predicting oil reservoir performance

Reservoirs containing only free gas are termed gas reservoirs. Such areservoir contains a mixture of hydrocarbons, which exists wholly in thegaseous state. The mixture may be a dry, wet, or condensate gas, depend-ing on the composition of the gas, along with the pressure and tempera-ture at which the accumulation exists.

Gas reservoirs may have water influx from a contiguous water-bearingportion of the formation or may be volumetric (i.e., have no waterinflux).

Most gas engineering calculations involve the use of gas formationvolume factor Bg and gas expansion factor Eg. Both factors are defined inChapter 2 by Equations 2-52 through 2-56. Those equations are summa-rized below for convenience:

• Gas formation volume factor Bg is defined as the actual volume occu-pied by n moles of gas at a specified pressure and temperature, dividedby the volume occupied by the same amount of gas at standard condi-tions. Applying the real gas equation-of-state to both conditions gives:

• The gas expansion factor is simply the reciprocal of Bg, or:

ET

p

p

zT

p

zTg

sc

sc

= = 35 37. (13-2)

Bp

T

zT

p

zT

pg

sc

sc

= = 0 02827. (13-1)

855

C H A P T E R 1 3

GAS RESERVOIRS

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

where Bg = gas formation volume factor, ft3/scfEg = gas expansion factor, scf/ft3

This chapter presents two approaches for estimating initial gas-in-place G, gas reserves, and the gas recovery for volumetric and water-drive mechanisms:

• Volumetric method• Material balance approach

THE VOLUMETRIC METHOD

Data used to estimate the gas-bearing reservoir PV include, but are notlimited to, well logs, core analyses, bottom-hole pressure (BHP), andfluid sample information, along with well tests. These data typically areused to develop various subsurface maps. Of these maps, structural andstratigraphic cross-sectional maps help to establish the reservoir’s arealextent and to identify reservoir discontinuities, such as pinch-outs, faults,or gas-water contacts. Subsurface contour maps, usually drawn relativeto a known or marker formation, are constructed with lines connectingpoints of equal elevation and therefore portray the geologic structure.Subsurface isopachous maps are constructed with lines of equal net gas-bearing formation thickness. With these maps, the reservoir PV can thenbe estimated by planimetering the areas between the isopachous lines andusing an approximate volume calculation technique, such as the pyrami-dal or trapezoidal method.

The volumetric equation is useful in reserve work for estimating gas-in-place at any stage of depletion. During the development period beforereservoir limits have been accurately defined, it is convenient to calculategas-in-place per acre-foot of bulk reservoir rock. Multiplication of thisunit figure by the best available estimate of bulk reservoir volume thengives gas-in-place for the lease, tract, or reservoir under consideration.Later in the life of the reservoir, when the reservoir volume is defined andperformance data are available, volumetric calculations provide valuablechecks on gas-in-place estimates obtained from material balance methods.

The equation for calculating gas-in-place is:

GAh S

Bwi

gi

= −43 560 1, ( )φ(13-3)

856 Reservoir Engineering Handbook

where G = gas-in-place, scfA = area of reservoir, acresh = average reservoir thickness, ftφ = porosity

Swi = water saturation, andBgi = gas formation volume factor, ft3/scf

This equation can be applied at both initial and abandonment condi-tions in order to calculate the recoverable gas.

Gas produced = Initial gas − Remaining gas

or

where Bga is evaluated at abandonment pressure. Application of the volu-metric method assumes that the pore volume occupied by gas is constant.If water influx is occurring, A, h, and Sw will change.

Example 13-1

A gas reservoir has the following characteristics:

A = 3000 acres h = 30 ft φ = 0.15 Swi = 20%T = 150°F pi = 2600 psi

p z

2600 0.821000 0.88400 0.92

Calculate cumulative gas production and recovery factor at 1,000 and400 psi.

G Ah SB B

p wigi ga

= − −⎛⎝⎜

⎞⎠⎟

43 560 11 1

, ( )φ (13-4)

Gas Reservoirs 857

Solution

Step 1. Calculate the reservoir pore volume P.V.

P.V = 43,560 Ahφ

P.V = 43,560 (3000) (30) (0.15) = 588.06 MMft3

Step 2. Calculate Bg at every given pressure by using Equation 13-1.

p z Bg, ft3/scf

2600 0.82 0.00541000 0.88 0.0152400 0.92 0.0397

Step 3. Calculate initial gas-in-place at 2,600 psi.

G = 588.06 (106) (1 − 0.2)/0.0054 = 87.12 MMMscf

Step 4. Since the reservoir is assumed volumetric, calculate the remain-ing gas at 1,000 and 400 psi.

• Remaining gas at 1,000 psi

G1000 psi = 588.06(106) (1 − 0.2)/0.0152 = 30.95 MMMscf

• Remaining gas at 400 psi

G400 psi = 588.06(106) (1 − 0.2)/0.0397 = 11.95 MMMscf

Step 5. Calculate cumulative gas production Gp and the recovery factorRF at 1,000 and 400 psi.

• At 1,000 psi:

Gp = (87.12 − 30.95) × 109 = 56.17 MMM scf

RF = ××

=56 17 10

87 12 1064 5

9

9.

.. %


• At 400 psi:

Gp = (87.12 − 11.95) × 109 = 75.17 MMMscf

The recovery factors for volumetric gas reservoirs will range from80% to 90%. If a strong water drive is present, trapping of residual gas athigher pressures can reduce the recovery factor substantially, to the rangeof 50% to 80%.

THE MATERIAL BALANCE METHOD

If enough production-pressure history is available for a gas reservoir,the initial gas-in-place G, the initial reservoir pressure pi, and the gasreserves can be calculated without knowing A, h, φ, or Sw. This is accom-plished by forming a mass or mole balance on the gas as:

np = ni − nf (13-5)

where np = moles of gas producedni = moles of gas initially in the reservoirnf = moles of gas remaining in the reservoir

Representing the gas reservoir by an idealized gas container, as shownschematically in Figure 13-1, the gas moles in Equation 13-5 can bereplaced by their equivalents using the real gas law to give:

where pi = initial reservoir pressureGp = cumulative gas production, scf

p = current reservoir pressureV = original gas volume, ft3

zi = gas deviation factor at pi

z = gas deviation factor at pT = temperature, °R

We = cumulative water influx, ft3

Wp = cumulative water production, ft3

p G

R T

p V

z RT

p V W W

zRTsc p

sc

i

i

e p= −− −[ ( )]

(13-6)

RF = ××

=75 17 10

87 12 1086 3

9

9.

.. %

Gas Reservoirs 859

Equation 13-6 is essentially the general material balance equation(MBE). Equation 13-6 can be expressed in numerous forms dependingon the type of the application and the driving mechanism. In general, drygas reservoirs can be classified into two categories:

• Volumetric gas reservoirs• Water-drive gas reservoirs

The remainder of this chapter is intended to provide the basic back-ground in natural gas engineering. There are several excellent textbooksthat comprehensively address this subject, including the following:

• Ikoku, C., Natural Gas Reservoir Engineering, 1984• Lee, J. and Wattenbarger, R., Gas Reservoir Engineering, SPE, 1996

Volumetric Gas Reservoirs

For a volumetric reservoir and assuming no water production, Equa-tion 13-6 is reduced to:

Equation 13-7 is commonly expressed in the following two forms:

p G

T

p

z TV

p

zTVsc p

sc

i

i

= ⎛⎝

⎞⎠ − ⎛

⎝ ) (13-7)


Figure 13-1. Idealized water-drive gas reservoir.

Form 1. In terms of p/z

Rearranging Equation 13-7 and solving for p/z gives:

Equation 13-8 is an equation of a straight line when (p/z) is plottedversus the cumulative gas production Gp, as shown in Figure 13-2. Thisstraight-line relationship is perhaps one of the most widely used relation-ships in gas-reserve determination.

The straight-line relationship provides the engineer with the reservoircharacteristics:

• Slope of the straight line is equal to:

slopep T

T Vsc

sc

= (13-9)

p

z

p

z

p T

T VGi

i

sc

scp= − ⎛

⎝⎞⎠ (13-8)

Gas Reservoirs 861

Figure 13-2. Gas material balance equation.

The original gas volume V can be calculated from the slope and usedto determine the areal extent of the reservoir from:

V = 43,560 Ah φ (1 − Swi) (13-10)

where A is the reservoir area in acres.

• Intercept at Gp = 0 gives pi/zi

• Intercept at p/z = 0 gives the gas initially in place G in scf• Cumulative gas production or gas recovery at any pressure

Example 13-21

A volumetric gas reservoir has the following production history.

Time, t Reservoir Pressure, p Cumulative Production, Gpyears psia z MMMscf

0.0 1798 0.869 0.000.5 1680 0.870 0.961.0 1540 0.880 2.121.5 1428 0.890 3.212.0 1335 0.900 3.92

The following data are also available:

φ = 13%Swi = 0.52

A = 1060 acresh = 54 ftT = 164°F

Calculate the gas initially in place volumetrically and from the MBE.

Solution

Step 1. Calculate Bgi from Equation 13-1.

B ft scfgi = + =0 028270 869 164 460

17980 00853 3.

( . ) ( ). /


1After Ikoku, C., Natural Gas Reservoir Engineering, John Wiley & Sons, 1984.

Step 2. Calculate the gas initially in place volumetrically by applyingEquation 13-3.

