Fluid Properties

Basic Fluid Parameters Used in Reservoir Engineering

(Viscosity, Compressibility, Volume Factor, GOR, Phase
Diagrams)

Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved

 What is Petroleum?

◼ Petroleum: a natural yellow-to-black liquid hydrocarbon

found at and beneath the earth’s surface,
◼ Hydrocarbon: an organic compound made up of carbon and
hydrogen atoms.

Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved 2

 Crude Oils

Light Crude Heavy Crude

Palo Pinto Field Humble Oil Field
North Texas Southwest Texas

Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved 3

 Crude Oils

Extra Heavy Oil

(Orinoco Belt, Venezuela)

Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved 4

 Petroleum Products
A Barrel of Crude Oil Provides:

Gasoline - 19.5 gallons

One Barrel =
42 gallons Fuel Oil - 9.2 gallons

Jet Fuel - 4.1 gallons

Asphalt - 2.3 gallons
Kerosene - 0.2 gallons
Lubricants - 0.5 gallons
Petrochemicals,
other products - 6.2 gallons
Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved 5
 Hydrocarbon

Combination of C and H
H H H
H C C C H
H H H H
PROPANE
H C H
ETHANE H H
H
METHANE H C C H
H H
Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved 6
 Other elements in Reservoir Fluids

◼ Water (Salinity)
◼ H2S
◼ CO2
◼ N2
◼ Hg (Mercury)

Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved 7

 API Gravity

141.5
API = − 131.5
SG
or
141.5
SG =
API + 131.5

Where
SG: Specific Gravity
API: API Gravity (60degF)

Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved 8

 Viscosity ()

◼ A measure of resistance to flow

◼ Symbols: o, g, w
◼ Units: cp
◼ Sources: Lab measurements, correlations
◼ Range and typical values
– 0.25 to 10,000 cp, Black oil
– 0.5 to 1.0 cp, Water
– 0.012 to 0.035 cp, Gas

Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved 9

 Variation of Viscosity with Pressure

Pb

Pressure

Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved 10

 Fluid Compressibility (Co, Cg, Cw)

Fractional change in volume due to a unit change in pressure

Symbol: co, cg, cw
Units: psi-1, microsips (1 microsip = 1x10-6 psi-1)
Source: Lab measurements, correlations

Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved 11

 Oil Formation Volume Factor (Bo)

Oil at Surface

Gas at Surface
OilVolume in Place Pb
Bo =
OilVolume at Surface

Oil in Place

Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved 12

 Gas-Oil Ratio (GOR)

Oil at Surface

Gas at Surface
GasVolume at Surface Pb
GOR =
OilVolume at Surface

Oil in Place

Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved 13

 Exercise

◼ There is 1,000,000 bbls of recoverable oil in reservoir. If you

recover all of the oil to the surface, how much stock tank
volume of oil and gas (standard condition) you can obtain?
Assume: Bo = 1.2, GOR = 600, reservoir is saturated and no
free gas is drained.
◼ If the oil price is $75/bbl and gas price is $10 /mscf, how
much revenue can you get? (you do not have to consider
production cost in this exercise).

Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved 14

 GOR is different from Gas in Solution (Rs)

GOR is the ratio of ALL the gas at surface and the oil at
surface, while Rs is the ratio of gas in solution in the oil in the
reservoir

Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved 15

 GOR  Rs Vg 1 + Vg 2 + Vg 3
GOR =
Vo
Surface
GOR
Vg3
GWR Vo
Vg1
Vg2

Bo
Bw
Bg

Rs

Reservoir
Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved 16
 Gas-Oil Ratio
(for Pr < Pb and no Free Gas Cap)

where:
GOR – Production gas oil ratio
Rs – Gas in solution in oil
Bo and Bg – Oil and gas volume factors
mo and mg – Oil and gas viscosities
krg/kro – Gas/oil-relative permeability-ratio

Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved 17

 Hydrocarbons Classification

Black Volatile Retrograde Wet Dry

Oil Oil Gas Gas Gas
Initial <1750 1750 to > 3200 > 15,000* 100,000*
Producing 3200
Gas/Liquid
Ratio, scf/STB
Initial Stock- < 45 > 40 > 40 Up to 70 No
Tank Liquid Liquid
Gravity, API
Color of Stock- Dark Colored Lightly Water No
Tank Liquid Colored White Liquid

*For Engineering Purposes

Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved 18

 Hydrocarbons Classification

Black Volatile Retrograde Wet Dry

Oil Oil Gas Gas Gas
Phase Bubblepoint Bubblepoint Dewpoint No No
Change in Phase Phase
Reservoir Change Change
Heptanes > 20% 20 to 12.5 < 12.5 < 4* < 0.8*
Plus, Mole
Percent
Oil < 2.0 > 2.0 - - -
Formation
Volume
Factor at
Bubblepoint

*For Engineering Purposes

Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved 19

 Hydrocarbon Behavior

(Single Component / Constant Temperature)

Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved 20

 Hydrocarbon Behavior

(Single Component / Constant Temperature)

Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved 21

 HYDROCARBON PVT PROPERTIES

DIFFERENTIAL GAS LIBERATION

Gas phase removal process in a hydrocarbon system, when gas is formed below the bubble point pressure.
During the process the composition of the system continuously changes.

(A) (B) GAS EXTRACTION (C) GAS EXTRACTION

GAS GAS LIQUID

LIQUID LIQUID

PISTON PISTON
PISTON LIQUID
LIQUID

PISTON PISTON

PRESSURE DECREASE

Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved

 HYDROCARBON PVT PROPERTIES

FLASH EXPANSION
Gas is formed from the liquid when de pressure is reduced, keeping in contact with the crude
oil. The total composition of the system remains constant.

Pb

GAS GAS
LIQUID
LIQUID
PISTON
PISTON LIQUID

PISTON LIQUID
PISTON

PRESSURE DECREASE

Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved

 Typical PVT Data for Differential Vaporization of an
Undersaturated Oil at Constant Temperature (305°F)

Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved 24

 Five Reservoir Fluids

Black Oil
Volatile Oil
Retrograde Gas
Wet Gas
Dry Gas

Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved

 The Reservoir Fluid Type

Determined using the pressure-temperature phase diagram.

◼ Requires knowledge of the reservoir to surface pressure-
temperature path.
Estimated using field data with rules of thumb.

Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved 26

 Phase Diagram – Typical Black Oil

Pressure path
in reservoir
Critical
point Dewpoint line
Pressure, psia

Black Oil

% Liquid

Separator

Temperature, °F
Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved 27
 Phase Diagram of a Typical Volatile Oil

Pressure path Critical

1 point
in reservoir

2
Volatile oil
Pressure

% Liquid

Separator

Temperature, °F
Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved 28
 Phase Diagram of a Typical Retrograde Gas

Pressure path
in reservoir
1
Retrograde gas
2
Pressure

Critical point

% Liquid

Separator

Temperature
Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved 29
 Phase Diagram of Typical Wet Gas

Pressure path
in reservoir
1
Pressure

Wet gas

Critical % Liquid
point
2

Separator

Temperature

Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved 30

 Phase Diagram of Typical Dry Gas

Pressure path
in reservoir
1
Pressure

Dry gas

% Liquid
2

Separator

Temperature

Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved 31

 The Five Reservoir Fluids
Black Oil Volatile Oil

The Five
Pressure path 1 Critical
in reservoir point

Pressure path 2
in reservoir

Reservoir
Dewpoint line Volatile oil
Critical
point
Pressure, psia

Pressure
Black Oil % Liquid

Fluids
% Liquid

Separator
Separator

Temperature
Temperature, °F

Pressure path
in reservoir Pressure path
Pressure path
in reservoir in reservoir
1
Retrograde gas 1 1
2
Pressure

