Introduction to

Well Testing

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Well Testing and Interpretation

• Introduction

• Well Testing Procedures and Hardware

• Examples of Typical Flow regimes

• Conclusions

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Description of a Well Test
pi

Pressure, p
t Dd
p BU
p Dd

p(t=0) t BU
Rate, q

drawdown build-up

Time, t

Drawdown : p  pi  p(t )

Build-up : p  p(t )  p( t  0)

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Well Test Objectives

• EXPLORATION WELL

• APPRAISAL WELL

• DEVELOPMENT WELL

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Well Test Objectives

• EXPLORATION
– Nature and rate of produced fluid
– Initial pressure
– Reservoir properties

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Well Test Objectives
• APPRAISAL
• Reservoir properties

• permeability
• heterogeneity
• reservoir boundaries
• Well productivity
• Fluid properties (sampling)

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Well Test Objectives
• DEVELOPMENT
• Reservoir properties
• drainage mechanism (permanent gauges)
• communication between wells
• Well productivity
• Average pressure

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Information obtained from Well Testing
• RESERVOIR DESCRIPTION
• Reservoir responses
• Reservoir in dynamic condition (flow lines are established)
• Large volume investigated (averaging)

– Results
• Permeability (horizontal k and vertical kv)
• Reservoir heterogeneities
– natural fractures,
– layering,
– change of characteristics.
• Pressure (initial pi and average p )
• Boundaries (distance and shape)
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Information obtained from Well Testing

• WELL DESCRIPTION
• Results
• Production potential
• productivity index PI,
• skin factor S

• Well geometry

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Interpretation Methodology

I S O
input system output

Inverse problem : O / I = S

Direct problem : I *S = O

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Input Data required for Well Test Analysis

• TEST DATA
• Flow rate (sequence of event)
• Bottom hole pressure

• WELL DATA
• Wellbore radius rw and geometry
• Depths (formation, gauges)

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Input Data required for Well Test Analysis

• RESERVOIR AND FLUID PARAMETER

– Formation thickness h (net)
– Porosity 
– Formation volume factor B
– Oil viscosity 
– Compressibility of oil co, water cw and formation
cf, water saturation Sw

ct  co 1  S w   cw S w  c f

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Types of Well Tests
• PROCEDURE

• Drawdown test
• Build-up test
• Injection test / fall-off test
• Interference test and pulse test
• Gas well test
• Flow after flow test,
• Isochronal test,
• Modified isochronal test

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Types of Well Tests
• COMPLETION

– Production test
– Drill stem test (DST)

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Test Sequence (oil well)

Pressure, p
Initial Build-up
shut-in
Rate, q Clean Variable Stabilized
up rate rate

Time, t
• Clean-up period (drilling and completion fluids, no measurement)
• Initial shut-in (pressure gauge at depth, initial pressure pi)
• Variable rate (start of rate measurement)
• Stabilized rate (main flow)
• Shut-in: build-up period

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Drill Stem Test
• ONSHORE
TESTING Flowhead
BOP Stack

Casing

Tubing

Test tool
Packer

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Drill Stem Test

• OFFSHORE TESTING
Fixed point at
Packer

Fixed Rig (100 m maximum)

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Drill Stem Test
DST STRINGS
• Open hole
– Open hole
packer

– Barefoot

– Zonal Isolation

• Cased hole

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Surface Equipment
• FLOW HEAD: flowing, killing, wireline
• CHOKE MANIFOLD: positive & adjustable
• HEATER: hydrates, high viscosity
• SEPARATOR: metering of three phases
• TANK: oil rate
• BURNER

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Surface Equipment
SURFACE SETUP

Flowhead
Burner
Choke
maniflod

Heater

Rig HP Gas
Gas
pump
manifold

Separator

Water Oil
Water Air
pump compressor Oil
Surge manifold
tank
Burner

Transfer pump

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Test Separator Gas

Effluent

Water Oil

• THREE PHASES: oil, water and gas

• RATE MEASUREMENT
• Oil and water: positive displacement
• Gas: orifice meter

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Down Hole Equipment

• PRESSURE GAUGES: memory or surface read out

• DOWN HOLE VALVE: DST, sampling
• BOTTOM HOLE SAMPLER: PVT analysis
• RFT, MDT: initial pressure, gradient & contacts,
permeability

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Safety

• EQUIPMENT: pressure, temperature, sour gas

• PROCEDURE: pressure test, emergency shut-down,
day / night, safe area
• ENVIRONMENT: burning, oil drop out

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Wellbore Storage


rw
r
pi

pw

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Wellbore Storage

Pressure, p tDd

pDd pBU
tBU

q Surface
Rate, q

q Sand Face

Time, t

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Wellbore Storage
C : wellbore storage coefficient
V
C  coVw (Bbl/psi)
p
with
co : fluid compressibility
Vw : wellbore volume

Vu
non-eruptive well: C
g

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Wellbore Storage
• Straight line on linear scale (at the beginning of
the response)
Pressure change, p

BS
W
m p 
qB
t
24C

Elapsed time, t

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Radial Flow Regime (infinite
homogeneous behavior)


 
 
  

p ri
rw r
pi

S=0
pwf

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Radial Flow Regime
(infinite homogeneous behavior)
p ri
rw r
pi

pwf(S=0) S>0
p skin
pwf(S>0)

pi

Pwf(S<0)
S<0
p skin
Pwf(S=0)

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Radial Flow Regime
(infinite homogeneous behavior)
kh
• SKIN: S pSkin
141.2qB

• DAMAGED WELL (S > 0): poor contact between the

well and the reservoir (mud-cake, insufficient perforation
density, partial penetration) or invaded zone
• STIMULATED WELL (S < 0): surface of contact
between the well and the reservoir increased (fracture,
horizontal well) or stimulated zone