G = 43,560 (1060) (54) (0.13) (1 − 0.52)/0.00853 = 18.2 MMMscf

Step 3. Plot p/z versus Gp as shown in Figure 13-3 and determine G.

G = 14.2 MMMscf

This checks the volumetric calculations.

Gas Reservoirs 863

Figure 13-3. Relationship of p/z vs. Gp for Example 13-2.

The initial reservoir gas volume V can be expressed in terms of thevolume of gas at standard conditions by:

Combining the above relationship with that of Equation 13-8 gives:

This relationship can be expressed in a more simplified form as:

where the coefficient m is essentially constant and represents the result-ing straight line when P/Z is plotted against GP. The slope, m is definedby:

Equivalently, m is defined by Equation 13-9 as:

whereG = Original gas-in-place, scfV = Original gas-in-place, ft3

Again, Equation 13-11 shows that for a volumetric reservoir, the rela-tionship between (p/z) and Gp is essentially linear. This popular equationindicates that by extrapolation of the straight line to abscissa, i.e., at p/z = 0, will give the value of the gas initially in place as G = Gp.

The graphical representation of Equation 13-11 can be used to detectthe presence of water influx, as shown graphically in Figure 13-4. Whenthe plot of (p/z) versus Gp deviates from the linear relationship, it indi-cates the presence of water encroachment.

mT p

T Vsc

sc

=

mp

Z Gi

i

=⎛

⎝⎜⎞

⎠⎟1

p

Z

p

Zm Gi

ip= − ⎡⎣ ⎤⎦

p

z

p

z

p

z GGi

i

i

ip= − ⎛

⎝⎞⎠

⎡⎣⎢

⎤⎦⎥

1(13-11)

V B GpT

z Tp

Ggsc

sc

i

i= =

⎛⎝⎜

⎞⎠⎟


Many other graphical methods have been proposed for solving the gasMBE that are useful in detecting the presence of water influx. One suchgraphical technique is called the energy plot, which is based on arrang-ing Equation 13-11 and taking the logarithm of both sides to give:

Figure 13-5 shows a schematic illustration of the plot.From Equation 13-12, it is obvious that a plot of [1 − (zi p)/(pi z)] ver-

sus Gp on log-log coordinates will yield a straight line with a slope of one(45° angle). An extrapolation to one on the vertical axis (p = 0) yields avalue for initial gas-in-place, G. The graphs obtained from this type ofanalysis have been referred to as energy plots. They have been found tobe useful in detecting water influx early in the life of a reservoir. If We isnot zero, the slope of the plot will be less than one, and will also decreasewith time, since We increases with time. An increasing slope can onlyoccur as a result of either gas leaking from the reservoir or bad data,

log log log1 −⎡⎣⎢

⎤⎦⎥

= −z p

p zG Gi

ip (13-12)

Gas Reservoirs 865

Figure 13-4. Effect of water drive on p/z vs. Gp relationship.

since the increasing slope would imply that the gas-occupied pore vol-ume was increasing with time.

It should be pointed out that the average field, (p/Z)Field, can be esti-mated from the individual wells’ p/Z versus GP performance by applyingthe following relationship:

The summation Σ is taking over the total number n of the field gaswells, that is, j = 1, 2, ... n. The total field performance in terms of(p/Z)Field versus (GP)Field can then be constructed from the estimated

p

Z

p

Z

G

G

p

ZpZ

Field

i

i

P jj

n

P

i

i

⎛⎝⎜

⎞⎠⎟

= −

−

⎡

⎣

⎢⎢⎢

=∑ ( )

1

⎢⎢⎢

⎤

⎦

⎥⎥⎥⎥⎥

=∑j

n

j

1


Figure 13-5. An energy plot.

log

1−

⎛ ⎝⎜⎞ ⎠⎟

zp

pzi i

values of the field p/Z and actual total field production, that is, (p/Z)Field

versus ΣGP. The above equation is applicable as long as all wells are pro-ducing with defined static boundaries, that is, under pseudosteady-stateconditions.

When using the MBE for reserve analysis for an entire reservoir that ischaracterized by a distinct lack of pressure equilibrium throughout, thefollowing average reservoir pressure decline, (p/Z)Field, can be used:

where Δp and ΔGP are the incremental pressure difference and cumula-tive production, respectively.

The gas recovery factor (RF) at any depletion pressure is defined asthe cumulative gas produced, GP, at this pressure divided by the gas ini-tially in place, G:

Introducing the gas RF to Equation 8-60 gives

or

Solving for the recovery factor at any depletion pressure gives:

RFZ

Z

p

pi

i

= −⎡

⎣⎢

⎤

⎦⎥1

p

Z

p

ZRFi

i

= −⎡⎣ ⎤⎦1

p

Z

p

Z

G

Gi

i

P= −⎡

⎣⎢⎢

⎤

⎦⎥⎥

1

RFG

GP=

p

Z

p G

p

G

p ZField

P

jj

n

P

⎛⎝⎜

⎞⎠⎟

=

⎛

⎝⎜⎞

⎠⎟

⎛

⎝⎜⎞

=∑ Δ

Δ

ΔΔ

1

/ ⎠⎠⎟=∑

jj

n

1

Gas Reservoirs 867

Form 2. In terms of Bg

From the definition of the gas formation volume factor, it can beexpressed as:

Combining the above expression with Equation 13-1 gives:

where V = volume of gas originally in place, ft3

G = volume of gas originally in place, scfpi = original reservoir pressurezi = gas compressibility factor at pi

Equation 13-13 can be combined with Equation 13-7, to give:

Equation 13-14 suggests that to calculate the initial gas volume, theonly information required is production data, pressure data, gas specificgravity for obtaining z-factors, and reservoir temperature. Early in theproducing life of a reservoir, however, the denominator of the right-handside of the material balance equation is very small, while the numeratoris relatively large. A small change in the denominator will result in alarge discrepancy in the calculated value of initial gas-in-place. There-fore, the material balance equation should not be relied on early in theproducing life of the reservoir.

Material balances on volumetric gas reservoirs are simple. Initial gas-in-place may be computed from Equation 13-14 by substituting cumula-tive gas produced and appropriate gas formation volume factors at corre-sponding reservoir pressures during the history period. If successivecalculations at various times during the history give consistent values forinitial gas-in-place, the reservoir is operating under volumetric controland computed G is reliable, as shown in Figure 13-6. Once G has beendetermined and the absence of water influx established in this fashion,

GG B

B Bp g

g gi

=−

(13-14)

p

T

z T

p

V

Gsc

sc

i

i

= (13-13)

BV

Ggi =


the same equation can be used to make future predictions of cumulativegas production function of reservoir pressure.

Ikoku (1984) points out that successive application of Equation 13-14will normally result in increasing values of the gas initially in place Gwith time if water influx is occurring. If there is gas leakage to anotherzone due to bad cement jobs or casing leaks, however, the computedvalue of G may decrease with time.

Example 13-3

After producing 360 MMscf of gas from a volumetric gas reservoir,the pressure has declined from 3,200 psi to 3,000 psi, given:

Bgi = 0.005278 ft3/scfBg = 0.005390 ft3/scf

a. Calculate the gas initially in place.b. Recalculate the gas initially in place assuming that the pressure mea-

surements were incorrect and the true average pressure is 2,900 psi.The gas formation volume factor at this pressure is 0.00558 ft3/scf.

Gas Reservoirs 869

Figure 13-6. Graphical determination of the gas initially in place G.

Solution

a. Using Equation 13-14, calculate G.

b. Recalculate G by using the correct value of Bg.

Thus, an error of 100 psia, which is only 3.5% of the total reservoirpressure, resulted in an increase in calculated gas-in-place of approxi-mately 160%, a 21⁄2-fold increase. Note that a similar error in reservoirpressure later in the producing life of the reservoir will not result in anerror as large as that calculated early in the producing life of the reservoir.

Water-Drive Gas Reservoirs

If the gas reservoir has a water drive, then there will be two unknownsin the material balance equation, even though production data, pressure,temperature, and gas gravity are known. These two unknowns are initialgas-in-place and cumulative water influx. In order to use the materialbalance equation to calculate initial gas-in-place, some independentmethod of estimating We, the cumulative water influx, must be devel-oped as discussed in Chapter 11.

Equation 13-14 can be modified to include the cumulative water influxand water production to give:

The above equation can be arranged and expressed as:

Equation 13-16 reveals that for a volumetric reservoir, i.e., We = 0, theright-hand side of the equation will be constant regardless of the amount

GW

B B

G B W B

B Be

g gi

p g p w

g gi

+−

=+−

(13-16)

GG B W W B

B Bp g e p w

g gi

=− −

−( )

(13-15)

G MMMscf= ×−

=360 10 0 006680 00558 0 005278

6 6526 ( . )

. ..

G MMMscf= ×−

=360 10 0 005390 00539 0 005278

17 3256 ( . )

. ..


of gas Gp that has been produced. For a water-drive reservoir, the valuesof the right-hand side of Equation 13-16 will continue to increasebecause of the We/(Bg − Bgi) term. A plot of several of these values atsuccessive time intervals is illustrated in Figure 13-7. Extrapolation ofthe line formed by these points back to the point where Gp = 0 shows thetrue value of G, because when Gp = 0, then We/(Bg − Bgi) is also zero.

This graphical technique can be used to estimate the value of We,because at any time the difference between the horizontal line (i.e., truevalue of G) and the sloping line [G + (We)/(Bg − Bgi) will give the valueof We/(Bg − Bgi).

