Principle of Superposition and its Applications in

Reservoir Engineering

Submitted by
Prerit Rai
 INDEX

Sl. No. TOPIC Page No.

1. INTRODUCTION 1-2

2. LITERATURE REVIEW 3-6

4. METHODOLOGY 7-12

13-18
5. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

6. REFERENCES 34-34
 INTRODUCTION

In this project, we will be depicting reservoir boundary conditions on a simulation

model, created on PanSystem software, designed by Weatherford Systems inc.
PanSystem software is the industry’s leading well test analysis program for more than
20 years.

PanSystem is a very popular well testing software, mainly due to its:

● Reasonable graphical user interface and has all features of an advanced well
test interpretation package.
● Has an integrated interpretation environment involving derivative plots ,
specialized analysis, and non-linear regression.
● PanSystem has an interface to numerical simulation- Pan Mesh is based on
finite-element technology.

A pressure transient well test has the unique ability to obtain information from within
the reservoir surrounding the well. Appropriate testing techniques provide a wealth of
data, such as:

• Permeability of the near-wellbore region and the reservoir at large

• Vertical permeability, vertical communication in layered systems
• Completion efficiency, effective open interval size (over life of well)
• Well performance (over life of well)
• Reservoir structure (boundaries, heterogeneities)
• Reservoir pressure
• Nature of pressure support
• Connected pore volume and initial hydrocarbons in place
• Deliverability and production forecasts
Analysis done with the help of PanSystem software also includes the designing of
diagnostic plots include log-log with selection of pressure derivatives, rate
normalization and superposition/convolution, line-fitting and type-curve matching.

PanManager™ software, a feature of PanSystems, opens multiple PanSystem files for

comparison of gauge datasets and interpretations of

– Well tests run in same well at different times

– Well tests run in different wells
– Different interpretations of one well test

What is well test analysis?

● Well Test analysis is an inverse problem in which the model parameters are
inferred by analyzing response of the reservoir to a given input.
● Most often the output response that is measured is pressure and th applied input
perturbation is rate change.
● We use mathematical models to relate pressure response to rate history. The
model may or may not represent reality.

Numerical Well Testing: ​Use of simulation technology to accurately model

1. Reservoir Geology
2. Fluid Properties and Multi-Phase Flow
3. Wells and Perforations
 LITERATURE REVIEW

1. Introduction:

The superposition principle states that for all linear systems, the net response at a
given place and time caused by two or more entity is the sum of response that would
have been caused by each entity individually. So, if the input A produces response X
and input B produces response Y then input (A+B) produces response (X+Y).

In Reservoir engineering, the solutions to the radial diffusivity equation appear to be

applicable only for describing the pressure distribution in an infinite reservoir that was
caused by a constant production from a single well. Since real reservoir systems
usually have several wells that are operating at varying rates, a more generalized
approach is needed to study the fluid flow behavior during the unsteady state flow
period. The principle of superposition is a powerful concept that can be applied to
remove the restrictions that have been imposed on various forms of solution to the
transient flow equation.

It is a mathematical technique based on the property that solutions to linear partial

equations can be added to provide yet another solution. This permits constructions of
mathematical solutions to situations with complex boundary conditions, especially
drawdown and buildup tests, and in settings where flow rates change with time.

2. Principle of Superposition:

Mathematically the superposition theorem states that any sum of individual solutions
to the diffusivity equation is also solution to that equation. This concept can be
applied to account for the following effects on the transient flow solution:
● Effects of multiple wells
● Effect of rate change
● Effect of boundary
 ● Effect of No-flow boundary on diagnostic or conventional plot
● Effect of constant pressure boundary on diagnostic or conventional plot

3. Superposition in Space:

The superposition concept states that the total pressure drop at any point in the
reservoir is the sum of the pressure changes at that point caused by flow in each of the
wells in the reservoir.

