fundamentals of reservoir fluid behavior

Naturally occurring hydrocarbon systems found in petroleum reser-voirs are mixtures of organic compounds that exhibit multiphase behav-ior over wide ranges of pressures and temperatures. These hydrocarbonaccumulations may occur in the gaseous state, the liquid state, the solidstate, or in various combinations of gas, liquid, and solid.

These differences in phase behavior, coupled with the physical proper-ties of reservoir rock that determine the relative ease with which gas andliquid are transmitted or retained, result in many diverse types of hydro-carbon reservoirs with complex behaviors. Frequently, petroleum engi-neers have the task to study the behavior and characteristics of a petrole-um reservoir and to determine the course of future development andproduction that would maximize the profit.

The objective of this chapter is to review the basic principles of reser-voir fluid phase behavior and illustrate the use of phase diagrams in clas-sifying types of reservoirs and the native hydrocarbon systems.

CLASSIFICATION OF RESERVOIRSAND RESERVOIR FLUIDS

Petroleum reservoirs are broadly classified as oil or gas reservoirs.These broad classifications are further subdivided depending on:

1

C H A P T E R 1

FUNDAMENTALS OFRESERVOIR FLUID

BEHAVIOR

© 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Doi: 10.1016/C2009-0-30429-8

• The composition of the reservoir hydrocarbon mixture• Initial reservoir pressure and temperature• Pressure and temperature of the surface production

The conditions under which these phases exist are a matter of consid-erable practical importance. The experimental or the mathematical deter-minations of these conditions are conveniently expressed in differenttypes of diagrams commonly called phase diagrams. One such diagramis called the pressure-temperature diagram.

Pressure-Temperature Diagram

Figure 1-1 shows a typical pressure-temperature diagram of a multi-component system with a specific overall composition. Although a dif-ferent hydrocarbon system would have a different phase diagram, thegeneral configuration is similar.

These multicomponent pressure-temperature diagrams are essentiallyused to:

• Classify reservoirs• Classify the naturally occurring hydrocarbon systems• Describe the phase behavior of the reservoir fluid

2 Reservoir Engineering Handbook

Critical PointLiquid Phase

Liquid by volume

100%90%

70%80%

60%

50%

40%

0 %

30%

20 %

10 %

Two-Phase Region

Gas PhaseDew-Point Curve

c

601300

1400

1500

1600

1700

1800

1900

2000

2100

2200

2300

2400

2500

2600

2700

80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240 260

Pre

ssur

e, p

sia

Temperature, deg F

Figure 1-1. Typical p-T diagram for a multicomponent system.

To fully understand the significance of the pressure-temperature dia-grams, it is necessary to identify and define the following key points onthese diagrams:

• Cricondentherm (Tct)—The Cricondentherm is defined as the maxi-mum temperature above which liquid cannot be formed regardless ofpressure (point E). The corresponding pressure is termed the Cricon-dentherm pressure pct.

• Cricondenbar (pcb)—The Cricondenbar is the maximum pressureabove 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 isreferred 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 temperatureare called the critical pressure pc and critical temperature Tc of themixture.

• Phase envelope (two-phase region)—The region enclosed by the bub-ble-point curve and the dew-point curve (line BCA), wherein gas andliquid coexist in equilibrium, is identified as the phase envelope of thehydrocarbon system.

• Quality lines—The dashed lines within the phase diagram are calledquality lines. They describe the pressure and temperature conditions forequal volumes of liquids. Note that the quality lines converge at thecritical point (point C).

• Bubble-point curve—The bubble-point curve (line BC) is defined asthe line separating the liquid-phase region from the two-phase region.

• Dew-point curve—The dew-point curve (line AC) is defined as theline separating the vapor-phase region from the two-phase region.

In general, reservoirs are conveniently classified on the basis of thelocation of the point representing the initial reservoir pressure pi and tem-perature T with respect to the pressure-temperature diagram of the reser-voir fluid. Accordingly, reservoirs can be classified into basically twotypes. These are:

• Oil reservoirs—If the reservoir temperature T is less than the criticaltemperature Tc of the reservoir fluid, the reservoir is classified as an oilreservoir.