Because gas often is bypassed and trapped by the encroaching water,recovery factors for gas reservoirs with water drive can be significantlylower than for volumetric reservoirs produced by simple gas expansion.In addition, the presence of reservoir heterogeneities, such as low-perme-ability stringers or layering, may reduce gas recovery further. As notedpreviously, ultimate recoveries of 80% to 90% are common in volumetricgas reservoirs, while typical recovery factors in water-drive gas reser-voirs can range from 50% to 70%.

Because gas often is bypassed and trapped by encroaching water, recov-ery factors for gas reservoirs with water drive can be significantly lowerthan for volumetric reservoirs produced by simple gas expansion. In addi-tion, the presence of reservoir heterogeneities, such as low-permeabilitystringers or layering, may reduce gas recovery further. As noted previously,

Gas Reservoirs 871

Figure 13-7. Effect of water influx on calculating the gas initially in place.

ultimate recoveries of 80% to 90% are common in volumetric gas reser-voirs, while typical recovery factors in water-drive gas reservoirs canrange from 50% to 70%. The amount of gas that is trapped in a regionthat has been flooded by water encroachment can be estimated by defin-ing the following characteristic reservoir parameters and taking the stepsoutlined below:

(P.V) = reservoir pore volume, ft3

(P.V)water = pore volume of the water-invaded zone, ft3

Sgrw = residual gas saturation to water displacementSwi = initial water saturation

G = gas initially in place, scfGP = cumulative gas production at depletion pressure p, scfBgi = initial gas formation volume factor, ft3/scfBg = gas formation volume factor at depletion pressure p, ft3/scfZ = gas deviation factor at depletion pressure p

Step 1. Express the reservoir pore volume, (P.V), in terms of the initialgas-in-place, G, as follows:

G Bgi = (P.V) (1 − Swi )

Solving for the reservoir pore volume gives:

Step 2. Calculate the pore volume in the water-invaded zone:

We − Wp Bw = (P.V)water (1 − Swi − Sgrw)

Solving for the pore volume of the water-invaded zone, (P.V)water,gives:

P VW W B

S Swater

e p w

wi grw

.( ) =−

− −1

P VGB

Sgi

wi

.( ) =−1


Step 3. Calculate trapped gas volume in the water-invaded zone, or:

Trapped gas volume = (P.V)water Sgrw

Step 4. Calculate the number n of moles of gas trapped in the water-invaded zone by using the equation of state, or:

p (Trapped gas volume) = Z n R T

Solving for n gives:

which indicates that the higher the pressure, the greater thequantity of trapped gas. Dake (1994) points out that if the pres-sure is reduced by rapid gas withdrawal, the volume of gastrapped in each individual pore space, that is, Sgrw, will remainunaltered, but its quantity, n, will be reduced.

Step 5. The gas saturation at any pressure can be adjusted to account forthe trapped gas, as follows:

S

G G BW W B

S SS

G Bg

p ge p w

wi grwgrw

=

−( ) −−

− −

⎡

⎣⎢⎢

⎤

⎦⎥⎥1

ggi

wi

e p w

wi grwS

W W B

S S1 1−

⎛

⎝⎜

⎞

⎠⎟ −

−

− −

⎡

⎣⎢⎢

⎤

⎦⎥⎥

Sg =−remaining gas volume trapped gas volume

reeservoir pore volume pore volume of water − iinvaded zone

n =

−

− −

⎡

⎣⎢⎢

⎤

⎦⎥⎥

pW W B

S SS

Z R T

e p w

wi grwgrw1

Trapped gas volume =−

− −

⎡

⎣⎢⎢

⎤

⎦⎥

W W B

S Se p w

wi grw1 ⎥⎥Sgrw

Gas Reservoirs 873

MATERIAL BALANCE EQUATIONAS A STRAIGHT LINE

Havlena and Odeh (1963) expressed the material balance in terms ofgas production, fluid expansion, and water influx as:

Underground Gas Water expansion/ Water= + +withdrawal expansion pore compaction influx

or

Using the nomenclature of Havlena and Odeh, as described in Chapter11, gives:

F = G (Eg + Ef,w) + We Bw (13-18)

with the terms F, Eg, and Ef,w as defined by:

• Underground fluid withdrawal F:

F = Gp Bg + Wp Bw (13-19)

• Gas expansion Eg:

Eg = Bg − Bgi (13-20)

• Water and rock expansion Ef,w:

Assuming that the rock and water expansion term Ef,w is negligible incomparison with the gas expansion Eg, Equation 13-18 is reduced to:

F = G Eg + We Bw (13-22)

E Bc S c

Sf w gi

w wi f

wi,

( )= +−1

(13-21)

G B W B G B B G Bc S c

Sp

W B

p g p w g gi giw wi f

wi

e w

+ = − + +−

+

( )( )

1Δ

(13-17)


Finally, dividing both sides of the equation by Eg gives:

Using the production, pressure, and PVT data, the left-hand side of thisexpression should be plotted as a function of the cumulative gas produc-tion, Gp. This is simply for display purposes to inspect its variation dur-ing depletion. Plotting F/Eg versus production time or pressure decline,Δp, can be equally illustrative.

Dake (1994) presented an excellent discussion of the strengths andweaknesses of the MBE as a straight line. He points out that the plot willhave one of the three shapes depicted in Figure 13-8. If the reservoir is ofthe volumetric depletion type, We = 0, then the values of F/Eg evaluated,say, at six monthly intervals, should plot as a straight line parallel to theabscissa—whose ordinate value is the GIIP.

Alternatively, if the reservoir is affected by natural water influx, thenthe plot of F/Eg will usually produce a concave downward shaped arc

F

EG

W B

Eg

e w

g

= + (13-23)

Gas Reservoirs 875

Figure 13-8. Defining the reservoir-driving mechanism.

whose exact form is dependent upon the aquifer size and strength and thegas off-take rate. Backward extrapolation of the F/Eg trend to the ordi-nate should nevertheless provide an estimate of the GIIP (We ~ 0); how-ever, the plot can be highly nonlinear in this region yielding a ratheruncertain result. The main advantage in the F/Eg versus Gp plot is that itis much more sensitive than other methods in establishing whether thereservoir is being influenced by natural water influx or not.

The graphical presentation of Equation 13-23 is illustrated by Figure13-9. A graph of F/Eg vs. ΣΔp WeD/Eg yields a straight line, provided theunsteady-state influx summation, ΣΔp WeD, is accurately assumed. Theresulting straight line intersects the y-axis at the initial gas-in-place Gand has a slope equal to the water influx constant B.

Nonlinear plots will result if the aquifer is improperly characterized.A systematic upward or downward curvature suggests that the summa-tion term is too small or too large, respectively, while an S-shaped curveindicates that a linear (instead of a radial) aquifer should be assumed.The points should plot sequentially from left to right. A reversal of this


Figure 13-9. Havlena-Odeh MBE plot for a gas reservoir.

plotting sequence indicates that an unaccounted aquifer boundary hasbeen reached and that a smaller aquifer should be assumed in computingthe water influx term.

A linear infinite system rather than a radial system might better repre-sent some reservoirs, such as reservoirs formed as fault blocks in saltdomes. The van Everdingen-Hurst dimensionless water influx WeD isreplaced by the square root of time as:

where C = water influx constant ft3/psit = time (any convenient units, i.e., days, year)

The water influx constant C must be determined by using the past pro-duction and pressure of the field in conjunction with Havlena-Odehmethodology. For the linear system, the underground withdrawal F isplotted versus [Σ Δpn zt − tn/(B − Bgi)] on a Cartesian coordinate graph.The plot should result in a straight line with G being the intercept and thewater influx constant C being the slope of the straight line.

To illustrate the use of the linear aquifer model in the gas MBE asexpressed as an equation of straight line, i.e., Equation 13-23, Havlenaand Odeh proposed the following problem.

Example 13-4

The volumetric estimate of the gas initially in place for a dry-gasreservoir ranges from 1.3 to 1.65 × 1012 scf. Production, pressures, andpertinent gas expansion term, i.e., Eg = Bg − Bgi, are presented in Table13-1. Calculate the original gas-in-place G.

Solution

Step 1. Assume volumetric gas reservoir.

Step 2. Plot (p/z) versus Gp or Gp Bg/(Bg − Bgi) versus Gp.

Step 3. A plot of Gp Bg/(Bg − Bgi) vs. Gp Bg showed an upward curvature,as shown in Figure 13-10, indicating water influx.

W C p t te n n= −∑ Δ (13-24)

Gas Reservoirs 877

Table 13-1Havlena-Odeh Dry-Gas Reservoir Data for Example 13-4

Average F/Eg =Reservoir Eg = F = ΣΔpn zt − tn GpBg

Time Pressure (Bg − Bgi) × 10−6 (GbBg) × 106 Bg − Bgi Bg − Bgi(months) (psi) (ft3/scf) (ft3) (106) (1012)

0 2883 0.0 — — —2 2881 4.0 5.5340 0.3536 1.38354 2874 18.0 24.5967 0.4647 1.36656 2866 34.0 51.1776 0.6487 1.50528 2857 52.0 76.9246 0.7860 1.4793

10 2849 68.0 103.3184 0.9306 1.519412 2841 85.0 131.5371 1.0358 1.547514 2826 116.5 180.0178 1.0315 1.545216 2808 154.5 240.7764 1.0594 1.558418 2794 185.5 291.3014 1.1485 1.570320 2782 212.0 336.6281 1.2426 1.587922 2767 246.0 392.8592 1.2905 1.597024 2755 273.5 441.3134 1.3702 1.613626 2741 305.5 497.2907 1.4219 1.627828 2726 340.0 556.1110 1.4672 1.635630 2712 373.5 613.6513 1.5174 1.643032 2699 405.0 672.5969 1.5714 1.660734 2688 432.5 723.0868 1.6332 1.671936 2667 455.5 771.4902 1.7016 1.6937

Step 4. Assuming a linear water influx, plot Gp Bg/(Bg − Bgi) versus

as shown in Figure 13-11.

