservoir, the following prevail for the
hydrocarbon liquid:
Order of magnitude: from 0,2 cP (very light
oil) to 1 P, called heavy oil above 1 P, up to
about 100 P.
Chapter 3 : petroleum fluids properties

Oil viscosity
Chapter 3 : petroleum fluids properties

Homework
Ex 5.3 & 5.4 p160 from “The properties of
reservoir fluids”