Fundamentals of Reservoir Fluid Behavior 3

• Gas reservoirs—If the reservoir temperature is greater than the criticaltemperature of the hydrocarbon fluid, the reservoir is considered a gasreservoir.

Oil Reservoirs

Depending upon initial reservoir pressure pi, oil reservoirs can be sub-classified into the following categories:

1. Undersaturated oil reservoir. If the initial reservoir pressure pi (asrepresented by point 1 on Figure 1-1), is greater than the bubble-pointpressure pb of the reservoir fluid, the reservoir is labeled an undersatu-rated oil reservoir.

2. Saturated oil reservoir. When the initial reservoir pressure is equal tothe bubble-point pressure of the reservoir fluid, as shown on Figure 1-1by point 2, the reservoir is called a saturated oil reservoir.

3. Gas-cap reservoir. If the initial reservoir pressure is below the bubble-point pressure of the reservoir fluid, as indicated by point 3 on Figure 1-1, the reservoir is termed a gas-cap or two-phase reservoir, in whichthe gas or vapor phase is underlain by an oil phase. The appropriatequality line gives the ratio of the gas-cap volume to reservoir oil volume.

Crude oils cover a wide range in physical properties and chemicalcompositions, and it is often important to be able to group them intobroad categories of related oils. In general, crude oils are commonly clas-sified into the following types:

• Ordinary black oil• Low-shrinkage crude oil• High-shrinkage (volatile) crude oil• Near-critical crude oil

The above classifications are essentially based upon the propertiesexhibited by the crude oil, including physical properties, composition,gas-oil ratio, appearance, and pressure-temperature phase diagrams.

1. Ordinary black oil. A typical pressure-temperature phase diagramfor ordinary black oil is shown in Figure 1-2. It should be noted thatquality lines, which are approximately equally spaced, characterizethis black oil phase diagram. Following the pressure reduction path asindicated by the vertical line EF on Figure 1-2, the liquid shrinkagecurve, as shown in Figure 1-3, is prepared by plotting the liquid volumepercent as a function of pressure. The liquid shrinkage curve approxi-


mates a straight line except at very low pressures. When produced,ordinary black oils usually yield gas-oil ratios between 200 and 700scf/STB and oil gravities of 15° to 40° API. The stock tank oil is usu-ally brown to dark green in color.

2. Low-shrinkage oil. A typical pressure-temperature phase diagram forlow-shrinkage oil is shown in Figure 1-4. The diagram is characterizedby quality lines that are closely spaced near the dew-point curve. Theliquid-shrinkage curve, as given in Figure 1-5, shows the shrinkagecharacteristics of this category of crude oils. The other associatedproperties of this type of crude oil are:


Ordinary Black Oil

Gas Phase

Liquid Phase

% Liquid

Temperature

Two-Phase Region

Separator

Pre

ssur

e

Bubble-point line

Criticalpoint

Pressure pathin reservoir Dew-Point Curve1

C

B

G

F

A

E 9080

7060

5040

3020

100

Figure 1-2. A typical p-T diagram for an ordinary black oil.

Residual Oil

E

F

100%

0%Pressure

Liq

uid

Vo

lum

e

Figure 1-3. Liquid-shrinkage curve for black oil.


Liquid

Gas

C100%

85%

A

G

75%

65%0%

FB

E

Bubble-point Curve

Dew

-poi

nt C

urve

Separator Conditions

Temperature

Critical Point

Pre

ssur

e

Figure 1-4. A typical phase diagram for a low-shrinkage oil.

Residual Oil

E

F

100%

0%Pressure

Liq

uid

Vo

lum

e

Figure 1-5. Oil-shrinkage curve for low-shrinkage oil.

• Oil formation volume factor less than 1.2 bbl/STB• Gas-oil ratio less than 200 scf/STB• Oil gravity less than 35° API• Black or deeply colored• Substantial liquid recovery at separator conditions as indicated by

point G on the 85% quality line of Figure 1-4

3. Volatile crude oil. The phase diagram for a volatile (high-shrinkage)crude oil is given in Figure 1-6. Note that the quality lines are closetogether near the bubble-point and are more widely spaced at lowerpressures. This type of crude oil is commonly characterized by a highliquid shrinkage immediately below the bubble-point as shown in Fig-ure 1-7. The other characteristic properties of this oil include:

• Oil formation volume factor less than 2 bbl/STB• Gas-oil ratios between 2,000 and 3,200 scf/STB• Oil gravities between 45° and 55° API


Pressure pathin reservoir

Criticalpoint

1

C

A

B

F

G

% Liquid

Temperature

Separator

Dew-point line

Two-Phase Region

E

Volatile Oil

Bubbl

e-po

int l

ine

90707080 60

50

40

30

20

10

5

Figure 1-6. A typical p-T diagram for a volatile crude oil.