Step 5. As evident from Figure 13-11, the necessary straight-line relation-ship is regarded as satisfactory evidence of the presence of a linear aquifer.

Step 6. From Figure 13-11, determine the original gas-in-place G and thelinear water influx constant C as:

G = 1.325 × 1012 scf

C = 212.7 × 103 ft3/psi

Δp t t B Bn n g gi−[ ] −∑ ( )


Figure 13-10. Indication of the water influx.

Figure 13-11. Havlena-Odeh MBE plot for Example 13-4.

ABNORMALLY PRESSURED GAS RESERVOIRS

Hammerlindl (1971) pointed out that in abnormally high-pressure vol-umetric gas reservoirs, two distinct slopes are evident when the plot ofp/z versus Gp is used to predict reserves because of the formation andfluid compressibility effects as shown in Figure 13-12. The final slope ofthe p/z plot is steeper than the initial slope; consequently, reserve esti-mates based on the early life portion of the curve are erroneously high.The initial slope is due to gas expansion and significant pressure mainte-nance brought about by formation compaction, crystal expansion, and waterexpansion. At an approximately normal pressure gradient, the formationcompaction is essentially complete and the reservoir assumes the charac-teristics of a normal gas expansion reservoir. This accounts for thesecond slope. Most early decisions are made based on the early lifeextrapolation of the p/z plot; therefore, the effects of hydrocarbon


Figure 13-12. P/z versus cumulative production. North Ossum Field, LafayetteParish, Louisiana NS2B Reservoir. (After Hammerlindl.)

pore volume change on reserve estimates, productivity, and abandonmentpressure must be understood.

All gas reservoir performance is related to effective compressibility, notgas compressibility. When the pressure is abnormal and high, effectivecompressibility may equal two or more times that of gas compressibility.If effective compressibility is equal to twice the gas compressibility, thenthe first cubic foot of gas produced is due to 50% gas expansion and 50%formation compressibility and water expansion. As the pressure is low-ered in the reservoir, the contribution due to gas expansion becomesgreater because gas compressibility is approaching effective compress-ibility. Using formation compressibility, gas production, and shut-in bot-tom-hole pressures, two methods are presented for correcting the reserveestimates from the early life data (assuming no water influx).

Roach (1981) proposed a graphical technique for analyzing abnormallypressured gas reservoirs. The MBE as expressed by Equation 13-17 maybe written in the following form for a volumetric gas reservoir:

where

Defining the rock expansion term ER as:

Equation 13-26 can be expressed as:

ct = 1 − ER (pi − p) (13-28)

Equation 13-25 indicates that plotting (p/z)ct versus cumulative gasproduction on Cartesian coordinates results in a straight line with an x-intercept at the original gas-in-place and a y-intercept at the original p/z.Since ct is unknown and must be found by choosing the compressibilityvalues resulting in the best straight-line fit, this method is a trial-and-error procedure.

Ec c S

SR

f w wi

wi

=+−1

(13-27)

cc c S p p

St

f w wi i

wi

= − + −−

11

( )( )(13-26)

( / ) ( / )p z c p zG

Gt i i

p= − −⎡⎣⎢

⎤⎦⎥

1 (13-25)

Gas Reservoirs 881

Roach used the data published by Duggan (1972) for the Mobil-DavidAnderson gas field to illustrate the application of Equations 13-25 and13-28 to determine graphically the gas initially in place. Duggan reportedthat the reservoir had an initial pressure of 9,507 psig at 11,300 ft. Volu-metric estimates of original gas-in-place indicated that the reservoir con-tains 69.5 MMMscf. The historical p/z versus Gp plot produced an initialgas-in-place of 87 MMMscf, as shown in Figure 13-13.

Using the trial-and-error approach, Roach showed that a value of therock expansion term ER of 18.5 × 10−6 would result in a straight line witha gas initially in place of 75 MMMscf, as shown in Figure 13-13.

To avoid the trial-and-error procedure, Roach proposed that Equations13-25 and 13-28 can be combined and expressed in a linear form by:

α β= ⎛⎝ ) −1

GER (13-29)


Figure 13-13. Mobil-David Anderson “L” p/z versus cumulative production. (AfterRoach.)

with

where G = initial gas-in-place, scfER = rock expansion term, psi−1

Swi = initial water saturation

Roach (1981) shows that a plot of α versus β will yield a straight linewith slope 1/G and y-intercept = −ER. To illustrate his proposed method-ology, he applied Equation 13-29 to the Mobil-David gas field as shownin Figure 13-14. The slope of the straight line gives G = 75.2 MMMscfand the intercept gives ER = 18.5 × 10−6.

Begland and Whitehead (1989) proposed a method to predict the per-cent recovery of volumetric, high-pressured gas reservoirs from the ini-tial pressure to the abandonment pressure with only initial reservoir data.The proposed technique allows the pore volume and water compressibili-ties to be pressure-dependent. The authors derived the following form ofthe MBE for a volumetric gas reservoir:

where r = recovery factorBg = gas formation volume factor, bbl/scfcf = formation compressibility, psi−1

Btw = two-phase water formation volume factor, bbl/STBBtwi = initial two-phase water formation volume factor, bbl/STB

The water two-phase FVF is determined from:

Btw = Bw + Bg (Rswi − Rsw) (13-33)

where Rsw = gas solubility in the water phase, scf/STBBw = water FVF, bbl/STB

rG

G

B B

B

B S

SBB

c p pS

Bp g gi

g

gi wi

wi

tw

twi

f i

wi

g

= =−

+ −− + −⎡

⎣⎢⎤⎦⎥1

1( )

(13--32)

β =−

( / ) ( / )

( )

p z p z

p pi i

i

(13-31)

α = −−

[ ( / )/( / )]

( )

p z p z

p pi i

i

1(13-30)

Gas Reservoirs 883

The following three assumptions are inherent in Equation 13-32:

• A volumetric, single-phase gas reservoir• No water production• The formation compressibility cf remains constant over the pressure

drop (pi − p)

The authors point out that the changes in water compressibility cw areimplicit in the change of Btw with pressure as determined by Equation 13-33.

Begland and Whitehead suggest that because cf is pressure-dependent,Equation 13-32 is not correct as reservoir pressure declines from the ini-tial pressure to some value several hundred psi lower. The pressuredependence of cf can be accounted for in Equation 13-32 and is solved inan incremental manner.


Figure 13-14. Mobil-David Anderson “L” gas material balance. (After Roach.)

Effect of Gas Production Rate on Ultimate Recovery

Volumetric gas reservoirs are essentially depleted by expansion and,therefore, the ultimate gas recovery is independent of the field produc-tion rate. The gas saturation in this type of reservoir is never reduced;only the number of pounds of gas occupying the pore spaces is reduced.Therefore, it is important to reduce the abandonment pressure to the low-est possible level. In closed-gas reservoirs, it is not uncommon to recoveras much as 90% of the initial gas-in-place.

Cole (1969) points out that for water-drive gas reservoirs, recoverymay be rate dependent. There are two possible influences that producingrate may have on ultimate recovery. First, in an active water-drive reser-voir, the abandonment pressure may be quite high, sometimes only a fewpsi below initial pressure. In such a case, the number of pounds of gasremaining in the pore spaces at abandonment will be relatively great.

The encroaching water, however, reduces the initial gas saturation.Therefore, the high abandonment pressure is somewhat offset by thereduction in initial gas saturation. If the reservoir can be produced at arate greater than the rate of water influx rate, without water coning, thena high producing rate could result in maximum recovery by takingadvantage of a combination of reduced abandonment pressure and reduc-tion in initial gas saturation. Second, the water coning problems may bevery severe in gas reservoirs, in which case it will be necessary to restrictwithdrawal rates to reduce the magnitude of this problem.

Cole suggests that the recovery from water-drive gas reservoirs is sub-stantially less than recovery from closed-gas reservoirs. As a rule ofthumb, recovery from a water-drive reservoir will be approximately 50%to 80% of the initial gas-in-place. The structural location of producingwells and the degree of water coning are important considerations indetermining ultimate recovery.

A set of circumstances could exist—such as the location of wellsvery high on the structure with very little coning tendencies—wherewater-drive recovery would be greater than depletion-drive recovery.Abandonment pressure is a major factor in determining recovery effi-ciency, and permeability is usually the most important factor in deter-mining the magnitude of the abandonment pressure. Reservoirs withlow permeability will have higher abandonment pressures than reser-voirs with high permeability. A certain minimum flow rate must be sus-tained, and a higher permeability will permit this minimum flow rate ata lower pressure.

Gas Reservoirs 885

Tight Gas Reservoirs

Gas reservoirs with permeabilities of less than 0.1 md are considered“tight gas” reservoirs. They present unique problems to reservoir engi-neers when applying the MBE to predict the gas-in-place and recoveryperformance.

