Oilphase

RESERVOIR FLUID SAMPLING Bottomhole Sampling

Bottomhole Sampling Procedures

After the well has been conditioned the choice lies between recovering the sample with
the well “shut-in” or with the well flowing at a “bleed” rate. The most common route is
the flowing the well at as low a stabilised rate as possible to guarantee that fresh and
not “aged” reservoir fluid fills the bottomhole sampler.

Sampling with the well “shut-in” should be used only in the marginal cases where flow
even at a “bleed” rate causes the pressure to drop below saturation pressure. In the
literature it is reported that the shut-in period is dependent on the productivity of the well
and can vary between 2-3 hours for a high productivity well up to over 72 hours for a
10
low productivity one .

Well Shut-in

If the well is “shut-in”, it is recommended that a pressure-temperature survey be run to

locate any fluid interfaces in the wellbore. The sampler should be positioned well in the
oil-zone and as close as possible to the lowest point passed by all fluid entering the well.
Fluid entering from the perforations during the “shut-in” period flows under increasing
backpressure improving thus the possibilities that after the maximum pressure is achieved
the oil will be gas saturated.

Oil

Water

Pressure Pb Poil>Pb Pwi

Reservo ir Zo ne

Shut-in well - Using pressure gradient to identify sampling depth

In extreme cases, the static water column may be so far up the wellbore that the all the
overlying oil is at a pressure below Pb despite the fact that the reservoir pressure is
above Pb. Representative bottomhole sampling would not therefore be possible.

Reservoir Fluid Sampling & Analysis . 1/14

 Oilphase
RESERVOIR FLUID SAMPLING Bottomhole Sampling

Oil

Water

Poil<Pb Pb Pwi
Pressure

Reservo ir Zo ne

In a Shut-in well the oil zone can be below its Pb

Well Flowing

The objective is to stabilise the well at a low flow rate. It is recommended to verify the
stability over a period of four hours. The stable conditions of flow can be checked by
the:

• stabilised surface gas and oil flow rates

• stabilised well head pressure

• stabilised flowing bottom hole pressure Pwf

Running in the Hole

• Bottomhole sampling tools are run in strings of anything from a minimum of

3 to a maximum of 8 tools with generally the only limitation being the
length of the of the lubricator section and strength of the wireline.

• The sampling depth should be as close as possible to the perforated zone

to avoid having a large pressure difference between the reservoir and the
sampling depth.

• A clock operated sampler should be at the sampling depth about half an

hour before the programmed sampling time and can be recovered about
fifteen minutes afterwards.

• A minimum of three representative samples, to allow meaningful

consistency checks, should be taken and sent to the laboratory for a
complete PVT analysis.

Reservoir Fluid Sampling & Analysis . 2/14

 Oilphase
RESERVOIR FLUID SAMPLING Bottomhole Sampling

Quality Control of Bottom Hole Samples

For samples taken at the same conditions, the best way to ensure their validity is to
measure and compare the following data:

• Opening pressures of the samplers @ ambient T

• Volume of sample @ ambient T

• Determination of bubble point @ ambient T in the sample cylinder after

transfer.

All being well, these figures should be within 2%. The bubble point determination is
performed in the cylinder after transfer because, unlike the sampling tools, the sample
cylinders have an internal sample agitation system.

It is of the utmost importance that the sample be agitated while measuring the pressure
changes as no agitation will result in a lack of sharp compressibility change and
therefore in arbitrary bubble point measurement with an error which could be as much
as 50%. It will also affect the reproduction of the pressure curve and therefore the
validity of comparing a duplicate sample.

The pressure-volume plot below is of a bottomhole oil sample. The pressure is recorded
together with the cumulative volume of water that was displaced from the sample bottle
at each step. No agitation of the sample was performed.

4000

3500

3000

2500
Pressure (psig)

2000

1500

1000

500

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65
3

Determination of Bubble Point Pressure - Without Sample Agitation.

The pressure volume plot below corresponds to the same procedure except that the
sample was mixed for several minutes at each step so that the sample could reach a
reasonably stable equilibrium.

Reservoir Fluid Sampling & Analysis . 3/14

 Oilphase
RESERVOIR FLUID SAMPLING Bottomhole Sampling
This oil sample example clearly shows how the lack of agitation can result in wrong and
arbitrary field apparent bubble point pressure estimation.