Residual Oil

E

F

100%

0%Pressure

Liq

uid

Vo

lum

e %

Figure 1-7. A typical liquid-shrinkage curve for a volatile crude oil.



Near-Critical Crude Oil

Bubbl

e-po

int l

ine

Criticalpoint

Temperature

Separator

Dew-point line

% Liquid

A

G

B

F

C

E

0

0

5

10

20

30

40

50607090

80

Figure 1-8. A schematic phase diagram for the near-critical crude oil.

• Lower liquid recovery of separator conditions as indicated by pointG on Figure 1-6

• Greenish to orange in color

Another characteristic of volatile oil reservoirs is that the API gravityof the stock-tank liquid will increase in the later life of the reservoirs.

4. Near-critical crude oil. If the reservoir temperature T is near the criti-cal temperature Tc of the hydrocarbon system, as shown in Figure 1-8,the hydrocarbon mixture is identified as a near-critical crude oil.Because all the quality lines converge at the critical point, an isothermalpressure drop (as shown by the vertical line EF in Figure 1-8) mayshrink the crude oil from 100% of the hydrocarbon pore volume at thebubble-point to 55% or less at a pressure 10 to 50 psi below the bubble-point. The shrinkage characteristic behavior of the near-critical crudeoil is shown in Figure 1-9. The near-critical crude oil is characterized bya high GOR in excess of 3,000 scf/STB with an oil formation volumefactor of 2.0 bbl/STB or higher. The compositions of near-critical oilsare usually characterized by 12.5 to 20 mol% heptanes-plus, 35% ormore of ethane through hexanes, and the remainder methane.

Figure 1-10 compares the characteristic shape of the liquid-shrinkagecurve for each crude oil type.


E

F

100%

0%Pressure

Liq

uid

Vo

lum

e %

Figure 1-9. A typical liquid-shrinkage curve for the near-critical crude oil.

Figure 1-10. Liquid shrinkage for crude oil systems.

Gas Reservoirs

In general, if the reservoir temperature is above the critical tempera-ture of the hydrocarbon system, the reservoir is classified as a natural gasreservoir. On the basis of their phase diagrams and the prevailing reser-voir conditions, natural gases can be classified into four categories:

• Retrograde gas-condensate• Near-critical gas-condensate• Wet gas• Dry gas

Retrograde gas-condensate reservoir. If the reservoir temperatureT lies between the critical temperature Tc and cricondentherm Tct

of the reservoir fluid, the reservoir is classified as a retrograde gas-condensate reservoir. This category of gas reservoir is a unique typeof hydrocarbon accumulation in that the special thermodynamicbehavior of the reservoir fluid is the controlling factor in the develop-ment and the depletion process of the reservoir. When the pressureis decreased on these mixtures, instead of expanding (if a gas) orvaporizing (if a liquid) as might be expected, they vaporize instead ofcondensing.

Consider that the initial condition of a retrograde gas reservoir is represented by point 1 on the pressure-temperature phase diagram of Figure 1-11. Because the reservoir pressure is above the upper dew-pointpressure, the hydrocarbon system exists as a single phase (i.e., vaporphase) in the reservoir. As the reservoir pressure declines isothermallyduring production from the initial pressure (point 1) to the upper dew-point pressure (point 2), the attraction between the molecules of the lightand heavy components causes them to move farther apart. As this occurs,



Retrograde gas

% Liquid

Separator

Pre

ssur

e

Temperature

Two-Phase Region

Dew-p

oint

line

Dew-p

oint

line

Criticalpoint

1

2

3

4

403020

15

10

5

0G

C

Figure 1-11. A typical phase diagram of a retrograde system.

attraction between the heavy component molecules becomes more effec-tive; thus, liquid begins to condense.

