Zakho University – Faculty of

Engineering

Production Engineering (I)

Department: Petroleum Engineering
Level: 4
Code: PRE03273
Year: 2023 - 2024
Module Leader: Salar Jaladet M.S Al-Sofi

Lecturer: Salar Jaladet M.S. Al-Sofi 1

Content
• Productivity Index.
• Inflow Performance Relationship (IPR).
• Inflow Performance Relationship Features.
• Inflow Performance Relationship Test.
• Outcomes of studying the Inflow Performance Relationship.
• Importance of Knowing Inflow Performance Relationship (Case studies).
• Factors Influence shape of Inflow Performance Relationship .
• Mathematical Examples.
• Limitation of Straight Inflow Performance Relationship .

Lecturer: Salar Jaladet M.S. Al-Sofi 2

Productivity Index
Productivity Index (PI), denoted by J. Productivity
Index is the ratio of the total liquid flow rate to the
pressure drawdown and could present as a plot of
Pwf versus q.

• It is a commonly used to measure the ability of the

well to produce (give fluids).
• The productivity index or PI is an algorithm that
represents the ability of a well to deliver fluids.
• PI is presented in STB/D/PSI, and it indicates the
amount of energy (pressure) required to produce a
barrel of fluid.

Lecturer: Salar Jaladet M.S. Al-Sofi 3

Productivity Index
• The producing pressure Pwf at the bottom of the well is known as the flowing BHP, and the
difference between this and the well's static pressure Ps is the drawdown;
• Drawdown = Ps – Pwf
• The productivity index is given by;

Lecturer: Salar Jaladet M.S. Al-Sofi 4

 Productivity Index
The Procedure of measuring Productivity Index which is
carried during a testing the well:
• Shut-In well until the static reservoir pressure is
reached.
• The well is then allowed to produce at a constant flow
rate and a stabilized bottom-hole flow pressure.
It is important to note that the productivity index is a valid
measure of the well productivity potential only if the well is
flowing at pseudo steady state conditions. Therefore, to
accurately measure the productivity index to a well, it is
essential that the well is allowed to flow at a constant flow
rate for enough time to reach the pseudo stead state The
Figure indicates that during the transient flow period, the
calculated values of the productivity index will vary
depending upon the time at which the measurements of
Pwf are made
Lecturer: Salar Jaladet M.S. Al-Sofi 5
 Productivity Index
• The productivity index can be numerically calculated by recognizing that J must be defined in terms of
semi steady-state flow conditions;

• Since most of the well life is spent at a flow regime that is approximating the pseudo steady-state, the
productivity index is a valuable methodology for predicting the future performance of wells. Further,
by monitoring the productivity index during the life of the a well, it is possible to determine if the well
has become damage due to completion , workover, production, injection operations, or mechanical
problems. If a measured J has unexpected decline, one of the indicated problems should be
investigated
Lecturer: Salar Jaladet M.S. Al-Sofi 6
Productivity Index
• The productivity index may vary from well to well because of the variation in thickness of the
reservoir; it is helpful to normalize the indices by dividing each by the thickness of the well. This is
defined as the specific productivity index (Js).

Eq. (1.4) indicates that the relationship between q and ∆p is a straight line passing through
the origin with a slope of J. Equation (1.4) Suggests that the inflow into a well is directly
proportional to the pressure drawdown and the constant of proportionality is the
productivity index.

Lecturer: Salar Jaladet M.S. Al-Sofi 7

 Productivity Index
Alternatively, Eq. (1.1) can be written as:

The above expression shows that the plot Pwf against q

is a straight line with a slope of (- 1/J) as shown
schematically in Figure (1-15). This graphical
representation of the relationship that exists between
the oil flow rate and bottom-hole flowing pressure is
called the Inflow Performance Relationship and referred
(IPR)

Lecturer: Salar Jaladet M.S. Al-Sofi 8

Inflow Performance Relationship.
The capacity of the reservoir to deliver fluids into a wellbore is known as Inflow, it can be affected
by factors such as:

• The level of natural energy in the reservoir (pressure and fluid type).
• The connectivity throughout the reservoir itself that allows the fluids to reach the wellbore.
• The efficiency with which it communicates with the wellbore.