4. Superposition in time:

Practically all wells produce at varying rates and, therefore it is important that we be
able to predict the pressure behavior when rate changes. For this purpose, the concept
of superposition states ‘Every flow rate change in a well will result in a pressure
response which is independent of the pressure responses caused by other previous rate
changes’.
Accordingly, the total pressure drop that has occurred at any time is the summation of
pressure changes causes separately by each net flow rate change.

Let us consider a well that produces at two different rates during a drawdown test. The
test initially started at a rate Q​1 stb/d.
​ After a certain time (t), the well rate increased to
Q​2​ stb/d. The principle of superposition is applied in this case by considering two
wells that produce at steady rates. The first well produces at Q​1​ stb/d throughout the
test. However, a second well is superposed to account for the increase in the flow rate
at time t. The rate of the second well expressed as (Q​2​-Q​1​) stb/d. The combined
production from the two wells is Q​2​ stb/d after time t.

5. Single No-flow Boundary:

The superposition theorem can also be extended to predict the pressure of a well in a
bounded reservoir. Consider a well that is located at a distance r from the no-flow
boundary, e.g. sealing fault. This case can be modeled using the method of images.

Method of images
A no-flow line at a distance r from the well is obtained analytically with method of
images.
1. The pressure drop at the well in an infinite acting reservoir.
2. The pressure drop due to an identical well with the same flow rate located at a
distance 2r from the well and symmetric to the boundary.
Consequently, the effect of the boundary on the pressure behavior of a well would be
the same as the effect from an image well located a distance 2r from the actual well.
Now the problem reduces to one of determining the effect of the image well on the
actual well. The total pressure drop at the actual well will be the pressure drop due to
its own production plus the additional pressure drop caused by an identical well at a
distance of 2r.
 METHODOLOGY

Initially, a simulation model will be portrayed with dimensions of 10000 x 10000 ft.
The model will be designed, keeping in mind the following parameters:

Pi,psi 3555.8
Ct,psi-1 1.68E-05
Qo,bpd 125.8
Oil Visc,cp 0.377
Bo,v/v 1.58
K,md 20
Phi 0.18
h,ft 131.233
Rw,ft 0.328

A producer well is placed at the center of the simulated reservoir and assigned a
constant rate of 20 m​3​/d during production of oil depicted according to requirements.
The flowing bottomhole pressure of the producing well is extracted from the
simulation output to calculate dimensionless reservoir parameters. These
dimensionless parameters are used to make the following derivative plot. Here on
vertical axis the derivative of dimensionless pressure is plotted.
Initially the dimensionless pressure derivative is stabilized at 0.5 line indicating
transient condition, and after some time the pressure derivative started moving up with
a unit slope indicating the semi-steady state condition is achieved when the pressure
transient reaches the no-flow reservoir boundary. The boundary effect is see at the
time t=1715 hrs (71.5 d)

T​D​/C​D​=60000 => t= 1715 hrs

And the radius of investigation at this time is calculated using the formula given
below.

r​inv​ = 5632 ft (distance to constant pressure boundary)

This radius of investigation is close to the value of radius of the reservoir.

Permeability Calculation

The pressure response of the transient zone is plotted on this semi log plot as shown
below. It should be straight line for a transient state condition. The slope of the plot
can be used to calculate the reservoir permeability. From the slope of the curve,
permeability of the reservoir is calculated as shown below.
From the slope of the curve, permeability of the reservoir is calculated as shown
below. The slope value has to be multiplied with a conversion factor 2.303 to convert
it into a required slope.

The calculation gives a permeability value close to our actual reservoir permeability.

Case 1(with fault)

In this case, an attempt has been made to see the pressure response in a well due to the
presence of a sealing fault. A fault has been placed in the model at a distance of 550 ft
from the well.