4000

3500

3000
Pressure (psig)

2500

2000

1500

1000

500

0
0 5 10 15 20 25
Volume of recovered oil (cm3

Determination of Bubble Point Pressure - With Sample Agitation

Validating Gas Condensate Samples

The dew point pressure of a gas condensate can not be measured by observing the
change in the fluid’s compressibility because the appearance of the first droplets of
condensate does not influence the value of the overall compressibility. For the time being
the determination of the saturation pressures of gases can only be performed in a fully
visual PVT cell back at the laboratory. For gas condensate samples, therefore, the quality
control is limited only to the comparison of the bottomhole sampler opening pressures
values.

On-Site Evaluation of BHS

Depending on the importance of the sampling and the time available at the wellsite a
more thorough evaluation can be performed on the samples than the “blind” QC tests
described above. This could involve:

• determination of bubble points @ Tres

• determination of GOR, liquid and gas densities & composition

• full FPE wellsite PVT analysis

• FFA liquid chromatography to fingerprint fluids and determination of oil-

based mud contamination.

Reservoir Fluid Sampling & Analysis . 4/14

 Oilphase
RESERVOIR FLUID SAMPLING Bottomhole Sampling

Bottomhole Samplers

Wireline conveyed bottomhole samplers, whether run on electric wireline or slickline, are
the most common and effective sampling tools because they can be:

• accurately positioned in front of or just above the perforations

• recovered for validation before abandoning the well

• be easily combined with P & T recorder gauges

• rerun if large or additional sample volumes are required

Nearly all the bottomhole samplers run today are of the “positive displacement” type,
which allows the sample to be transferred into a cylinder at surface without the use of
mercury.

These samplers are run in the hole closed and when they reach the sampling depth, they
are activated, either by a mechanical or electronic clock after a preset delay, or via a
signal sent from surface. Reservoir fluid then slowly displaces a piston into the sample
chamber at a constant reservoir pressure that is regulated by displacement of a clean
synthetic oil through a very small choke. When sampling is complete the tool is
automatically closed typically trapping a 600cc sample at Tres & Pres.

Single-phase Bottomhole Samplers

Conventional positive-displacement samplers almost always allow the formation of a
second hydrocarbon phase in the sample after the reservoir fluid has entered the tool.
This should be avoided, as the recombination of the phases prior to transfer cannot
always be achieved.

As these samplers are retrieved from the well, there is a pressure change in the sampled
fluid due to the drop in surrounding temperature. This pressure drop is the result of the
thermal contraction of the fluid in the fixed volume of the sample chamber.

The following example using typical values demonstrates the order of magnitude of the
expected pressure drop.

Example:
3 -3 -1
600 cm of an oil with thermal expansion factor of 0.75*10 F and isothermal
-6 -1 o
compressibility factor of 25*10 psia is trapped at 3890 psia and 220 F. The tool is
brought at the surface and before the sample is transferred it attains the temperature of
o
80 F. Calculations show that we would expect a contraction of the volume of the
chamber of 0.35% and a contraction of the volume of the oil of 9%. It is calculated that
the opening pressure of the sampler at the surface would be, depending on the oil’s
bubble point pressure, between 2000-2500 psia, i.e. well below the sampling bottom
hole pressure and very likely inside the two-phase region.

Reservoir Fluid Sampling & Analysis . 5/14

 Oilphase
RESERVOIR FLUID SAMPLING Bottomhole Sampling
A conventional sampler with diphasic fluid at the surface requires procedures to
recombine the sample into a single liquid phase by recompressing and agitating the
mixture before it is transferred to a transportation cylinder.

In addition, if in the live reservoir oil significant amounts of asphaltenes are in colloidal
suspension, the drop of the pressure below the fluid’s bubble point pressure can cause
irreversible flocculation of these macromolecules, which will then be left in the sample
chamber.

Single-phase Reservoir Sampler (SRS)

To address these problems the Single-phase Reservoir Sampler (SRS) was developed.
This tool has a special chamber containing nitrogen, which is used to pressure-
compensate the sample during recovery. The sample is kept monophasic by maintaining
it either above bubble point or reservoir pressure depending on the well conditions and
analysis requirements.

The attached diagram illustrates the SRS operating procedure.