This retrograde condensation process continues with decreasing pres-sure until the liquid dropout reaches its maximum at point 3. Furtherreduction in pressure permits the heavy molecules to commence the nor-mal vaporization process. This is the process whereby fewer gas mole-cules strike the liquid surface, which causes more molecules to leavethan enter the liquid phase. The vaporization process continues until thereservoir pressure reaches the lower dew-point pressure. This means thatall the liquid that formed must vaporize because the system is essentiallyall vapors at the lower dew point.

Figure 1-12 shows a typical liquid shrinkage volume curve for a con-densate system. The curve is commonly called the liquid dropout curve.In most gas-condensate reservoirs, the condensed liquid volume seldomexceeds more than 15% to 19% of the pore volume. This liquid satura-tion is not large enough to allow any liquid flow. It should be recognized,however, that around the wellbore where the pressure drop is high,enough liquid dropout might accumulate to give two-phase flow of gasand retrograde liquid.

The associated physical characteristics of this category are:

• Gas-oil ratios between 8,000 and 70,000 scf/STB. Generally, the gas-oilratio for a condensate system increases with time due to the liquiddropout and the loss of heavy components in the liquid.


100

0Pressure

Liq

uid

Vo

lum

e %

Maximum Liquid Dropout

Figure 1-12. A typical liquid dropout curve.

• Condensate gravity above 50° API• Stock-tank liquid is usually water-white or slightly colored.

There is a fairly sharp dividing line between oils and condensates froma compositional standpoint. Reservoir fluids that contain heptanes andare heavier in concentrations of more than 12.5 mol% are almost alwaysin the liquid phase in the reservoir. Oils have been observed with hep-tanes and heavier concentrations as low as 10% and condensates as highas 15.5%. These cases are rare, however, and usually have very high tankliquid gravities.

Near-critical gas-condensate reservoir. If the reservoir temperatureis near the critical temperature, as shown in Figure 1-13, the hydrocarbonmixture is classified as a near-critical gas-condensate. The volumetricbehavior of this category of natural gas is described through the isother-mal pressure declines as shown by the vertical line 1-3 in Figure 1-13and also by the corresponding liquid dropout curve of Figure 1-14.Because all the quality lines converge at the critical point, a rapid liquidbuildup will immediately occur below the dew point (Figure 1-14) as thepressure is reduced to point 2.

This behavior can be justified by the fact that several quality linesare crossed very rapidly by the isothermal reduction in pressure. At thepoint where the liquid ceases to build up and begins to shrink again, the



Near-Critical Gas

% Liquid

1

2

3

Separator

Pre

ssur

e

Temperature

Dew-p

oint

line

Dew-p

oint

line

Criticalpoint

3020

15

10

5

0G

B

C

40

Figure 1-13. A typical phase diagram for a near-critical gas condensate reservoir.


100

03

2

1

50

Pressure

Liq

uid

Vo

lum

e %

Figure 1-14. Liquid-shrinkage curve for a near-critical gas-condensate system.

reservoir goes from the retrograde region to a normal vaporizationregion.

Wet-gas reservoir. A typical phase diagram of a wet gas is shown inFigure 1-15, where reservoir temperature is above the cricondentherm ofthe hydrocarbon mixture. Because the reservoir temperature exceeds thecricondentherm of the hydrocarbon system, the reservoir fluid willalways remain in the vapor phase region as the reservoir is depletedisothermally, along the vertical line A-B.

As the produced gas flows to the surface, however, the pressure andtemperature of the gas will decline. If the gas enters the two-phaseregion, a liquid phase will condense out of the gas and be producedfrom the surface separators. This is caused by a sufficient decreasein the kinetic energy of heavy molecules with temperature drop andtheir subsequent change to liquid through the attractive forces betweenmolecules.

Wet-gas reservoirs are characterized by the following properties:

• Gas oil ratios between 60,000 and 100,000 scf/STB• Stock-tank oil gravity above 60° API• Liquid is water-white in color• Separator conditions, i.e., separator pressure and temperature, lie within

the two-phase region

Dry-gas reservoir. The hydrocarbon mixture exists as a gas both inthe reservoir and in the surface facilities. The only liquid associated


with the gas from a dry-gas reservoir is water. A phase diagram of adry-gas reservoir is given in Figure 1-16. Usually a system havinga gas-oil ratio greater than 100,000 scf/STB is considered to be adry gas.