The use of the conventional material balance in terms of the p/Z plot isa powerful tool for evaluating the performance of gas reservoirs. For avolumetric gas reservoir, the MBE is expressed in different forms thatwill produce a linear relationship between p/Z versus the cumulative gasproduction, Gp. Two such forms are given by Equation 13-11:

Simplified:

The MBE as expressed by either of these equations is very simple to applybecause it is not dependent on flow rates, reservoir configuration, rock prop-erties, or well details. However, there are fundamental assumptions that mustbe satisfied when applying the equation, including the following:

• There is uniform saturation throughout the reservoir at any time.• There is little or no pressure variation within the reservoir.• The reservoir can be represented by a single weighted-average pressure

at any time.• The reservoir is represented by a tank, i.e., constant drainage area, of

homogeneous properties.

Payne (1996) pointed out that the assumption of uniform pressure dis-tributions is required to ensure that pressure measurements taken at dif-ferent well locations represent true average reservoir pressures. Thisassumption implies that the average reservoir pressure to be used in theMBE can be described with one pressure value. In high-permeabilityreservoirs, small pressure gradients exist away from the wellbore, and theaverage reservoir pressure estimates can be readily made with short-termshut-in buildups or static pressure surveys.

p

Z

p

Z

G

Gi

i

P= −⎡

⎣⎢⎢

⎤

⎦⎥⎥

1

p

Z

p

Z

p

Z GGi

i

i

ip= −

⎛

⎝⎜⎞

⎠⎟⎡

⎣⎢⎢

⎤

⎦⎥⎥

1


Unfortunately, the concept of the straight-line p/Z plot as described bythe conventional MBE fails to produce this linear behavior when appliedto tight gas reservoirs that have not established a constant drainage area.Payne (1996) suggests that the essence of the errors associated with the useof p/Z plots in tight gas reservoirs is that substantial pressure gradientsexist within the formation, resulting in a violation of the basic tank assump-tion. These gradients manifest themselves in terms of scattered, generallycurved, and rate-dependent p/Z plot behavior. This nonlinear behavior ofp/Z plots, as shown in Figure 13-15, may significantly underestimate gasinitially in place (GIIP) when interpreting by the conventional straight-line method. Figure 13-15a reveals that the reservoir pressure declinesvery rapidly, as the area surrounding the well cannot be recharged as fastas it is depleted by the well. This early, rapid pressure decline is seenoften in tight gas reservoirs and is an indication that the use of p/Z plotanalysis may be inappropriate. It is quite apparent that the use of earlypoints would dramatically underestimate GIIP, as shown in Figure 13-15afor the Waterton gas field, which has an apparent GIIP of 7.5 Bm3. How-ever, late time production and pressure data show a nearly double GIIP of16.5 Bm3, as shown in Figure 13-15b.

The main problem with tight gas reservoirs is the difficulty of accu-rately estimating the average reservoir pressure required for p/Z plots asa function of Gp or time. If the pressures obtained during shut-in do not

Gas Reservoirs 887

50

10

2015

3025

4035

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

45

50

0 5 10 15 20

10

2015

3025

4035

4550

p/z,

Mpa

p/z,

Mpa

early points woulddramatically underestimate GIIP

Cumulative Raw Gas Production � 102 m3

Cumulative Raw Gas Production � 102 m3

Waterton - Sheet IV DataInterpreted p/z, GIIP=16�104m3

GIIP

(a)

(b)

Figure 13-15. (a) Real-life example of p/Z plot from Sheet IVc in the WatertonGas Field. (b) Real-life example of p/Z plot from Sheet IV in the Waterton Gas Field.

reflect the average reservoir pressure, the resulting analysis will be inac-curate. In tight gas reservoirs, excessive shut-in times of months or yearsmay be required to obtain accurate estimates of average reservoir pres-sure. The minimum shut-in time required to obtain a reservoir pressurethat represents the average reservoir pressure must be at least equal to thetime it takes to reach the pseudosteady-state, tpss. This time, for a well inthe center of a circular or square drainage area, is given by:

with

cti = Swi cwi + Sg cgi + cf

where tpss = stabilization (pseudosteady-state) time, dayscti = total compressibility coefficient at initial pressure, psi−1

cwi = water compressibility coefficient at initial pressure, psi−1

cf = formation compressibility coefficient, psi−1

cgi = gas compressibility coefficient at initial pressure, psi−1

ϕ = porosity, fraction

Since most tight gas reservoirs are hydraulically fractured, Earlougher(1977) proposed the following expression for estimating the minimumshut-in time to reach the semisteady-state:

where xf = fracture half-length, ftk = permeability, md

Example 13-5

Estimate the time required for a shut-in gas well to reach its 40-acredrainage area. The well is located in the center of a square-drainageboundary with the following properties:

tc x

kp

g t f

ss=

474 2φμ

tc A

kpss

gi ti=15 8. φμ


φ = 14%μgi = 0.016 cpcti = 0.0008 psi−1

A = 40 acresK = 0.1 md

Solution

Calculate the stabilization time by applying Earlougher’s equation to give:

This example indicates that an excessive shut-in time of approximately16 months is required to obtain a reliable average reservoir pressure.

Unlike curvature in the p/Z plot, which can be caused by

• An aquifer• An oil leg• Formation compressibility, or • Liquid condensation

scatter in the p/Z plot is diagnostic of substantial reservoir pressure gra-dients. Hence, if substantial scatter is seen in a p/Z plot, the tank assump-tion is being violated and the plot should not be used to determine theGIIP. One obvious solution to the material balance problem in tight gasreservoirs is the use of a numerical simulator. Two other relatively newapproaches to solving the material balance problem that can be used ifreservoir simulation software is not available are:

• The compartmental reservoir approach• The combined decline-curve and type-curve approach

These two methodologies are discussed next.

tpss

=15 8 0 14 0 016 0 0008 40 43. ( . ) ( . ) ( . ) ( ) ( ,6650

0 1493

)

. = days

tc x

kpss

g i f=474 2φμ

Gas Reservoirs 889

Compartmental Reservoir Approach

A compartmental reservoir is defined as a reservoir that consists oftwo or more distinct regions that are allowed to communicate. Each com-partment or “tank” is described by its own material balance, which iscoupled to the material balance of the neighboring compartments throughinflux or efflux gas across the common boundaries. Payne (1996) andHagoort and Hoogstra (1999) proposed two different robust and rigorousschemes for the numerical solution of the material balance equations ofcompartmental gas reservoirs. The main difference between the twoapproaches is that Payne solves for the pressure in each compartmentexplicitly and Hagoort and Hoogstra do so implicitly. However, bothschemes employ the following basic approach:

• Divide the reservoir into a number of compartments with each compart-ment containing one or more production wells that are proximate andthat measure consistent reservoir pressures. The initial division should bemade with as few tanks as possible, and each compartment should havedifferent dimensions in terms of length L, width W, and height h.

• Each compartment must be characterized by a historical productionand pressure decline data as a function of time.

• If the initial division is not capable of matching the observed pressuredecline, additional compartments can be added either by subdividingthe previously defined tanks or by adding tanks that do not containdrainage points, that is, production wells.

The practical application of the compartmental reservoir approach isillustrated by the following two methods:

• Payne’s method• Hagoort–Hoogstra method

Payne’s Method

Rather than using the conventional single-tank MBE in describing theperformance of tight gas reservoirs, Payne (1996) suggests a differentapproach that is based on subdividing the reservoir into a number of tanks,that is, compartments, which are allowed to communicate. Such compart-ments can either be depleted directly by wells or indirectly through othertanks. Flow rate between tanks is set proportionally to either the differencein the squares of tank pressure or the difference in pseudo-pressures, m(p).To illustrate the concept, consider a reservoir that consists of two com-partments, 1 and 2, as shown schematically in Figure 13-16.


Initially, that is, before the start of production, the two compartmentsare in equilibrium, with the same initial reservoir pressure. Gas produc-tion can be produced from either one or both compartments. With gasproduction, the pressures in the reservoir compartments will decline atdifferent rates depending on the production rate from each compartmentand the crossflow rate between the two compartments. Adopting the con-vention that influx is positive if gas flows from compartment 1 into com-partment 2, the linear gas flow rate between the two compartments interms of gas pseudo-pressure is given by Equation 6-23 from Chapter 6:

where Q12 = flow rate between the two compartments, scf/daym(p1) = gas pseudo-pressure in compartment (tank) 1, psi2/cpm(p2) = gas pseudo-pressure in compartment (tank) 2, psi2/cp

k = permeability, mdL = distance between the center of the two compartments, ftA = cross-sectional area, width × height, ft2

T = temperature, °R

This equation can be expressed in a more compacted form by includ-ing a “communication factor,” C12, between the two compartments:

Q12 = C12 [m(p1 ) −m(p2 )] (13-34)

Qk A

T Lm p m p

12 1 2

0 111924=

⎛⎝⎜

⎞⎠⎟

−⎡⎣ ⎤⎦.

( ) ( )

Gas Reservoirs 891

Compartment 2

PRODUCTION

INFLUX

G1G2

0.111924kATL

Q12 = [m (p1) − m (p2)]

production

Compartment 1

Figure 13-16. Schematic representation of compartmental reservoir consisting oftwo reservoir compartments separated by a permeable boundary.