Lecturer: Salar Jaladet M.S. Al-Sofi 9

IPR Features
Several important features of the straight-line IPR can
be seen in Figure:

• When Pwf equals average reservoir pressure, the flow

rate is zero due to the absence of any pressure
drawdown.
• Maximum rate of flow occurs when Pwf is zero. This
maximum rate is called Absolute Open Flow and
referred to as AOF. Although in practice this may not
be a condition at which the well can produce, it is a
useful definition that has widespread applications in
the petroleum industry, (comparing flow potential of
different wells in the field). The AOF is then calculated
by;

• The slope of the straight line equals the reciprocal of the productivity index
Lecturer: Salar Jaladet M.S. Al-Sofi 10
 Inflow Performance Test
The following stepwise procedure is for obtaining data in an IPR test:
1. Shut-In well for (24-72 hrs) to obtain pressure build up test.
2. With the recording pressure gauge on bottom, place the well on its lowest production rate and obtain
a flowing pressure recording. Time must be allowed for the production rate and flowing BHP to
stabilized. If possible, at least 48 hours should be allowed for each rate. (The well open to flow for
48hrs to reach the stabilized condition, pseudo steady state regime).
3. After that change, the well production rate for different values of rates and recorded the BHP for
each rate, allowing approximately 48 hrs to production (at least three values).
4. Plot IPR curve (q vs. pwf) on Cartesian paper.
5. Again, shut the well in and obtain a BHP buildup survey.

Lecturer: Salar Jaladet M.S. Al-Sofi 11

Outcomes of studying the IPR
The oil inflow performance relationship (IPR) is a critical aspect of petroleum engineering that
focuses on understanding the flow of oil from the reservoir into the wellbore. Studying the IPR can
lead to several outcomes, including:

• Optimal well design: By understanding the IPR, engineers can design wells that optimize oil
production.
• Reservoir management: Understanding the IPR is crucial for effective reservoir management.
Engineers can use IPR data to estimate the remaining reserves and optimize production rates.
• Improved well performance: By analyzing the IPR, engineers can identify potential issues in
the wellbore and improve well performance.
• Reduced operating costs: Studying the IPR can also lead to cost savings by improving the
efficiency of the production process.

Lecturer: Salar Jaladet M.S. Al-Sofi 12

Importance of Knowing IPR (Case Study 1)
An allowable production from a certain well = 50 bbl/day (only oil, zero water cut), to make the
allowable rate, a pump has been installed in the well. For the first few years of its life, the well has
produced 50 bbl/day. However, recently production has been less than the allowable. One of two
things has happened:

1. The reservoir (formation) is no longer capable of producing from the well 50 bbl/day.
2. There is some mechanical defect in the well's equipment resulting in a low lifting efficiency
(from the bottom of the well to the surface). To know the exact problem that cause the
reduction in production is to determine the well's IPR. The result might be either as shown in
below Figures

Lecturer: Salar Jaladet M.S. Al-Sofi 13

 Importance of Knowing IPR (Case Study 1)
• If the IPR were as illustrated in Figure (A),
the well's owner could be certain that no
amount of pump changing would result in a
production rate of 50 bbl/day and would
either have to become reconciled to a
below-allowable rate or else undertake a
formation-stimulation workover such as a
fracturing or an acidizing job.

• If, on the other hand, the IPR were as

illustrated in Figure (6B), the owner would
be reasonably sure that a mechanical
workover of the equipment in the well
would restore production to its allowable
rate.
Lecturer: Salar Jaladet M.S. Al-Sofi 14
Importance of Knowing IPR (Case Study 2)
• As a second example of the importance of knowing the IPR, suppose that a company has been
carrying out a formation-stimulation program on some of its wells and that to gauge the success
of this program, "before" and "after" production-rate, figures are used. Let the results on two
wells (both cutting zero water) be as follows:

Well Before treatment 1 week after treatment

A 60, flowing flowing 100
B 35, pumping 36, pumping

• The treatment would probably be accounted successful on well A and unsuccessful on well B. but while
this may in fact be true, insufficient evidence has been presented to warrant such a conclusion; the before
and after IPR`s of the well's might be as illustrated in below figures

Lecturer: Salar Jaladet M.S. Al-Sofi 15

 Importance of Knowing IPR (Case Study 2)
• The treatment has had no effect at all on the IPR of
well A; that is, the formation inflow performance
has not been improved in any way, so the
treatment was completely unsuccessful. The
production increase from 60 to 100 bbl/day was
fortuitous and might have been caused by the
treatment dislodging some tubing obstruction, by
different-sized tubing having been run into the hole
after the job or by a different choke having been
inserted in the flow line at the surface.