Kinetic energy of the mixture is so high and attraction between mole-cules so small that none of them coalesces to a liquid at stock-tank condi-tions of temperature and pressure.

It should be pointed out that the classification of hydrocarbon fluidsmight also be characterized by the initial composition of the system.McCain (1994) suggested that the heavy components in the hydrocarbonmixtures have the strongest effect on fluid characteristics. The ternarydiagram, as shown in Figure 1-17, with equilateral triangles can be conveniently used to roughly define the compositional boundaries thatseparate different types of hydrocarbon systems.

Liquid

Gas

Separator

Pressure Depletion atReservoir Temperature

C

75

50

25

5

0

Two-phase Region

Temperature

Pre

ssur

e

B

A

Figure 1-15. Phase diagram for a wet gas. (After Clark, N.J. Elements of PetroleumReservoirs, SPE, 1969.)

From the foregoing discussion, it can be observed that hydrocarbonmixtures may exist in either the gaseous or liquid state, depending onthe reservoir and operating conditions to which they are subjected. Thequalitative concepts presented may be of aid in developing quantitativeanalyses. Empirical equations of state are commonly used as a quantita-tive tool in describing and classifying the hydrocarbon system. Theseequations of state require:

• Detailed compositional analyses of the hydrocarbon system• Complete descriptions of the physical and critical properties of the mix-

ture individual components

Many characteristic properties of these individual components (inother words, pure substances) have been measured and compiled overthe years. These properties provide vital information for calculating the


Liquid

Gas

Separator

Pressure Depletion atReservoir Temperature

C

75 50

25 0

Temperature

Pre

ssur

e

B

A

Figure 1-16. Phase diagram for a dry gas. (After Clark, N.J. Elements of PetroleumReservoirs, SPE, 1969.)

thermodynamic properties of pure components, as well as their mixtures.The most important of these properties are:

• Critical pressure, pc

• Critical temperature, Tc

• Critical volume, Vc

• Critical compressibility factor, zc

• Acentric factor, T• Molecular weight, M

Table 1-2 documents the above-listed properties for a number ofhydrocarbon and nonhydrocarbon components.

Katz and Firoozabadi (1978) presented a generalized set of physicalproperties for the petroleum fractions C6 through C45. The tabulatedproperties include the average boiling point, specific gravity, andmolecular weight. The authors proposed a set of tabulated properties


Figure 1-17. Compositions of various reservoir fluid types.

that were generated by analyzing the physical properties of 26 conden-sates and crude oil systems. These generalized properties are given inTable 1-1.

Ahmed (1985) correlated the Katz-Firoozabadi-tabulated physicalproperties with the number of carbon atoms of the fraction by using aregression model. The generalized equation has the following form:

θ = a1 + a2 n + a3 n2 + a4 n3 + (a5/n) (1-1)

where θ = any physical propertyn = number of carbon atoms, i.e., 6. 7 . . . , 45

a1–a5 = coefficients of the equation and are given in Table 1-3

Undefined Petroleum Fractions

Nearly all naturally occurring hydrocarbon systems contain a quantityof heavy fractions that are not well defined and are not mixtures of dis-cretely identified components. These heavy fractions are often lumpedtogether and identified as the plus fraction, e.g., C7+ fraction.

A proper description of the physical properties of the plus fractionsand other undefined petroleum fractions in hydrocarbon mixtures isessential in performing reliable phase behavior calculations and com-positional modeling studies. Frequently, a distillation analysis or achromatographic analysis is available for this undefined fraction.Other physical properties, such as molecular weight and specific gravity, may also be measured for the entire fraction or for variouscuts of it.

To use any of the thermodynamic property-prediction models, e.g.,equation of state, to predict the phase and volumetric behavior of com-plex hydrocarbon mixtures, one must be able to provide the acentric fac-tor, along with the critical temperature and critical pressure, for both thedefined and undefined (heavy) fractions in the mixture. The problem ofhow to adequately characterize these undefined plus fractions in terms oftheir critical properties and acentric factors has been long recognized inthe petroleum industry. Whitson (1984) presented an excellent documen-tation on the influence of various heptanes-plus (C7+) characterizationschemes on predicting the volumetric behavior of hydrocarbon mixturesby equations-of-state.


