Reservoir Fluid Properties

Subsurface Module
Reservoir Engineering
Reservoir Fluid Properties
© The Robert Gordon University 2008 1

Review
This topic reviews the composition of petroleum fluids, their phase
behaviour and their properties.
Content
 Composition of Petroleum Fluids
 Phase Behaviour
 Gas Properties
 Oil Properties
 Fluid Gradients and Hydrocarbon Contacts
 PVT Analysis

VITAL in many Petroleum Engineering calculations:
• The volume of hydrocarbons initially in place

• How to develop the reservoir
• The behaviour of the reservoir during production
• The recovery efficiency
• The design of the surface facilities

Composition of Petroleum Fluids

Phase Behaviour
Gas Properties
Oil Properties
Fluid Gradients and Hydrocarbon Contacts
PVT Analysis

• A hydrocarbon is a compound consisting of hydrogen and

carbon.
• Crude oils contain many different hydrocarbon compounds
characterised into 3 main families:
1. Paraffins (Alkanes)
2. Naphthenes (Cycloparaffins)
3. Aromatics

1. Paraffins (Alkanes) - predominantly “straight chain” compounds.
Can be very large molecules (C50+) in heavier oils
CnH2n+2

2. Naphthenes (Cyclo-paraffins) - cyclical compounds – can
be very large (C50+) in heavier oils
CnH2n
3. Aromatics
Benzene Ring
CnH2n-6

Non - Hydrocarbons
• N2, H2S, CO2, heavy metals
•Sour Gas – contains H2S
• Sweet Gas – no H2S
• Acid Gas – contains CO2
• Asphaltenes and resins

– May precipitate out of the crude oil and cause wellbore or flowline restrictions
– Problem in subsea pipelines where cooling by low sea temperatures encourages deposition
– Various inhibitors added to the crude to reduce this problem.


Phase Behaviour
Gas Properties
Oil Properties
PVT Analysis

Phase Behaviour
Phase Diagram: Single Component Substance
Line AB: Solid-Vapour Equilibrium

Critical Point
Line BC: Vapour-Liquid Equilibrium
Line BD: Solid-Liquid Equilibrium
Triple Point B:
- solid, vapour and liquid
can co-exist together
Triple Point
Critical Point C:
• Properties of vapour and liquid are identical
• Critical T - temperature above which two phases cannot exist regardless of P
• Critical P - pressure above which two phases cannot exist regardless of T
Phase Behaviour
Phase Diagram: Two Component Substance
Cricondenbar
Critical Point
LIQUID The lines in the two phase region
A represent liquid saturations:
Bubble Point Line
Liquid &
P Vapour Dew Point Line
100%
75%
Point A - 75% liquid and 25% gas
50%
25%
VAPOUR
0%
Cricondentherm
T
• Dew Point Line - P and T at which first droplet of liquid forms on passing from gas region to 2 phase region
• Bubble Point Line - P and T at which first bubble of gas forms on passing from liquid region to 2 phase region
• Cricondenbar – highest P at which liquid and gas can co-exist in equilibrium
• Cricondentherm – highest T at which liquid and gas can co-exist in equilibrium
• Critical Point - point where the properties of the liquid and vapour are identical
Phase Behaviour
Phase Diagram: Multi Component Substance
1. Low Shrinkage Oil
Line ABC Represents P Decline in Reservoir
A • Point A - initial reservoir P and T

Bubble Point Line
B - only liquid phase present
Critical Point • P declines through B - the bubble point line

LIQUID
- gas comes out of solution
• P at which the first gas is formed

P S - bubble point (saturation) pressure, pb
100%
C • At final reservoir pressure: Point C
75%
- some liquid remains but reservoir mainly gas
50% 25%
GAS • Line BS - production path to surface conditions
0%
- high % of oil remains in liquid phase at surface
- Low Shrinkage Oil

T
Phase Behaviour
Phase Diagram: Multi Component Substance
2. High Shrinkage (Volatile) Oil
A Line ABC Represents P decline in reservoir