• On the other hand, the treatment on well B has increased the formation's potential considerably and was an undoubted
success. Why then were the before and after rates almost identical? There are several possible reasons such as the
pump might not have been properly seated after the treatment; the pump might have been damaged in some way when
it was pulled for the treatment to be undertaken; the producing GOR of the formation might have been increased by the
treatment, resulting in reduced pump efficiencies; or any other technical reasons.

Lecturer: Salar Jaladet M.S. Al-Sofi 16

 Factors Influencing Shape of IPR
• In oil reservoir, gas does not become free until BHP of formation reaches value less than bubble point
pressure value. Hence, at pressure below bubble point pressure gas start to liberate and become free. From
the radial- flow equation, the greater part of the pressure drop (from static pressure to flowing BHP) in a
producing formation occurs in the vicinity of wellbore (pressure drop is occurring within 20 ft of the wellbore).

• Suppose the flowing BHP at the well is below the bubble point of the oil. As oil moves in toward the well, the
pressure on it drops steadily, allowing gas to come out of solution. The free gas saturation in the vicinity of the
oil body steadily increases, and so the relative permeability to gas steadily increases at the expense of the
relative permeability to oil.

• The greater the drawdown, the higher the effect will be, so that it would be reasonable to expect the PI
(which depends on the effective oil permeability) to decrease and the producing GOR (which depends on the
effective gas permeability) to increase as the drawdown is increased. Such an argument leads to the
conclusion that a curved IPR, is to be expected whenever the flowing BHP is below the bubble-point pressure.
Last as long as the value of the flowing BHP remains above the saturation pressure, no free gas will be evolved
in the formation and the PI will remain constant; that is, the portion of the IPR applicable to values of the
flowing BHP higher than the saturation pressure will be a straight line.

Lecturer: Salar Jaladet M.S. Al-Sofi 17

 Example 1

A productivity test was conducted on a well. The test results indicate that the well can produce at a
stabilized flow rate of 110 STB/day and a bottomhole flowing pressure of 900 psi. After shutting the
well for 24 hours, the bottom-hole pressure reached a static value of 1300 psi.
Calculate:
• Productivity index
• AOF
• Oil flow rate at a bottom-hole flowing pressure of 600 psi
• Wellbore flowing pressure required to produce 250 STB/day

Lecturer: Salar Jaladet M.S. Al-Sofi 18

Important Nots

• Consider straight line IPR.

• Qo is on x-axis and Pwf is on y-axis .
• When Pwf = PR this is called reservoir static pressure, and no flow is observed because of no
draw down.
• AOF (Absolute Open Flow) = Qmax is observed at Pwf=0
• The slope of the straight line equals the reciprocal of the J (Slop = 1/J). J is the productivity
index = PI
• The straight –line formula is used for undersaturated reservoirs (i.e., single phase liquid flow ).

Lecturer: Salar Jaladet M.S. Al-Sofi 19

Solution

Lecturer: Salar Jaladet M.S. Al-Sofi 20

Example 2

An oil well is flowing at a production rate of 3800 STB/D. The bottom hole pressure was measured
to be 2450 psia. After shutting the well in for 24 hrs., the bottom hoe pressure reached a static
value of 4125 psia. Calculate the following:

• The productivity index of the well, J or PI.

• Absolute open flow potential (maximum flow rate).
• Oil rate for a wellbore pressure of 1500 psia.
• Wellbore pressure for oil rate of 5000 STB/D.

Draw the IPR Curve on Cartesian Coordinate paper, indicating the calculated quantities for the
original case.

Lecturer: Salar Jaladet M.S. Al-Sofi 21

Limitation of Straight IPR

• limitation on the straight line IPR is the assumption that oil is under saturated, that is only slightly
compressible. Obviously, this condition does not apply to gasses or saturated oil wells (which
evolve considerable amount of gas), both of which are highly compressible. The effect of
compressible gas and two face flow on IPR was observed in the 1920s and 1930s during field
testing. Instead of linear rate increase with pressure drawdown, it was observed that larger-than-
linear pressure drops where required to increase the rate. The rate pressure relation shows
curvature pronounced at higher rates. In terms of productivity index, J decreases With increasing
drawdown.

Lecturer: Salar Jaladet M.S. Al-Sofi 22