The flowing bottomhole pressures of the producing well are extracted from the
simulation output to calculate dimensionless reservoir parameters. These
dimensionless parameters are used to make the following derivative plot. Here on
vertical axis the derivative of dimensionless pressure is plotted.
Case 2(Modeling with an image well)

In this case, an attempt has been made to see the pressure response of a producer well
due to an image well placed at a distance which is twice of the distance of the fault in
the previous case. No fault has been placed in this case. Both wells are assigned with a
same production rate.

The flowing bottom hole pressure of the producing well is extracted from the
simulation output to calculate dimensionless reservoir parameters. These
dimensionless parameters are used to make the following derivative plot. Here on
vertical axis the derivative of dimensionless pressure is plotted.
Case 3 (Constant Pressure Boundary)

A constant pressure boundary is a boundary at which pressure is maintained by

external influx like aquifer. An attempt as been made to model the constant pressure
boundary using image wells. In the model, a producer well is placed at the center with
the production rate of 20 m​3​/d. And 4 injectors are placed around the producing well
and assigned with an injection rate of 20 m​3​/d each. The snapshot of the model is
shown below.

The flowing bottomhole pressure of the producing well is extracted from the
simulation output to calculate dimensionless reservoir parameters. These
dimensionless parameters are used to make the following derivative plot. Here on
vertical axis, the derivative of dimensionless pressure is plotted.
 RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

Case 1 (With Fault)

Initially, the graph between dimensionless pressure and dimensionless time is plotted.

Initial, the dimensionless pressure derivative stabilized at 0.5 line indicting transient
state and after some time it is deviated from 0.5 line and stabilized at 1. This indicates
presence of a sealing fault. And finally, the curve move with unit slope indicating the
semi-steady state upon touching the reservoir boundary. The pressure impulse initially
encountered the fault on one side but in other directions, it was still travelling until it
finally reaches the reservoir no-flow boundary and entered into semi-steady state. And
the part of the curve before entering into semi-steady state is plotted on
semi-logarithmic plot as shown below.
Two straight lines can be seen in this plot. First straight line indicates radialtransient
flow. The slope of second line is twice that of the first line. This is the characteristic
feature of a fault. The distance to the fault from well is calculated as shown below.

The fault effect is observed at

T​d​/C​d =
​ 600 => t = 17.3 hrs

And the radius of investigation at this time is calculated using the formula given.

R​inv​ = 565 ft

This is the distance to the fault from well. This figure is close to the actual distance to
the fault.
Case 2 (Modeling with an image well)

Initially, the graph between dimensionless pressure and dimensionless time is plotted.

The pressure response in this case is similar to that of a case-1.

The comparison between case-1 and case-2 is given below.

The pressure responses in both cases are exactly matching. This indicates that a
sealing fault boundary can be effectively modeled with an image well by the
superposition principle.
Case 3 (Constant pressure boundary)

Initially, the graph between dimensionless pressure and dimensionless time is plotted.

Initially the dimensionless pressure derivative is stabilized at 0.5 line indicating

transient condition, and after some time the pressure derivative becomes zero
indicating a constant pressure situation. This state is called steady state. The steady
state condition is achieved when there is constant pressure boundary due to any influx.
In this case the constant pressure boundary effect is observed at

T​d​/C​d​= 400 => t= 11.7 hrs

And the radius of investigation at this time is calculated using the given formula.

R​inv​= 464 ft (​distance to constant pressure boundary)

This is just half of the injector-producer spacing. So, it can be inferred that due to
injection from the four wells around the producer a constant pressure boundary is
created around the producer at half distance between injectors and producers.

In conclusion, we can say that the superposition principle is a powerful tool that is
very helpful in solving many complicated problems in a very simple manner. In this
project, we have seen the application of the superposition principle to model the
various boundary conditions of a reservoir in a simulation.
 REFERENCES

● ONGC Reports on Superposition Principle in Reservoir Engineering

● Journals by OnePetro
● Research Material by ResearchGate
● PanSystem Tutorials on YouTube
● Reservoir Engineering Handbook by Tariq Ahmed