Bubble Point Line
B • Point A - initial reservoir P and T
Critical Point - only liquid phase present
LIQUID
• P declines through B - the bubble point line
- gas comes out of solution
P
100%
S • At final reservoir pressure: Point C
75%
C - reservoir mainly gas
50%
25% • Line BS - production path to surface conditions

0% GAS - higher gas content at surface
- High Shrinkage Oil
T
Phase Behaviour
Low Shrinkage Oil and High Shrinkage (Volatile) Oil

A
Reservoir oils are termed undersaturated B

Critical Point
Reservoir itself is called an undersaturated reservoir LIQUID
P
Undersaturated: 100%
S
75%
C
Oil could contain more dissolved gas 50%
25%
at the initial P and T 0% GAS
In an undersaturated reservoir:
T
• only liquid phase exists (No Initial Gas Cap)
• gas does not come out of solution until the bubble point pressure is reached

Phase Behaviour
3. Wet Gas, Dry Gas and Retrograde Gas Condensate
Line AB
- A: initial P and T of reservoir which contains only gas
D - B: two phase envelope not reached - reservoir still gas
Line AS1: P and T followed by gas as it flows to surface
Critical Point
E Line AS1 does not pass through two phase region
A
- only gas produced at surface
LIQUID
F - Dry Gas Reservoir
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Line AS2 - liquid hydrocarbon at surface

P - Hydrocarbon liquid is condensate
S3
B - Wet Gas Reservoir
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
S2 S1
100% Line DEF
B - D: initial P and T of reservoir which contains only gas
- E: Dew Point Line - liquid condenses from gas
0% GAS
to form a free liquid phase
- F: liquid saturation in reservoir reaches maximum value
T Line ES3: Liquid condensate produced at surface
retrograde condensation
© The Robert Gordon University 2006 - Retrograde Gas Condensate Reservoir 16

Phase Behaviour
Gas Properties
Oil Properties
PVT Analysis

VITAL in many Reservoir Engineering calculations:
• The volume of hydrocarbons initially in place

• How to develop the reservoir
• The behaviour of the reservoir during production
• The recovery efficiency
• The design of the surface facilities

Gas Properties
To Relate Properties of Gases

Measured at Surface to Properties in the Reservoir:
• Equation describing volume of gas as a function of P and T required
• Known as Equations of State
Ideal gas law describes behaviour of gases when volume of molecules

of gas is negligible and inter-molecular attractions are negligible
PV = nRT
P = pressure; V = volume; R = universal gas constant
T = absolute temperature (460+oF or 273 +oC); n = number of lb-moles
of gas present (molecular weight in lbs)
In reality ideal behaviour is never achieved and a correction to allow

for non-ideal behaviour is needed.
Gas Properties
PVT behaviour of non-ideal gases commonly described by:
Compressibility Equation of State
• Results from ideal gas law but includes:

– Correction factor for P greater than atmospheric:
Z-Factor - compressibility factor or gas deviation factor (Z = 1 for ideal gas)

Gas Properties
Compressibility Equation of State
pV = ZnRT
• p = pressure, psia
• V = volume, cuft
• Z = Z-Factor, dimensionless
• n = number of pound moles: one pound mole is molecular weight of gas in
Pounds; (i.e. n = m / M where m = mass and M = molecular weight)
• T = absolute temperature, degrees Rankine, oR = (460o + oF)
• R = universal gas constant, 10.732 psia/lb mol. oR

Gas Properties
Z-FACTOR
(Compressibility factor, Gas deviation factor)
Depends on:
• Pressure
• Temperature
• Gas composition
Measurement:
• Laboratory
• From correlation:
Standing and Katz Correlation; Z-factor as a function of:

– Pseudo Reduced Pressure
– Pseudo Reduced Temperature

Gas Properties
Z-FACTOR

Gas Properties
Z-FACTOR
Pseudo reduced pressure, ppr and pseudo reduced temperature, Tpr :
p T
ppr  Tpr 
ppc Tpc
ppc = pseudo critical pressure
Tpc = pseudo critical temperature
p and T are the pressure and temperature at which the Z factor is required