(text continued on page 24)


Table

1-1

Gen

eraliz

ed P

hysi

cal P

roper

ties

P cV

cG

roup

T b(°

R)γ

KM

T c(°

R)(p

sia)

ω(ft

3 /lb

)G

roup

C6

607

0.69

012

.27

8492

348

30.

250

0.06

395

C6

C7

658

0.72

711

.96

9698

545

30.

280

0.06

289

C7

C8

702

0.74

911

.87

107

1,03

641

90.

312

0.06

264

C8

C9

748

0.76

811

.82

121

1,08

538

30.

348

0.06

258

C9

C10

791

0.78

211

.83

134

1,12

835

10.

385

0.06

273

C10

C11

829

0.79

311

.85

147

1,16

632

50.

419

0.06

291

C11

C12

867

0.80

411

.86

161

1,20

330

20.

454

0.06

306

C12

C13

901

0.81

511

.85

175

1,23

628

60.

484

0.06

311

C13

C14

936

0.82

611

.84

190

1,27

027

00.

516

0.06

316

C14

C15

971

0.83

611

.84

206

1,30

425

50.

550

0.06

325

C15

C16

1,00

20.

843

11.8

722

21,

332

241

0.58

20.

0634

2C

16

C17

1,03

20.

851

11.8

723

71,

360

230

0.61

30.

0635

0C

17

C18

1,05

50.

856

11.8

925

11,

380

222

0.63

80.

0636

2C

18

C19

1,07

70.

861

11.9

126

31,

400

214

0.66

20.

0637

2C

19

C20

1,10

10.

866

11.9

227

51,

421

207

0.69

00.

0638

4C

20

C21

1,12

40.

871

11.9

429

11,

442

200

0.71

70.

0639

4C

21

C22

1,14

60.

876

11.9

530

01,

461

193

0.74

30.

0640

2C

22

C23

1,16

70.

881

11.9

531

21,

480

188

0.76

80.

0640

8C

23

C24

1,18

70.

885

11.9

632

41,

497

182

0.79

30.

0641

7C

24


C25

1,20

70.

888

11.9

933

71,

515

177

0.81

90.

0643

1C

25

C26

1,22

60.

892

12.0

034

91,

531

173

0.84

40.

0643

8C

26

C27

1,24

40.

896

12.0

036

01,

547

169

0.86

80.

0644

3C

27

C28

1,26

20.

899

12.0

237

21,

562

165

0.89

40.

0645

4C

28

C29

1,27

70.

902

12.0

338

21,

574

161

0.91

50.

0645

9C

29

C30

1,29

40.

905

12.0

439

41,

589

158

0.94

10.

0646

8C

30

C31

1,31

00.

909

12.0

440

41,

603

143

0.89

70.

0646

9C

31

C32

1,32

60.

912

12.0

541

51,

616

138

0.90

90.

0647

5C

32

C33

1,34

10.

915

12.0

542

61,

629

134

0.92

10.

0648

0C

33

C34

1,35

50.

917

12.0

743

71,

640

130

0.93

20.

0648

9C

34

C35

1,36

80.

920

12.0

744

51,

651

127

0.94

20.

0649

0C

35

C36

1,38

20.

922

12.0

845

61,

662

124

0.95

40.

0649

9C

36

C37

1,39

40.

925

12.0

846

41,

673

121

0.96

40.

0649

9C

37

C38

1,40

70.

927

12.0

947

51,

683

118

0.97

50.

0650

6C

38

C39

1,41

90.

929

12.1

048

41,

693

115

0.98

50.

0651

1C

39

C40

1,43

20.

931

12.1

149

51,

703

112

0.99

70.

0651

7C

40

C41

1,44

20.

933

12.1

150

21,

712

110

1.00

60.

0652

0C

41

C42

1,45

30.

934

12.1

351

21,

720

108

1.01

60.

0652

9C

42

C43

1,46

40.

936

12.1

352

11,

729

105

1.02

60.

0653

2C

43

C44

1,47

70.

938

12.1

4 53

11,

739

103

1.03

80.

0653

8C

44

C45

1,48

70.