Wet gas
Pressure

Pressure
Dry gas
Critical
point
% Liquid
Critical % Liquid
% Liquid
point
3 2
2

Separator Separator
Separator

Temperature Temperature Temperature

Retrograde Gas Wet Gas Dry Gas

Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved 32
 Three Gases

◼ Dry gas - gas at surface is same as gas in reservoir

◼ Wet gas - recombined surface gas and condensate
represents gas in reservoir
◼ Retrograde gas - recombined surface gas and condensate
represents the gas in the reservoir but not the total reservoir
fluid (retrograde condensate stays in reservoir)

Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved 33

 Components of Naturally occurring Petroleum
Fluids
Component Composition,
mole percent
Hydrogen sulfide 4.91
Carbon dioxide 11.01
Nitrogen 0.51
Methane 57.70
Ethane 7.22
Propane 4.45
i-Butane 0.96
n-Butane 1.95
i-Pentane 0.78
n-Pentane 0.71
Hexanes 1.45
Heptanes plus 8.35
100.00
Properties of heptanes plus
Specific Gravity 0.807
Molecular Weight 142 lb/lb mole

Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved 34

 Initial Producing GLR Correlates With C7+

100000
gas/liquid ratio, scf/STB

80000
Initial producing

60000

40000
Dewpoint gas
Bubblepoint oil
20000

0
0 10 20 30 40 50
Heptanes plus in reservoir fluid, mole %

Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved 35

 Initial Producing GLR Correlates With C7+

1000000
gas/liquid ratio, scf/STB

100000
Initial producing

10000

1000

100
Dewpoint gas
Bubblepoint oil
10
0.1 1 10 100
Heptanes plus in reservoir fluid, mole %
Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved 36
 Retrograde Gas

5000
gas/liquid ratio, scf/STB
Initial producing

4000

3000

2000
10 11 12 13 14 15

Heptanes plus in reservoir fluid, mole %

Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved 37

 Three Gases – What are the differences?

Dry gas - gas at surface is same as gas in reservoir

Wet gas - recombined surface gas and condensate represents
gas in reservoir
Retrograde gas - recombined surface gas and condensate
represents the gas in the reservoir But not the total reservoir
fluid (retrograde condensate stays in reservoir)

Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved 38

 Field Identification

Black Volatile Retrograde Wet Dry

Oil Oil Gas Gas Gas
Initial <1750 1750 to > 3200 > 15,000* 100,000*
Producing 3200
Gas/Liquid
Ratio, scf/STB
Initial Stock- < 45 > 40 > 40 Up to 70 No
Tank Liquid Liquid
Gravity, API
Color of Stock- Dark Colored Lightly Water No
Tank Liquid Colored White Liquid

*For Engineering Purposes

Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved 39

 Laboratory Analysis

Black Volatile Retrograde Wet Dry

Oil Oil Gas Gas Gas
Phase Bubblepoint Bubblepoint Dewpoint No No
Change in Phase Phase
Reservoir Change Change
Heptanes > 20% 20 to 12.5 < 12.5 < 4* < 0.8*
Plus, Mole
Percent
Oil < 2.0 > 2.0 - - -
Formation
Volume
Factor at
Bubblepoint

*For Engineering Purposes

Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved 40

 Primary Production Trends

Black Volatile Retrograde Wet Dry

Oil Oil Gas Gas Gas
GOR

GOR
GOR

GOR

GOR
No
liquid

Time Time Time Time Time

 API

 API
 API

 API

 API
No
liquid

Time Time Time Time Time

Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved 41

 Exercise

One of the wells in the Merit field, completed in

December 1967 in the North Rodessa formation,
originally produced 54API stock-tank liquid at a gas/oil
ratio of about 23,000 scf/STB. During July 1969, the
well produced 1987 STB of 58API liquid and 78,946
Mscf of gas. By May 1972, the well was producing
liquid at a rate of about 30 STB/d of 59API liquid and
gas at about 2,000 Mscf/d. What type of reservoir fluid
is this well producing?

Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved 42

 Plot of Exercise

100000 60
90000 59
gas/oil ratio, scf/STB

80000 58

liquid gravity, API

70000 57

Stock-tank
Producing

60000 56
50000 55
40000 54
30000 53
20000 52
10000 51
0 50
0 12 24 36 48 60 72
Months since start of 1967
Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved 43
 Exercise Solution

Initial GLR over 3,200 scf/STB and producing gas-liquid ratio

and stock tank oil gravity increasing with production, thus fluid
Retrograde
is Gas
retrograde gas Condensate
condensate
Initial GLR over 15,000 scf/STB, thus fluid can be treated as
wet gas
GLR apparently started increasing immediately, indicating that
pi = pd and the possibility of an oil zone

Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved 44

 HYDROCARBON PVT PROPERTIES

EMPIRICAL CORRELATIONS

Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved

STANDING CORRELATION
Rs(Solution Gas, SCF/STB) and Bo (Oil volume factor, Bbl/STB) calculation

P 10 0.0125 o API 1.205

Rs = g x when P ≤ Pb
18 10 0.00091 T

g 0.6
F = Rs + 1.25 T Rs: Gas in solution, SCF/STB;
o Bo: Oil volumetric factor , Bbl/STB;
P: Pressure, psi;
T: Temperature °F;
 g: Gas Specific gravity (air = 1);
Bo = 0.972 + 0.00014 F 1.175  o: Oil Specific gravity (water = 1) ;
o API: Oil API Gravity
ρo: Oil density, lb/ft3

Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved 46

 OIL DENSITY

62.4 o + 0.0764 g Rs / 5.615

ρo =
Bo

Where ρo= Oil density, lb/ft3 @ P,T

Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved

 GAS VOLUMETRIC FACTOR, Bg

The gas volumetric factor, Bg, can be determined using following

equation, which is derived from state equation (PV = znRT)

zT
Bg = 0.028269 (vol./vol.)
P

P: pressure, psia,
T: temperature oR (= oF + 460)
and z: supercompressibility factor.

Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved

 Gas density at P and T

ρg = ρgSC / Bg ,

Where ρgSC = 0.0764 g

Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved

 HYDROCARBON PVT PROPERTIES
HOW TO DETERMINE FREE GAS AND CRUDE OIL VOLUME AT A GIVEN PRESURE AND
TEMPERATURE CONDITION

RESERVOIR BUBBLE CONDITION AT A GIVEN STANDARD

CONDITION PRESSURE POINT IN THE PIPE CONDITIONS

LIQUID 1 GAS Pr, Tr Pb P, T 14.7 psi, 60oF

2
GAS GAS
P 3
TWO PHASES
LIQUID LIQUID
Vg P,T
Vg SC
4 PISTON LIQUID
14.7 psi
PISTON
Vo P,T

T
60o F LIQUID Vo SC
PISTON
PISTON

1 2 3 4

Vo (P,T)= Bo x VoSC

Vg (P,T)= Bg X (GOR - Rs) x VoSC GOR = Vg SC / Vo SC

Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved
 EXERCISE
APPLICATION OF FLUID PROPERTIES CALCULATIONS

A well is producing 35 oAPI oil at a rate of 1000 STB/day, with a GOR of 500 SCF/STB.
Gas specific gravity is 0.65 (air = 1).

1) Calculate the oil and gas flow rates in ft3/sec. in a point of the tubing where the pressure
is 800 psi and the temperature is 140 oF.. Assume Z= 0.9.
Use empirical correlations for Bo, Bg, Rs Calculations

2) Calculate the oil and gas densities for the same conditions. Sol# Rs=152, F=307.9, Bo=1.089
Bg=.0189

Qo(800psi, 140 F) = Bo x Qo(STB/day) ,AnsQ0=1089 bpd

Qg(800psi, 140 F) = BgxQo(STB/day)x(GOR – Rs)

1 bbl = 5.615 ft3 y 1day=86400 sec

Copyright 2007, , All rights reserved