Gas Properties
Z-FACTOR
Pseudo critical pressure, ppc and pseudo critical temperature Tpc :
ppc   yi pci Tpc   yi Tci

yi is the mole fraction of the ith component of the gas mixture
pci is the critical pressure of the ith component of the gas mixture
Tci is the critical temperature of the ith component of the gas mixture

Gas Properties
Gas Formation Volume Factor Bg

The volume in barrels at reservoir conditions occupied by one standard cubic foot of gas
• Derived from the compressibility equation of state

• Relates gas properties measured at the surface to properties of the gas in the reservoir
• Measured in Lab
V z Tp sc zT res bbl (rb)

Bg    0.00503
Vsc z scTscp p scf
sc denotes standard conditions:
Tsc = 520 oR (60oF)
psc = 14.7 psia
zsc = 1
one bbl = 5.615 cuft.
Gas Properties
Gas Expansion Factor E (i.e. the amount of expansion
that takes place in going from reservoir conditions
to standard conditions)
35.37p
E  scf/rcf
zT
1 bbl = 5.615 cuft
1
Bg  rb/scf
5.615 E
Gas Properties
Bg and E as functions of pressure at constant reservoir temperature
Example Values:
Bg E Bg = 1.2 x 10-3 rb/scf
E = 150 scf/rcf
P
Gas Properties
Gas Compressibility cg
From the compressibility equation of state Cg can be approximated to the

reciprocal of pressure (mainly for P between about 2,000 and 3000 psi):
1 -1
cg  psi
p
(For full derivation see Fundamentals of Reservoir Engineering, L.P. Dake,
Elsevier, 1978, page 23)
Gas compressibilities are very high compared to oil compressibilities

For a pressure of 5000 psia, cg = 200 x 10-6 psi -1
Gas Properties
Gas Viscosity µg
Calculated in the laboratory - generally decrease with decreasing

pressure.
Typical value: 0.03 centipoise cp

Gas Properties
Gas Density ρg
Density, ρ (lb/cuft), of a gas is defined as mass per unit volume:
m pM
ρgas  
V zRT
M = Molecular Weight
Gas density at standard conditions:
ρgas sc  0.0763 γg lb/cuft
γg is the specific gravity of the gas

Gas Properties
Specific Gravity S.G.(γg )

Defined as the ratio of gas density to the density of air
Determined from the compressibility equation of state:
ρgas Mgas M
S.G. (γ g )   
ρair Mair 28.97
M is the molecular weight.

Typical value = 0.85 (air =1)

Gas Properties
Moles, n and Molecular Weight, Ma
Number of moles, n (lb-mole), of any gas is:

weight of the gas, m (lbs), divided by the molecular weight, M (lb/lb-mole):
m ZmRT
n  pV 
M M
In a gas mixture the apparent molecular weight, Ma:
Ma   yi Mi
yi = the mole fraction of the ith component of the gas mixture.

Phase Behaviour
Gas Properties
Oil Properties
PVT Analysis

Oil Properties
Oil Formation Volume Factor Bo
The volume in reservoir barrels of oil plus dissolved gas at reservoir
conditions that gives one stock tank barrel of oil
• Measured in lab
• Units are rb/stb and values are greater than 1
Bubble Point
Bob Above bubble point P oil is undersaturated
Bo increases as P decreases as oil expands
due to its compressibility
Bo
Undersaturated
Below bubble point P Bo decreases
As gas evolves from oil causing the oil volume
to decrease
1.0 Pb
P

Oil Properties
Solution Gas Oil Ratio (GOR) Rs
The amount of dissolved gas in a crude oil at reservoir temperature and pressure
• Measured in Lab
• Units are scf/stb
In an undersaturated system where no free gas is present in the reservoir:
Rsi scf