940

12.1

453

91,

747

101

1.04

80.

0654

0C

45

Per

mis

sion

to p

ubli

sh b

y th

e So

ciet

y of

Pet

role

um E

ngin

eers

of A

IME

. Cop

yrig

ht S

PE

-AIM

E.

20 Reservoir Engineering HandbookTa

ble

1-2

Physi

cal P

roper

ties

for

Pure

Com

ponen

ts


(tab

le c

onti

nued

on

next

pag

e)

22 Reservoir Engineering HandbookTa

ble

1-2

(co

ntinued

)

Riazi and Daubert (1987) developed a simple two-parameter equationfor predicting the physical properties of pure compounds and undefinedhydrocarbon mixtures. The proposed generalized empirical equation isbased on the use of the molecular weight M and specific gravity γ of theundefined petroleum fraction as the correlating parameters. Their mathe-matical expression has the following form:

θ = a (M)b γc EXP [d (M) + e γ + f (M) γ] (1-2)

where θ = any physical propertya–f = constants for each property as given in Table 1-4

γ = specific gravity of the fractionM = molecular weightTc = critical temperature, °RPc = critical pressure, psia (Table 1-4)


(text continued from page 17)

Table 1-3Coefficients of Equation 1-1

θ a1 a2 a3 a4 a5

M –131.11375 24.96156 –0.34079022 2.4941184 × 10–3 468.32575Tc, °R 915.53747 41.421337 –0.7586859 5.8675351 × 10–3 –1.3028779 × 103

Pc, psia 275.56275 –12.522269 0.29926384 –2.8452129 × 10–3 1.7117226 × 10–3

Tb, °R 434.38878 50.125279 –0.9097293 7.0280657 × 10–3 –601.85651T –0.50862704 8.700211 × 10–2 –1.8484814 × 10–3 1.4663890 × 10–5 1.8518106γ 0.86714949 3.4143408 × 10–3 –2.839627 × 10–5 2.4943308 × 10–8 –1.1627984Vc, ft3/lb 5.223458 × 10–2 7.87091369 × 10–4 –1.9324432 × 10–5 1.7547264 × 10–7 4.4017952 × 10–2

Table 1-4Correlation Constants for Equation 1-2

θ a b c d e f

Tc, °R 544.4 0.2998 1.0555 –1.3478 × 10–4 –0.61641 0.0Pc, psia 4.5203 × 104 –0.8063 1.6015 –1.8078 × 10–3 –0.3084 0.0Vc ft3/lb 1.206 × 10–2 0.20378 –1.3036 –2.657 × 10–3 0.5287 2.6012 × 10–3

Tb, °R 6.77857 0.401673 –1.58262 3.77409 × 10–3 2.984036 –4.25288 × 10–3

Tb = boiling point temperature, °RVc = critical volume, ft3/lb

Edmister (1958) proposed a correlation for estimating the acentric fac-tor T of pure fluids and petroleum fractions. The equation, widely usedin the petroleum industry, requires boiling point, critical temperature,and critical pressure. The proposed expression is given by the followingrelationship:

where T = acentric factorpc = critical pressure, psiaTc = critical temperature, °RTb = normal boiling point, °R

If the acentric factor is available from another correlation, the Edmis-ter equation can be rearranged to solve for any of the three other proper-ties (providing the other two are known).

The critical compressibility factor is another property that is often usedin thermodynamic-property prediction models. It is defined as the com-ponent compressibility factor calculated at its critical point. This propertycan be conveniently computed by the real gas equation-of-state at thecritical point, or

where R = universal gas constant, 10.73 psia-ft3/lb-mol. °RVc = critical volume, ft3/lbM = molecular weight

The accuracy of Equation 1-4 depends on the accuracy of the valuesof pc, Tc, and Vc used in evaluating the critical compressibility factor.Table 1-5 presents a summary of the critical compressibility estimationmethods.

zp V M

R Tc

c c

c

= (1-4)

w = ( )[ ]-( )[ ]

- ( )3 14 70

7 11

log .p

T Tc

c b

1-3


Example 1-1

Estimate the critical properties and the acentric factor of the heptanes-plus fraction, i.e., C7+, with a measured molecular weight of 150 and spe-cific gravity of 0.78.