The C12 between the two compartments is computed by calculating theindividual communication factor for each compartment and employingan averaging technique. The communication factor for each of the com-partments is as follows:

For compartment 1:

For compartment 2:

And the communication factor between the two compartments, C12, isgiven by the following harmonic average technique:

whereC12 = communication factor between two compartments, scf/day/psi2/cpC1 = communication factor for compartment 1, scf/day/psi2/cpC2 = communication factor for compartment 2, scf/day/psi2/cpL1 = length of compartment 1, ftL2 = length of compartment 2, ftA1 = cross-sectional area of compartment 1, ft2

A2 = cross-sectional area of compartment 2, ft2

The cumulative gas influx, Gp12, from compartment 1 to compartment2 is given by the integration of flow rate over time t as:

(13-35)

Payne proposes that individual compartment pressures are determinedby assuming a straight-line relationship of p/Z versus Gpt, with the totalgas production, Gpt, from an individual compartment as defined by thefollowing expression:

Gpt = Gp + Gp12

G Q dt Q tp

tt

12 12 1200

= = Δ Δ∑∫ ( )

CC C

C C121 2

1 2

2=

+

( )

Ck A

T L22 2

2

0 111924=

.

Ck A

T L11 1

1

0 111924=

.


where Gp is cumulative gas produced from wells in the compartmentand Gp12 is the cumulative gas efflux/influx between the connected com-partments. Solving Equation 8-59 for the pressure in each compartmentand assuming a positive flow from compartment 1 to compartment 2gives:

(13-37)

with:

G1 = 43,560 A1 h1 φ1 (1−Swi) / Bgi (13-38)G2 = 43,560 A2 h2 φ2 (1−Swi) / Bgi (13-39)

where G1 = initial gas-in-place in compartment 1, scfG2 = initial gas-in-place in compartment 2, scf

Gp1 = actual cumulative gas production from compartment 1, scf Gp2 = actual cumulative gas production from compartment 2, scf A1 = areal extent of compartment 1, acresA2 = areal extent of compartment 2, acresh1 = average thickness of compartment 1, fth2 = average thickness of compartment 2, ft

Bgi = initial gas formation volume factor, ft3/scfφ1 = average porosity in compartment 1φ 2 = average porosity in compartment 2

The subscripts 1 and 2 denote the two compartments 1 and 2, while thesubscript i refers to an initial condition. The required input data forPayne’s method are as follows:

• Amount of gas contained in each tank, that is, tank dimensions, porosi-ty, and saturation

• Inter-compartment communication factors, C12

• Initial pressure in each compartment• Production data profiles from the individual tanks

pp

ZZ

G G

G

pp

Z

i

i

p p

i

i

1 11 12

1

2

1=⎛

⎝⎜⎞

⎠⎟−

+⎡

⎣⎢⎢

⎤

⎦⎥⎥

=⎛

⎝⎝⎜⎞

⎠⎟−

−⎡

⎣⎢⎢

⎤

⎦⎥⎥

ZG G

Gp p

22 12

2

1

Gas Reservoirs 893

(13-36)

Payne’s technique is performed fully explicit in time. At each timestep, the pressures in various tanks are calculated, yielding a pressureprofile that can be matched to the actual pressure decline. The specificsteps of this iterative method are summarized below:

Step 1. Prepare the available gas properties data in tabulated and graphi-cal forms including:-Z versus p-μg versus p-2p/(μg Z) versus p-m(p) versus p

Step 2. Divide the reservoir into compartments and determine the dimen-sions of each compartments in terms of:-Length, L-Height, h-Width, W-Cross-sectional area, A

Step 3. For each compartment, determine the initial gas-in-place, G.Assuming two compartments, for example, then calculate G1 andG2 from Equations 13-38 and 13-39.

G1 = 43,560 A1 h1 φ1 (1−Swi) / Bgi

G2 = 43,560 A2 h2 φ2 (1−Swi) / Bgi

Step 4. For each compartment, make a plot of p/Z vs. GP that can be con-structed by simply drawing a straight line between pi/Zi with ini-tial gas-in-place in both compartments, G1 and G2.

Step 5. Calculate the communication factors for each compartment andbetween compartments. For two compartments:

Ck A

T L22 2

2

0 111924=

.

Ck A

T L11 1

1

0 111924=

.


Step 6. Select a small time step, Δt, and determine the correspondingactual cumulative gas production, Gp, from each compartment.Assign Gp = 0 if the compartment does not include a well.

Step 7. Assume (guess) the pressure distributions throughout the selectedcompartmental system and determine the gas deviation factor, Z,at each pressure. For a two-compartment system, let the initialvalues be denoted by p1

k and p2k.

Step 8. Using the assumed values of pressure, , determine thecorresponding m(p1) and m(p2) from the data of Step 1.

Step 9. Calculate the gas influx rate, Q12, and cumulative gas influx Gp12

by applying Equations 13-34 and 13-35, respectively.

Step 10. Substitute the values of Gp12, Z-factor, and actual values of GP1

and GP2, in Equations 13-36 and 13-37 to calculate the pressurein each compartment, denoted by pi

k+1and p2k + 1.

Step 11. Compare the assumed and calculated values, |p1k

− pik+1| and

|p2k−p2

k+1|. If a satisfactory match is achieved within a toleranceof 5–10 psi for all the pressure values, then Steps 3 through 7 arerepeated at a new time level with corresponding historical gas

pp

ZZ

G G

G

pp

k i

i

p p

k

11

11 12

1

21

1+

+

=⎛

⎝⎜⎞

⎠⎟−

+⎛

⎝⎜

⎞

⎠⎟

= ii

i

p p

ZZ

G G

G

⎛

⎝⎜⎞

⎠⎟−

−⎛

⎝⎜

⎞

⎠⎟2

2 12

2

1

G Q dt Q tp

t t

12 120

120

= =∫ ∑ ( )Δ Δ

Q C m p m p12 12 1 2= −[ ( ) ( )]

p pk k1 2and

CC C

C C121 2

1 2

2=

+( )

Gas Reservoirs 895

production data. If the match is not satisfactory, repeat the itera-tive cycle of Steps 4 through 7 and set p1

k= pi

k+1 and p2k=p2

k+1.

Step 12. Repeat Steps 6 through 11 to produce a pressure-decline profilefor each compartment that can be compared with the actual pres-sure profile for each compartment or that from Step 4.

Performing a material-balance history match consists of varying thenumber of compartments required, the dimension of the compartments,and the communication factors until an acceptable match of the pressuredecline is obtained. The improved accuracy in estimating the originalgas-in-place, resulting from determining the optimum number and size ofcompartments, stems from the ability of the proposed method to incorpo-rate reservoir pressure gradients, which are completely neglected in thesingle-tank conventional p/Z plot method.

Hagoort–Hoogstra Method

Based on Payne’s method, Hagoort and Hoogstra (1999) developeda numerical method to solve the MBE of compartmental gas reservoirsthat employs an implicit, iterative procedure, and that recognizes thepressure dependency of the gas properties. The iterative techniquerelies on adjusting the size of the compartments and the transmissibilityvalues to match the historical pressure data for each compartment as afunction of time. Referring to Figure 13-16, the authors assume a thinpermeable layer with a transmissibility of Γ12 separating the two com-partments. Hagoort and Hoogstra expressed the instantaneous gasinflux through the thin permeable layer by Darcy’s equation, as givenby (in Darcy’s units):

where Γ12 = the transmissibility between compartmentsThe gas influx between compartments can be obtained by modifying

Equation 6-23 in Chapter 6 to give:

(13-40)Qp p

T L1212 1

2220 111924

=−. ( )Γ

Qp p

p Bg g avg12

12 12

22

12=

−Γ ( )

( )μ


with

(13-41)

(13-42)

(13-43)

where Q12 = influx gas rate, scf/dayL = distance between the centers of compartment 1 and 2, ftA = cross-sectional area, ft2

μg = gas viscosity, cpZ = gas deviation factork = permeability, mdp = pressure, psiaT = temperature, °R

L1 = length of compartment 1, ftL2 = length of compartment 2, ft

The subscripts 1 and 2 refer to compartments 1 and 2, respectively.The material balance for the two reservoir compartments can be modi-

fied to include the gas influx from compartment 1 to compartment 2:

(13-44)

(13-45)p

Z

p

Z

G G

Gp p2

2

1

1

2 12

2

1= −−⎛

⎝⎜

⎞

⎠⎟

p

Z

p

Z

G G

Gp p1

1

1

1

1 12

1

1= −+⎛

⎝⎜

⎞

⎠⎟

Γ2

2

=⎡

⎣⎢⎢

⎤

⎦⎥⎥

k A

Z gμ

Γ1

1

=⎡

⎣⎢⎢

⎤

⎦⎥⎥

k A

Z gμ

ΓΓ Γ

Γ Γ121 2 1 2

1 2 2 1

=+

+( )L L

L L

Gas Reservoirs 897

where p1 = initial reservoir pressure, psiZ1 = initial gas deviation factorGp = actual (historical) cumulative gas production, scf

G1, G2 = initial gas-in-place in compartments 1 and 2, scfGp12 = cumulative gas influx from compartment 1 to 2, scf as given

in Equation 13-35

Again, subscripts 1 and 2 represent compartments 1 and 2, respectively.To solve the material balance equations as represented by the relation-

ships in Equations 13-45 and 13-46 for the two unknowns p1 and p2, thetwo expressions can be arranged to equate to zero, as follows:

(13-46)

(13-47)

The general methodology of applying the method is very similar tothat of Payne’s and involves the following specific steps:

Step 1. Prepare the available data on gas properties in tabulated andgraphical forms that include Z versus p and μg versus p

Step 2. Divide the reservoir into compartments and determine the dimen-sions of each compartment in terms of

• Length, L• Height, h• Width, W• Cross-sectional area, A

Step 3. For each compartment, determine the initial gas-in-place, G. Forclarity, assume two gas compartments and calculate G1 and G2

from Equations 13-38 and 13-39.