Oil Properties
Solution Gas Oil Ratio (GOR) Rs
(In reality below Pb gas will most likely start to move as a separate phase,
i.e. solution gas will be augmented by free gas production)
Bubble Point
Pressure
Rsi
Rs
Pb Pintial
P
Oil Properties
Producing Gas Oil Ratio (GOR) R
For a saturated system the producing GOR is a combination of free gas and dissolved gas
R = Solution (Dissolved) Gas + Free Gas

R = Rs + (R – Rs) scf/stb

Oil Properties
R scf of gas produced per stb of oil consists of:
• Rs scf of gas from the solution gas

This volume of gas with one stb of oil gives Bo rb of oil plus dissolved gas at reservoir conditions
• (R - Rs) scf of gas from the free gas in the reservoir

This volume of gas has a volume of (R - Rs)Bg rb at reservoir conditions
Bg used here to convert scf/stb to rb/scf
Total volume of hydrocarbons withdrawn from the reservoir

(measured at reservoir conditions) to produce:
1 stb of oil + R scf of gas is: [Bo + (R - Rs ) Bg ] rb

Oil Properties
Below the pb R can increase to a much higher value than Rsi, as
gas is so much more mobile than oil in the reservoir – but heavily
dependent on reservoir dip angle and production rates
Above pb R = Rsi
Why the dip in R?

Oil Properties
Specific Gravity γo
Defined with reference to the density of water:
ρoil
γo 
ρwater
API Gravity is universally used to characterise oil density:
o 141.5
API  - 131.5
o
Heavy oils have low API gravities 15o to 25o
Volatile oils have API gravities 40o to 50o
Black oils have API gravities 30o to 40o
Oil Properties
Oil Compressibility co
Change in oil volume per unit of oil volume per psi change in pressure
(at constant temperature):
1 dVo -1
co  - psi
Vo dpo
Vo Bo - Boi -1
Bo  co  psi
(Vo )sc Boi p
Typical oil compressibility at 2000 psia would be 15 x 10-6 / psi

Oil Properties
Oil Viscosity µo
• Measured in the laboratory

• Generally increase with decreasing pressure
• Below pb the oil phase viscosity increases as gas evolves from solution


Phase Behaviour
Gas Properties
Oil Properties
PVT Analysis

Fluid Gradients and HC Contacts
Formation Fluid Pressure Versus Depth Measurements
Open Hole Logging Tools are used to obtain:
– The vertical pressure distribution in the reservoir
– Reservoir Fluid Samples
• In exploration and appraisal wells pressure surveys are used to determine

hydrocarbon contacts and fluid gradients
• In development wells, dynamic pressure-depth profiles are important for

reservoir management
• In normally pressured reservoirs a continuous column of formation water from

the reservoir to the surface would result in a surface pressure of one atmosphere
• The normal hydrostatic pressure gradient for fresh water is 0.4335 psi/ft
• In overpressured reservoirs the fluid pressure is greater than the

hydrostatic pressure of a column of formation water from the reservoir to the surface
Pressure – Depth Profile for Oil Reservoir with Gas Cap
Pressure, psia
Gas Gradient
0.08 psi/ft
Gas Oil Contact

(GOC)
Depth, ft
Oil Gradient
Saline Water 0.35 psi/ft
Gradient
0.45 psi/ft
Free Water Level

(FWL)
In exploration and appraisal wells pressure surveys are used to determine

hydrocarbon contacts and fluid gradients
Free Water Level / HC Contacts / Transition Zone
Pressure, psia
Gas Gradient
Saturation-Height Function 0.08 psi/ft
Gas
Gas Oil Contact
Oil Height (GOC)
Connate Water Saturation Depth, ft
Oil Oil Gradient
Saline Water 0.35 psi/ft
Gradient
Transition Zone 0.45 psi/ft
OWC
h=0 FWL
Free Water Level
Water Water (FWL)
0 Swc 100
Sw %