Solution

Step 1. Use Equation 1-2 to estimate Tc, pc, Vc, and Tb:

• Tc = 544.2 (150).2998 (.78)1.0555 exp[−1.3478 × 10−4 (150) −0.61641 (.78) + 0] = 1139.4 °R

• pc = 4.5203 × 104 (150)–.8063 (.78)1.6015 exp[–1.8078 × 10−3

(150) − 0.3084 (.78) + 0] = 320.3 psia• Vc = 1.206 × 10−2 (150).20378 (.78)−1.3036 exp[–2.657 × 10−3

(150) + 0.5287 (.78) = 2.6012 × 10−3 (150) (.78)] = .06035 ft3/lb• Tb = 6.77857 (150).401673 (.78)−1.58262 exp[3.77409 × 10−3 (150)

+ 2.984036 (0.78) − 4.25288 × 10−3 (150) (0.78)] = 825.26 °R

Step 2. Use Edmister’s Equation (Equation 1-3) to estimate the acentricfactor:

w = ( )[ ]-[ ]

- =3 320 3 14 7

7 1139 4 825 26 11 0 5067

log . .. .

.


Table 1-5Critical Compressibility Estimation Methods

Method Year zc Equation No.

Haugen 1959 zc = 1/(1.28 ω + 3.41) 1-5Reid, Prausnitz, and

Sherwood 1977 zc = 0.291 − 0.080 ω 1-6Salerno et al. 1985 zc = 0.291 − 0.080 ω − 0.016 ω2 1-7Nath 1985 zc = 0.2918 − 0.0928 1-8

PROBLEMS

1. The following is a list of the compositional analysis of different hydro-carbon systems. The compositions are expressed in the terms of mol%.

Component System #1 System #2 System #3 System #4

C1 68.00 25.07 60.00 12.15C2 9.68 11.67 8.15 3.10C3 5.34 9.36 4.85 2.51C4 3.48 6.00 3.12 2.61C5 1.78 3.98 1.41 2.78C6 1.73 3.26 2.47 4.85C7+ 9.99 40.66 20.00 72.00

Classify these hydrocarbon systems.2. If a petroleum fraction has a measured molecular weight of 190 and a

specific gravity of 0.8762, characterize this fraction by calculating theboiling point, critical temperature, critical pressure, and critical vol-ume of the fraction. Use the Riazi and Daubert correlation.

3. Calculate the acentric factor and critical compressibility factor of thecomponent in the above problem.

REFERENCES

1. Ahmed, T., “Composition Modeling of Tyler and Mission Canyon FormationOils with CO2 and Lean Gases,” final report submitted to the Montana’s on aNew Track for Science (MONTS) program (Montana National Science Foun-dation Grant Program), 1985.

2. Edmister, W. C., “Applied Hydrocarbon Thermodynamic, Part 4: Compress-ibility Factors and Equations of State,” Petroleum Refiner, April 1958, Vol.37, pp. 173–179.

3. Haugen, O. A., Watson, K. M., and Ragatz R. A., Chemical Process Princi-ples, 2nd ed. New York: Wiley, 1959, p. 577.

4. Katz, D. L., and Firoozabadi, A., “Predicting Phase Behavior of Condensate/Crude-oil Systems Using Methane Interaction Coefficients,” JPT, Nov. 1978,pp. 1649–1655.

5. McCain, W. D., “Heavy Components Control Reservoir Fluid Behavior,”JPT, September 1994, pp. 746–750.

6. Nath, J., “Acentric Factor and Critical Volumes for Normal Fluids,” Ind. Eng.Chem. Fundam., 1985, Vol. 21, No. 3, pp. 325–326.


7. Reid, R., Prausnitz, J. M., and Sherwood, T., The Properties of Gases andLiquids, 3rd ed., p. 21. McGraw-Hill, 1977.

8. Riazi, M. R., and Daubert, T. E., “Characterization Parameters for PetroleumFractions,” Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 1987, Vol. 26, No. 24, pp. 755–759.

9. Salerno, S., et al., “Prediction of Vapor Pressures and Saturated Vol.,” FluidPhase Equilibria, June 10, 1985, Vol. 27, pp. 15–34.


fundamentals of reservoir fluid behavior

Documents