FIGURE 1 FIGURE 2 FIGURE 3 FIGURE 4
Running Postion Start Sampling Complete Sampling and Pressure Compensation
Nitrogen charge on surface primes the pressure Regulator valve opened by clock
Close Chamber As closure is completed spool valve opens
compensating fluid Buffer fluid passes to air chamber Sample chamber full of reservoir fluid releasing pressure compensating fluid
Sample ports closed
Floating piston moved by ingress of reservoir Floating piston acts on closure device As tool is retreived temperature drops and
Mechanical clock sets opening time of regulator
fluid Fixed piston moves into sample chamber isolating sample shrinks
valve
the sample A preset pressure is maintained on the sample

Mechanical/ Mechanical locking device ensures tool cannot by the pressure compensating fluid
Electrical Clock reopen Preset pressure is determined by nitrogen
charge pressure prior to running

Air Chamber

Regulator Valve

Closure Device

Floating Piston
Sam pling Ports

Fixed Piston
Spool valve

Reservoir Fluid Buffer Fluid Pressure Nitrogen

Co mpensating Fluid

SRS Operating Procedure

The SRS is a very reliable tool and has now been run on over 2,500 occasions for over
60 operators with an average success rate of on 97%. The sampler is extremely robust
and has been successfully deployed in a wide range of hostile well environments.

Reservoir Fluid Sampling & Analysis . 6/14

 Oilphase
RESERVOIR FLUID SAMPLING Bottomhole Sampling

Total runs Successful runs Success rate

450 120%
421
411
401 388
400 379 95%
363 95% 98%
359 100%
345
350 98% 325 95%
94%
95%
308

300 80% 80%

273268
75%
256251
250
60%
200

150 129 40%

103
89
100
67
20%
50

0 0%
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998
C alendar Year

SRS Track Record up to 1998

The SRS sampling system is primarily a single-phase system with a conventional sampling
option. In every case, a single-phase sample is retrieved to surface whether it is a single-
phase or diphasic sample that is required at the PVT laboratory. If a conventional
diphasic sample is required for routine PVT then one simply transfers the sample into a
CSB allowing the sample to go diphasic after the transfer and performing a bubble point
determination in the field.

Transferring the sample to the SSB, the sample can be maintained at an elevated
pressure during transport to the PVT laboratory. The diagram below illustrates the
process and compares it to conventional samplers.

Reservoir Fluid Sampling & Analysis . 7/14

 Oilphase
RESERVOIR FLUID SAMPLING Bottomhole Sampling

Single-phase Reservoir Sampler Conventional Mercury-free Samplers

Time Time
(min)
Start Start
(min)

Retrieve the SRS Retrieve tool from

from the well. the well.

Rig-up SRS on Rig-up tool on

20 transfer bench & 20 transfer bench &
pressure test. pressure test.

No 60 Recombine the oil

Keep sample
to and gas in the
single-phase ?
180 tool.

Yes

Transfer sample to Transfer sample to Transfer sample to

20 a Single-phase 10 Conventional 10 Conventional
Sample Bottle. Sample Bottle. Sample Bottle.

30 Determine Pb &
Create shipping 30 Determine Pb &
to create shipping
20 regulations gas to create shipping
60 gas cap in sample.
cap with nitrogen. 60 gas cap in sample.

Finish Finish

Total 60 Total 60 to 90 Total 120 to 290

Comparison of SRS and Conventional BHS sample handling process

Please refer to attached SRS data sheet for additional technical information.

Reservoir Fluid Sampling & Analysis . 8/14

 Oilphase
RESERVOIR FLUID SAMPLING Bottomhole Sampling

SRS Applications

The SRS is a tool with universal application. In exploration well testing, where time is of
the essence and little is known of the reservoir fluid properties, the SRS provides an
attractive option with no risk of time being lost in sample recombination. This technology
has now become the standard requirement in North Sea well test operations.

Asphaltenes

One application is bottomhole sampling for asphaltene deposition analysis in oil.

Asphaltenes exist in colloidal suspension in crude oil and can cause severe processing
problems at any point from the formation to the refinery. They are often not detected at
the exploration and appraisal stage with very costly consequences during production.
The identification of asphaltene precipitation zones as a function of pressure and
temperature are of great interest to the reservoir engineer, but until now it was not
possible to take a bottomhole sample for analysis without loss of pressure and
irreversible asphaltene deposition in the sampling tool. Meaningful asphaltene
deposition analysis in oil is only achievable with a sample, which has been maintained
well above bubble point. It was this requirement which originally provided the thrust for
the SRS tool development.