G1 = 43,560 A1 h1 φ1 (1−Swi) / Bgi

G2 = 43,560 A2 h2 φ2 (1−Swi) / Bgi

F p p pp

ZZ

G G

Gi

i

p p2 1 2 2 2

2 12

2

1( , ) = −⎛

⎝⎜⎞

⎠⎟−

−⎛

⎝⎜

⎞

⎠⎟ == 0

F p p pp

ZZ

G G

Gi

i

p p1 1 2 1 1

1 12

1

1( , ) = −⎛

⎝⎜⎞

⎠⎟−

+⎛

⎝⎜

⎞

⎠⎟ == 0


Step 4. For each compartment, make a plot of p/Z versus GP that can beconstructed by simply drawing a straight line between pi/Zi withinitial gas-in-place in both compartments, G1 and G2.

Step 5. Calculate the transmissibility by applying Equation 13-41.

Step 6. Select a time step, Δt,and determine the corresponding actualcumulative gas production Gp1 and Gp2.

Step 7. Calculate the gas influx rate, Q12, and cumulative gas influx,Gp12, by applying Equations 13-40 and 13-35, respectively.

Step 8. Start the iterative solution by assuming initial estimates of thepressure for compartments 1 and 2 (i.e., p1

k and p2k). Using Newton

and Raphson’s iterative scheme, calculate new improved valuesof the pressure p1

k+1 and p2k+1 by solving the following linear equa-

tions as expressed in a matrix form:

where the superscript “−1” denotes the inverse of the matrix. The partialderivatives in this system of equations can be expressed in analyticalform by differentiating Equations 8-140 and 8-141 with respect to p1

and p2. During an iterative cycle, the derivatives are evaluated at theupdated new pressures, i.e., p1

k+1 and p2k+1. The iteration is stopped when

|p1k+1

−pik| and |p2

k+1−p2k| are less than a certain pressure tolerance, that is,

5–10 psi.

p

p

p

p

k

k

k

k

11

21

1

2

+

+

⎡

⎣

⎢⎢⎢⎢

⎤

⎦

⎥⎥⎥⎥

=

⎡

⎣

⎢⎢⎢⎢

⎤

⎦

⎥⎥⎥⎥

−

∂FF p p

p

F p p

p

F p p

k k k k

k k

1 1 2

1

1 1 2

2

2 1 2

( , ) ( , )

( , )

∂∂

∂

∂∂pp

F p p

p

F p p

k k

k

1

2 1 2

2

1

1 1

∂∂

⎡

⎣

⎢⎢⎢⎢⎢

⎤

⎦

⎥⎥⎥⎥⎥

−−

( , )

( , 22

2 1 2

k

k kF p p

)

( , )−

⎡

⎣

⎢⎢⎢⎢

⎤

⎦

⎥⎥⎥⎥

G Q dt Q tp

t t

12 120

120

= =∫ ∑ ( )Δ Δ

Qp p

T L1212 1

2220 111924

=−. ( )Γ

Gas Reservoirs 899

Step 9. Generate the pressure profile as a function of time for each com-partment by repeating Steps 2 and 3.

where p1 = initial reservoir pressure, psiZ1 = initial gas deviation factorGp = actual (historical) cumulative gas production, scf

G1, G2 = initial gas-in-place in compartment 1 and 2, scfGp12 = cumulative gas influx from compartment 1 to 2 in scf,

as given in Equation 13-35

Step 10. Repeat Steps 6 through 11 to produce a pressure decline profilefor each compartment that can be compared with the actual pres-sure profile for each compartment or that from step 4.

Compare the calculated pressure profiles with those of the observedpressures. If a match has not been achieved, adjust the size and numberof compartments (i.e., initial gas-in-place) and repeat Steps 2 through 10.

Shallow Gas Reservoirs

Tight shallow gas reservoirs present a number of unique challenges indetermining reserves accurately. Traditional methods such as declineanalysis and material balance are inaccurate owing to the formation’s lowpermeability and the usually poor-quality pressure data. The low perme-abilities cause long transient periods that are not separated early fromproduction decline with conventional decline analysis, resulting in lowerconfidence in selecting the appropriate decline characteristics, whichaffects recovery factors and remaining reserves significantly. In an excel-lent paper by West and Cochrane (1995), the authors used the MedicineHat field in Western Canada as an example of these types of reservoirsand developed a methodology called the Extended Material Balance(EMB) technique, to evaluate gas reserves and potential infill drilling.

The Medicine Hat field is a tight, shallow gas reservoir producing frommultiple highly interbedded, silty sand formations with poor permeabilitiesof < 0.1 md. This poor permeability is the main characteristic of thesereservoirs that affects conventional decline analysis. Owing to these lowpermeabilities, and in part to commingled multilayer production effects,wells experience long transient periods before they begin experiencing the

p

Z

p

Z

G G

Gp p1

1

1

1

1 12

1

1= −+⎛

⎝⎜

⎞

⎠⎟


pseudosteady-state flow that represents the decline portion of their lives.One of the principal assumptions often neglected when conducting declineanalysis is that pseudosteady-state must have been achieved. The initialtransient production trend of a well or group of wells is not indicative ofthe long-term decline of the well. Distinguishing the transient productionof a well from its pseudosteady-state production is often difficult, and thiscan lead to errors in determining the decline characteristic (exponential,hyperbolic, or harmonic) of a well. Figure 13-17 shows the production his-tory from a tight, shallow gas well and illustrates the difficulty in selectingthe correct decline. Another characteristic of tight, shallow gas reservoirsthat affects conventional decline analysis is that constant reservoir con-ditions, an assumption required for conventional decline analysis, do not exist because of increasing drawdown, changing operating strategies,erratic development, and deregulation.

Material balance is affected by tight, shallow gas reservoirs because thepressure data are limited, of poor quality, and not representative of amajority of the wells. Because the risk of drilling dry holes is low anddrillstem tests (DSTs) are not cost-effective in the development of shallowgas, DST data are very limited. Reservoir pressures are recorded only forgovernment-designated “control” wells, which account for only 5% of allwells. Shallow gas produces from multiple formations, and productionfrom these formations is typically commingled, exhibiting some degree ofpressure equalization. Unfortunately, the control wells are segregated bytubing/packers, and consequently, the control-well pressure data are notrepresentative of most commingled wells. In addition, pressure monitor-ing has been very inconsistent. Varied measurement points (downhole or

Gas Reservoirs 901

10.00

0.000 1000 2000 3000

CUMULATIVE PRODUCTION (km3)

OP

ER

AT

ING

RA

TE

(K

M3/

d)

4000 5000 6000 7000 8000

1.00

2.00

3.00

4.00

5.00

6.00

7.00

8.00

9.00

Figure 13-17. Production history for a typical Medicine Hat property (Permissionto copy SPE, copyright SPE 1995).

wellhead), inconsistent shut-in times, and different analysis types (e.g.,buildup and static gradient) make quantitative pressure-tracking difficult.As Figure 13-18 shows, both of these problems result in a scatter of data,which makes material balance extremely difficult.

Wells in the Medicine Hat shallow gas area are generally cased, perfo-rated, and fractured in one, two, or all three formations, as ownershipsvary not only areally but between formations. The Milk River and Medi-cine Hat formations are usually produced commingled. Historically, theSecond White Specks formation has been segregated from the other two;recently, however, commingled production from all three formations hasbeen approved. Spacing for shallow gas is usually two to four wellsper section. As a result of the poor reservoir quality and low pressure,well productivity is very low. Initial rates rarely exceed 700 Mscf/day.Current average production per well is approximately 50 Mscf/day fora three-formation completion. There are approximately 24,000 wellsproducing from the Milk River formation in Southern Alberta andSaskatchewan with total estimated gas reserves of 5.3 Tscf. West andCochrane’s EMB technique was developed to determine gas reserves in2,300 wells in the Medicine Hat field.

The EMB technique is essentially an iterative process for obtaining asuitable p/Z versus Gp line for a reservoir where pressure data are inade-quate. It combines the principles of volumetric gas depletion with thegas-deliverability (back-pressure) equation. The deliverability equationfor radial flow of gas describes the relationship between the pressure dif-ferential in the wellbore and the gas flow rate from the well:


6000

5000

4000

3000

p/z

(kP

a)

2000

1000

00 200,000 400,000 500,000 800,000

CUMULATIVE GAS PRODUCTION (103m3)

100,000 120,000 140,000

Figure 13-18. Scatter pressure data for a typical Medicine Hat property (Permis-sion to copy SPE, copyright SPE 1995).