Dynamic Pressure – Depth Profile
Pressure, psia
Reservoir
Layers 5
Depth, ft
3
Original Pressure-Depth Profile
In development wells, dynamic pressure-depth profiles are

important for reservoir management

Phase Behaviour
Gas Properties
Oil Properties
PVT Analysis

PVT Analysis
The objectives of a black oil PVT study or reservoir fluid study:
1. To determine the properties of the oil as it exists in the reservoir.
2. To determine the properties of the oil at the temperatures and pressures

it encounters as it flows from the reservoir to the production facilities:
Bubble point or dew point pressure

Oil and Gas Formation Volume Factors
Solution Gas Oil Ratio
Oil and Gas Viscocities
Fluid composition
Gas–oil separation tests under equilibrium or differential conditions

PVT Analysis
1. To determine the properties of the oil as it exists in the reservoir.
Oil sample collected directly from the reservoir (Downhole sampling)

Or
Recreated by recombining surface samples of oil and gas phases in the correct proportion.
Downhole sampling of the reservoir fluid using wireline tools or by taking bottom
hole samples during DSTs
Surface sampling requires collecting separate samples of oil and gas at separator conditions
and recombining them to give a representative reservoir fluid sample. In practice this is
heavily reliant on stable well conditions and confidence that reservoir conditions are
represented by the fluids flowing up the well.

Review
This topic reviews the composition of petroleum fluids, their phase
behaviour and their properties.
Content
 Composition of Petroleum Fluids
 Phase Behaviour
 Gas Properties
 Oil Properties
 Fluid Gradients and Hydrocarbon Contacts
 PVT Analysis

Reservoir Fluid Properties

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Subsurface Module

© The Robert Gordon University 2008 1

© The Robert Gordon University 2006 2

VITAL in many Petroleum Engineering calculations:

• The volume of hydrocarbons initially in place

© The Robert Gordon University 2006 3

Composition of Petroleum Fluids

© The Robert Gordon University 2006 4

• A hydrocarbon is a compound consisting of hydrogen and

© The Robert Gordon University 2006 5

© The Robert Gordon University 2006 6

© The Robert Gordon University 2006 8

• N2, H2S, CO2, heavy metals

•Sour Gas – contains H2S

• Sweet Gas – no H2S

• Acid Gas – contains CO2

• Asphaltenes and resins

© The Robert Gordon University 2006 9

Composition of Petroleum Fluids

© The Robert Gordon University 2006 10

Line AB: Solid-Vapour Equilibrium

A • Point A - initial reservoir P and T

Critical Point • P declines through B - the bubble point line

• P at which the first gas is formed

- Low Shrinkage Oil

A Line ABC Represents P decline in reservoir

25% • Line BS - production path to surface conditions

- High Shrinkage Oil

Low Shrinkage Oil and High Shrinkage (Volatile) Oil

Reservoir oils are termed undersaturated B

© The Robert Gordon University 2006 15

Line AS2 - liquid hydrocarbon at surface

Composition of Petroleum Fluids

© The Robert Gordon University 2006 17

VITAL in many Reservoir Engineering calculations:

• The volume of hydrocarbons initially in place

© The Robert Gordon University 2006 18

To Relate Properties of Gases

• Equation describing volume of gas as a function of P and T required

• Known as Equations of State

Ideal gas law describes behaviour of gases when volume of molecules

In reality ideal behaviour is never achieved and a correction to allow

PVT behaviour of non-ideal gases commonly described by:

Compressibility Equation of State

• Results from ideal gas law but includes:

Z-Factor - compressibility factor or gas deviation factor (Z = 1 for ideal gas)

© The Robert Gordon University 2006 20

Compressibility Equation of State

© The Robert Gordon University 2006 21

Standing and Katz Correlation; Z-factor as a function of:

© The Robert Gordon University 2006 22

© The Robert Gordon University 2006 23

Pseudo reduced pressure, ppr and pseudo reduced temperature, Tpr :

ppc = pseudo critical pressure

Tpc = pseudo critical temperature

© The Robert Gordon University 2006 24

Pseudo critical pressure, ppc and pseudo critical temperature Tpc :

ppc   yi pci Tpc   yi Tci

© The Robert Gordon University 2006 25

Gas Formation Volume Factor Bg