Water Sampling

Another specific application is bottomhole sampling of water. The cooling effect as tools
are pulled out of the hole leads to a dramatic decrease in sampled water pressure in
conventional bottomhole sampling tools. Without pressure compensation, the sample
pressure on surface can drop virtually to zero allowing dissolved gases to be released. If
these released gases include CO2, this can lead to irreversible precipitation and changes
in pH which render the sample useless for laboratory analysis. The SRS system can keep
the water sample at a selected pressure all the way to the laboratory ensuring no gas
breakout and subsequent change in pH. An accurate pH from a representative downhole
water sample is important for prediction and control of scale and corrosion problems.

Heavy Oil

Recombining heavier crude’s in the field can be very difficult if not impossible and single-
phase sampling provides the answer. Operations have included downhole sampling a
7° API (60/60) oil with a downhole viscosity of over 35,000 cp in the Orinoco tar belt.
In this particular case it was the first time in 15 years of operating the field that a true
GOR, reservoir viscosity and bubble point had been measured.

Gas Condensates

The ability of the SRS to maintain the sample above dew point pressure has led to
sampling operations where the client was not able to obtain a representative sample by
any other means. Transfers of gas condensate samples are performed at Tres.

Reservoir Fluid Sampling & Analysis . 9/14

 Oilphase
RESERVOIR FLUID SAMPLING Bottomhole Sampling

High Pressure/High Temperature (HPHT) Bottomhole Sampling

The SRS has a strong track record in successfully obtaining bottomhole samples from
high pressure/high temperature reservoirs. A special feature of the SRS is the high
temperature mechanical clock, which has operated in the North Sea at 367 °F. The SRS
is a true 15,000 psi working pressure tool that is tested to 22,500 psi and
independently certified by Bureau Veritas as a pressure vessel.

Transfer Benches

Transfer benches are designed, as the name suggests, to transfer a sample from the
sampling chamber of the bottom hole sampler into a sample bottle that can safely be
shipped to the PVT laboratory. In order to maintain the quality of the transferred sample,
the transfer must be performed at constant pressure and in single phase above the
bubble point or dew point.
FIGURE 1 FIGURE 2 FIGURE 3 FIGURE 4
Rig Up Commence Transfer Complete Transfer Create Nitrogen
Gas Cap in SSB

SRS Sample SRS Sample

Chamber Chamber

Single-phase Single-phase
Sample Bottle (SSB) Sample Bottle (SSB)
Floating Piston

Agitation
Ring

Nitrogen Piston
SRS Nitrogen
Chamber Piston

Nitrogen
Piston

High Pressure Pump High Pressure Pump

Measuring Measuring
Cylinder Cylinder

Pressure
Reservo ir Fluid Com pensating Fluid Nitrogen Water/Glyco l

SRS Transfer Procedure to SSB

Transfer benches must have a validation manifold to enable a correct measurement of

the bubble point pressure after the transfer is completed. Modern transfer benches are
designed for use with mercury free systems. The Oilphase transfer bench is known as the
Field Transfer Unit (FTU) and the datasheet is attached with further technical information.

Reservoir Fluid Sampling & Analysis . 10/14

 Oilphase
RESERVOIR FLUID SAMPLING Bottomhole Sampling

750
0
Subdivision. 50
500 1000
0 0

250 1250
0 0
750
0 PSI
Subdivision. 50
0 1500
500 1000
0 0 0

250 1250
0 0

PSI
0 1500
0

Field Transfer Unit (FTU)

Sample Transfer

The sample cylinder into which the bottomhole sample is transferred should have a
capacity at least 10% greater than the sample volume to allow the creation of a gas cap
for shipping safety.

When the sample is transferred into a Conventional Sample Bottle (CSB) a gas cap is
created at the end of the bubble point determination by expanding the sample further
until the volume has increased overall by 10%.

When a sample is transferred into a Single-phase Sample Bottle (SSB) the gas cap is
created in a separate nitrogen chamber thus keeping the sample monophasic all the way
to the laboratory.

Due to its high compressibility, the natural gas cap or nitrogen will absorb any
expansion of the liquid phase that can be caused by exposure of the bottle to higher
temperatures during shipment and eliminate the risk of explosion.

Example :
3
Consider a 500 cm bottle full of a single phase oil exhibiting typical values of thermal
o
expansion and compressibility factors. A change of 30 C of the temperature of the bottle
can cause an increase in the pressure of the container in excess of 4500 psia!