Owing to the very low production rates from the wells in MedicineHat shallow gas, a laminar flow regime exists, which can be describedwith an exponent n = 1. The terms making up the coefficient C in theback-pressure equation are either fixed reservoir parameters (kh, re, rw,and T) that do not vary with time or terms that fluctuate with pressure,temperature, and gas composition, for example, μg and Z. The perfor-mance coefficient “C” is given by:

Because the original reservoir pressure in these shallow formations islow, the differences between initial and abandonment pressures are notsignificant and the variation in the pressure-dependent terms over timecan be assumed negligible. C may be considered constant for a givenMedicine Hat shallow gas reservoir over its life. With these simplifica-tions for shallow gas, the deliverability equation becomes:

The sum of the instantaneous production rates with time will yield therelationship between Gp and reservoir pressure, similar to the materialbalance equation. By use of this common relationship, with the unknownsbeing reservoir pressure, p, and the performance coefficient, C, the EMBmethod involves iterating to find the correct p/Z versus Gp relationship togive a constant C with time. The proposed iterative method is applied asoutlined in the following steps:

Step 1. To avoid calculating individual reserves for each of the 2,300wells, West and Cochrane grouped wells by formation and bydate on production. The authors verified this simplification on atest group by ensuring that the reserves from the group of wellsyielded the same results as the sum of the individual wellreserves. These groupings were used for each of the 10 properties,and the results of the groupings combined to give a property pro-duction forecast. Also, to estimate the reservoir decline character-istics more accurately, the rates were normalized to reflectchanges in the bottom-hole flowing pressure (BHFP).

Q C p pg r wf= −[ ]2 2

Ck h

T Z r rg e w

=−1422 0 5μ [ln( / ) . ]

Q C p pg r wfn= −[ ]2 2

Gas Reservoirs 903

Step 2. Using the gas specific gravity and reservoir temperature, calculatethe gas deviation factor, Z, as a function of pressure and plot p/Zversus p on a Cartesian scale.

Step 3. An initial estimate for the p/Z variation with Gp is made by guess-ing an initial pressure, pi, and a linear slope, m, of Equation 13-11:

with the slope m defined by:

Step 4. Starting at the initial production date for the property, the p/Z ver-sus time relationship is established by simply substituting theactual cumulative production, Gp, into the MBE with estimatedslope m and pi because actual cumulative production Gp versustime is known. The reservoir pressure, p, can then be constructedas a function of time from the plot of p/Z as a function of p, thatis, Step 2.

Step 5. Knowing the actual production rates, Qg, and bottom-hole flow-ing pressures, pwf, for each monthly time interval and having esti-mated reservoir pressures, p, from Step 3, C is calculated for eachtime interval with:

Step 6. C is plotted against time. If C is not constant (i.e., the plot is not ahorizontal line), a new p/Z versus Gp is guessed and the process isrepeated from Step 3 through Step 5.

Step 7. Once a constant C solution is obtained, the representative p/Zrelationship has been defined for reserves determination.

CQ

p p

g

wf

=−2 2

mp

Z Gi

i

=⎛

⎝⎜⎞

⎠⎟1

p

Z

p

Zm Gi

ip= − ⎡⎣ ⎤⎦


Use of the EMB method in the Medicine Hat shallow gas makes thefundamental assumptions (1) that the gas pool depletes volumetrically(i.e., there is no water influx) and (2) that all wells behave like an averagewell with the same deliverability constant, turbulence constant, andBHFP, which is a reasonable assumption given the number of wells in thearea, the homogeneity of the rocks, and the observed well productiontrends.

In the EMB evaluation, West and Cochrane point out that wells foreach property were grouped according to their producing interval so thatthe actual production from the wells could be related to a particular reser-voir pressure trend. When calculating the coefficient C, as outlinedabove, a total C based on grouped production was calculated and thendivided by the number of wells producing in a given time interval to givean average C value. The average C value was used to calculate an aver-age permeability/thickness, kh, for comparison with actual kh dataobtained through buildup analysis for the reservoir, as follows:

For that reason, kh versus time, instead of C versus time, was plottedin the method. Figure 13-19 shows a flat kh versus time profile indicat-ing a valid p/Z versus Gp relationship.

k h T Z r r Cg e w= −1422 0 5μ [ln( / ) . ]

Gas Reservoirs 905

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

PE

RM

EA

BIL

ITY

TH

ICK

NE

SS

mDmAug-76 Aug-78 Aug-80 Aug-82 Aug-84 Aug-86 Aug-88 Aug-90 Aug-92

Figure 13-19. Example for a successful EMB solution-flat kh profile (Permission tocopy SPE, copyright SPE 1995).

PROBLEMS

1. The following information is available on a volumetric gas reservoir:

Initial reservoir temperature, Ti = 155°FInitial reservoir pressure, pi = 3500 psiaSpecific gravity of gas, γg = 0.65 (air = 1)Thickness of reservoir, h = 20 ftPorosity of the reservoir, φ = 10%Initial water saturation, Swi = 25%

After producing 300 MMscf, the reservoir pressure declined to 2,500 psia.Estimate the areal extent of this reservoir.

2. The following pressures and cumulative production data2 are availablefor a natural gas reservoir:

Reservoir Gas Deviation CumulativePressure, Factor, Production,

psia z MMMscf

2080 0.759 01885 0.767 6.8731620 0.787 14.0021205 0.828 23.687888 0.866 31.009645 0.900 36.207

a. Estimate the initial gas-in-place.b. Estimate the recoverable reserves at an abandonment pressure of

500 psia. Assume za = 1.00.c. What is the recovery factor at the abandonment pressure of 500 psia?

3. A gas field with an active water drive showed a pressure decline from3,000 to 2,000 psia over a 10-month period. From the following pro-duction data, match the past history and calculate the original hydro-carbon gas in the reservoir. Assume z = 0.8 in the range of reservoirpressures and T = 140°F.

Data

t, months 0 2.5 5.0 7.5 10.0p, psia 3000 2750 2500 2250 2000Gp, MMscf 0 97.6 218.9 355.4 500.0


2Ikoku, C., Natural Gas Reservoir Engineering, John Wiley and Sons, 1984.

4. A volumetric gas reservoir produced 600 MMscf of 0.62 specific grav-ity gas when the reservoir pressure declined from 3,600 to 2,600 psi.The reservoir temperature is reported at 140°F. Calculate:

a. Gas initially in placeb. Remaining reserves to an abandonment pressure of 500 psic. Ultimate gas recovery at abandonment

5. The following information on a water-drive gas reservoir is given:

Bulk volume = 100,000 acre-ftGas gravity = 0.6

Porosity = 15%Swi = 25%

T = 140°Fpi = 3500 psi

Reservoir pressure has declined to 3,000 psi while producing 30MMMscf of gas and no water production. Calculate cumulative waterinflux.

6. The pertinent data for the Mobil-David field are given below.

G = 70 MMMscf pi = 9507 psi φ = 24% Swi = 35%cw = 401 × 10−6 psi−1 cf = 3.4 × 10−6 psi−1 γg = 0.94 T = 266°F

For this volumetric abnormally pressured reservoir, calculate andplot cumulative gas production as a function of pressure.

7. The Big Butte field is a volumetric dry-gas reservoir with a recordedinitial pressure of 3,500 psi at 140°F. The specific gravity of the pro-duced gas is measured at 0.65. The following reservoir data are avail-able from logs and core analysis:

Reservoir area = 1500 acresThickness = 25 ftPorosity = 15%Initial water saturation = 20%

Calculate:

a. Initial gas in place as expressed in scfb. Gas viscosity at 3,500 psi and 140°F

Gas Reservoirs 907

REFERENCES

1. Begland, T., and Whitehead, W., “Depletion Performance of VolumetricHigh-Pressured Gas Reservoirs,” SPE Reservoir Engineering, August 1989,pp. 279–282.

2. Cole, F. W., Reservoir Engineering Manual. Houston: Gulf Publishing Co.,1969.

3. Dake, L., The Practice of Reservoir Engineering. Amsterdam: Elsevier Pub-lishing Company, 1994.

4. Duggan, J. O., “The Anderson ‘L’—An Abnormally Pressured Gas Reser-voir in South Texas,” Journal of Petroleum Technology, February 1972, Vol.24, No. 2, pp. 132–138.

5. Hagoort, J., and Hoogstra, R., “Numerical Solution of the Material BalanceEquations of Compartmented Gas Reservoirs,” SPE Reservoir Eval. & Eng.2 (4), August 1999.

6. Hagoort, J., Sinke, J., Dros, B., and Nieuwland, F., “Material BalanceAnalysis of Faulted and Stratified Tight Gas Reservoirs,” SPE 65179, SPEEuropean Petroleum Conference, Paris, France, October 2000.

7. Hammerlindl, D. J., “Predicing Gas Reserves in Abnormally PressuredReservoirs,” SPE Paper 3479 presented at the 46th Annual Fall Meeting ofSPE, New Orleans, October 1971.

8. Havlena, D., and Odeh, A. S., “The Material Balance as an Equation of aStraight Line,” Trans. AIME, Part 1: 228 I-896 (1963); Part 2: 231 I-815(1964).

9. Ikoku, C., Natural Gas Reservoir Engineering. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.,1984.

10. Payne, D. A., “Material Balance Calculations in Tight Gas Reservoirs: ThePitfalls of p/Z Plots and a More Accurate Technique,” SPE Reservoir Engi-neering, November 1996.

11. Roach, R. H., “Analyzing Geopressured Reservoirs—A Material BalanceTechnique,” SPE Paper 9968, Society of Petroleum Engineers of AIME,Dallas, December 1981.

12. Van Everdingen, A. F., and Hurst, W., “Application of Laplace Transform toFlow Problems in Reservoirs,” Trans. AIME, 1949, Vol. 186, pp. 305–324B.

13. West, S., “Reserve Determination Using Type Curve Matching and ExtendedMaterial Balance Methods in The Medicine Hat Shallow Gas Field,” SPE28609, The 69th Annual Technical Conference, New Orleans, LA, September25–28, 1994.


predicting oil reservoir performance

Documents