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Radial Flow Regime
(infinite homogeneous behavior)
Radial steady state flow:
k
rs
ks rw

141.2qB r 141.2qB r
pw , S  pw , S  0  ln S  ln S
kS h rw kh rw
S
kh
 pw,S  pw,S 0    k  1 ln rS
141.2qB  kS  rw

Equivalent wellbore radius: rwe  rw e  S

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Radial Flow Regime
(infinite homogeneous behavior)
qB  k 
p  162.6  log t  log  3.23  0.87 S 
kh  ct rw
2


Pressure change, p
m
• Semi-log
straight p(1hr)
line

Log t

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Radial Flow Regime
(infinite homogeneous behavior)
• RESULTS:
1. the semi-log straight line slope m : the permeability k
qB
kh  162.6
m

2. the straight line intercept: the skin factor S

 p1 hr k 
S  1.151  log  3.23 
 m  ct rw
2


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Radial Flow Regime
(infinite homogeneous behavior)
6000
no skin

pressure, psi
- Low 4000
moderate skin

permeability 2000

0
0 10 20 30 40
time, hours

6000
- High high skin
pressure, psi

4000
permeability very high skin

2000

0
0 10 20 30 40
time, hours
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Radial Flow Regime
(infinite homogeneous behavior)
3000

pressure change, psi

moderate skin
- Low 2000

p skin
permeability 1000 no skin

0
0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10 100

time, hours
3000
pressure change, psi

- High 2000 p skin

very high skin

permeability 1000
high skin

0
0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10 100

time, hours

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Fractured Well: Linear Flow Regime
• INFINITE CONDUCTIVITY FRACTURE

xf

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Fractured Well: Linear Flow Regime
qB 
p  4.06 t
hx f ct k

Pressure change, p
• Straight line
with the m LF

pressure versus
the square root
of time

t

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Example
• SEMI-LOG ANALYSIS
3000
Flow rate : 1000 BOPD
Fluid Volume-Factor : 1.2000 vol/vol
2500
Fluid Viscosity :0.500E+00 CP
porosity : 25.0000 %
pressure change, psi

2000 net thickness : 30.000 FEET

well-bore radius :0.300E+00 FEET
Total Compres:0.185E-04 1/psi
1500
Straight line slope : m= psi/cycle
Straight line pressure at 1 hour : Dp(1hr)= psi
1000
Permeability thickness : kh = md.ft
Skin factor S=
500

0
1.00E-03 1.00E-02 1.00E-01 1.00E+00 1.00E+01 1.00E+02

time, hours

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Example
• SEMI-LOG ANALYSIS
1996/01/01-1000 : OIL
5500.

slope of the line = -256.673 PSI/cycle

R(inv) at 1.188 hr = 81.7 FEET
5000.

R(inv) at 22.63 hr = 356. FEET

prod. time=0. hr at rate=1000.000 STB/D
skin = 5.69
permeability = 12.7 MD
Perm-Thickness = 380. MD-FEET
4500.
P PSI
4000.

SLOPE
3500.
3000.

10 -3 10 -2 10 -1 10 0 10 1
Delta-T (hr)

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Closed Reservoir: Pseudo Steady
State Regime

re
rw r
pi

pw

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Closed Reservoir: Pseudo Steady State Regime


 
 

  

re
pi rw r

pw

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Closed Reservoir: Pseudo Steady
State Regime

re
pi rw r

pw

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Closed Reservoir: Pseudo Steady
State Regime
• Straight line on linear scale

pi
Pressure, p

p-

Time, t

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Closed Reservoir: Pseudo Steady State Regime

– At late time,

qB qB  A
p  0.234 t  162.6  log 2 
ct hA kh  rw

log C A   0.351  0.87 S 


– Result: the reservoir pore volume

qB
 hA  0.234
ct m *

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Well Responses
• FLOW REGIMES
– Geometry of the flow lines :
radial, linear, spherical, etc.

– Pressure : (t) = log t , t , 1 t

etc.

– Straight line on a specialized pressure versus time plot.

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Well Responses
• WELL RESPONSES
– Fractured well:
1. Linear
2. Radial

– Well in a channel:

1. Radial
2. Linear

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Build-up analysis
• Semi-log scale: Horner plot

4000
Pressure, psia

3750

3500

3250

3000
1 101 102 103 104
(tp + t) / t

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Type Curve analysis
• Log-log Scale
102
D , p

S ta rt o f s e m i-lo g ra d ia l flo w
C D e 2S
D im e n s io n le s s P re s s u re

10

1 0 -1
1 0 -1 1 10 102 103 104
D im e n s io n le s s tim e ,t D C D

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Derivative Analysis
• Well with wellbore storage & skin in a
homogeneous reservoir
1.0E+03

pressure
p and p', psi

1.0E+02

derivative
1.0E+01

1.0E+00
1.0E-03 1.0E-02 1.0E-01 1.0E+00 1.0E+01 1.0E+02

t, hours

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Derivative Analysis
• Well with wellbore storage & skin in a
homogeneous reservoir

102 1060
1050
1040
1030
Dimensionless pressure, pD

60
10 1020
50
10 1015
40
10 DAMAGED 1010
1030 108
106 104
10 60
10
1020
103 102
50 1015
10 NORMAL 10
Approximate 40 10
10
3 1
10 10 8 0.3
end of 30
10 10 6
ACIDIZED
wellbore 20
10 10 4
CD e 2S
storage 1015
3
10
2
10 10
1 8
10
10
10 3
6
10 1
4
0.3
10
3
10 CD e 2S
10-1
10-1 1 10 102 103 104 105

Dimensionless time, tD/CD

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Thanks

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