Please refer to the attached CSB and SSB datasheets for further information.

Reservoir Fluid Sampling & Analysis . 11/14

 Oilphase
RESERVOIR FLUID SAMPLING Bottomhole Sampling

Non-reactive Reservoir Sampler

Trace elements such as H2S, mercury or mercaptans are known to react, with the
stainless steel walls of the sampling tools and transportation cylinders. Even after short
period of contact, a significant proportion can be adsorbed on the surface active points
of the metal and they will not be detected at the correct level in the laboratory analysis.

The Non-Reactive Reservoir Sampler (NRS) has been developed, with the assistance of
oil company research funding, to address this issue. Any SRS in the bottomhole sample
string can be converted into a Non-reactive Reservoir Sampler, by replacement of all
components in contact with the sample.

All sample wetted components in the NRS are constructed from materials and coatings
evaluated during an extensive testing project involving 3000 man-hours of testing. A
sample introduced into the tool with 40ppm of H2S can be recovered after a typical
bottomhole sampling cycle with a level of 38ppm. This compares with losses of 40% or
worse with normal tools constructed from untreated stainless steel.

Monophasic sampling avoids partitioning of trace components between phases and

allows controlled flashing of the sample to obtain accurate measurements of H2S in the
gas, oil and water phases.

This technology gives the operator the opportunity to avoid flowing the well for extensive
periods during well testing (as long as three days) in order to saturate the completion
and process equipment to obtain stabilised levels of H2S at surface.

100% 99%

95% 95% 95%

90%

80%

70%

63%
60%

50%

46%
43%
40% 40%

30%
0 1 4 8 15 Days

NRS Coated SRS Uncoated

Chamber Chamber

Comparison of H2S Sample Retention NRS vs. uncoated SRS Chamber

Please refer to NRS data sheet attached for further information.

Reservoir Fluid Sampling & Analysis . 12/14

 Oilphase
RESERVOIR FLUID SAMPLING Bottomhole Sampling

DST conveyed Sampling Tools

Tools have been available to capture samples and recover them with the DST string since
the introduction of DST. Their application has been generally limited to “quick and dirty”
sampling where the objective is to dump the sample at surface or only as a back up to
wireline BHS operations. Current tools such as the Fullbore Annular Sample Chamber
(FASC) are rarely used to recover “PVT Quality” samples because they have a reputation
of being difficult to transfer and handle in the laboratory because of their size. In
addition, to date, no DST conveyed samplers could pressure-compensate the sample.

However, the most significant weakness of DST samplers is that one does not know if a
representative sample has been recovered until after the well is killed and the DST string
is pulled out of the hole. It is then too late to recover the situation if the samples are
found to be unrepresentative

Most operators find this risk unacceptable. As long as it is safe and practical to run
wireline they prefer to recover samples on wireline BHS and validate the samples on
surface before abandoning the zone. With the collection of representative samples often
the primary objective of the well test, most petroleum engineers want the samples in their
hands before unsetting the packer.

On the other hand, there are several situations where some operators are reluctant to run
wireline bottomhole samplers. These include:

• in HP/HT wells for safety to avoid an high pressure wireline rig up

• in heavy oil wells because of difficulty in getting tools down through high
viscosity fluids

• in high H2S wells for safety to avoid release of gas during wireline rig up

• in deepwater where moving off location with wire in the hole is regarded
as high risk

• where company policy dictates wireline is to be avoided

• where there is a risk that the well is not properly conditioned for sampling

Reservoir Fluid Sampling & Analysis . 13/14

 Oilphase
RESERVOIR FLUID SAMPLING Bottomhole Sampling

SRS Sampler Carrier (SCAR-A)

The SCAR-A has been developed to offer a single-phase sampling alternative when
wireline bottomhole samplers are not run. Up to 6 SRS samplers can be installed in the 7
¾” O.D. sample carrier and run as a part of the DST string when testing in 9 5/8-inch
casing.

During the sampling flow, pressure pulses (IRIS) from surface activates the SRS samplers.
The IRIS operating system allows triggering samplers in any order, or simultaneously.

A rupture disc trigger for the samplers is also available, which is normally set to fire
between the annulus operating pressure of the tester valve and the reversing valve.

A 5.5” OD version is currently under development.

SRS Sampler Carrier (SCAR-A)

Reservoir Fluid Sampling & Analysis . 14/14