RESERVOIR ENGINEERING CONCEPTS

GOALS

 Convey a global vision of reservoir engineering and its different links with other
sciences (geology, statistical geophysics, etc.).

 Convey the importance of the treatment and interpretation of indirect “DATA”

obtained from a medium that we cannot “TOUCH” or “SEE” directly, and that we
“IDEALIZE” through models.

WHAT IS RESERVOIR ENGINEERING?

Understanding the nature of ROCK – FLUID interactions in the reservoir.

Understanding the complex movement of fluids within the reservoir.
Development of a flow model for the reservoir, consistent with geological data; with
measurements of rock and fluid properties and with the characteristics of productive
behavior.
Predicting future recoveries.
Development of processes and methods to improve the recovery of hydrocarbons from
the reservoir.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE RESERVOIR ENGINEER.

A GOOD RESERVOIR ENGINEER SHOULD:

 Understand the geology and the geological process that generates the
reservoir.
 Be familiar with and master the principles of fluid mechanics and mathematical
methods required to solve fluid flow problems in porous media.
 Know the principles of thermodynamics.
 Have computer skills, English, mechanical and electrical aspects.

TYPICAL ACTIVITIES OF RESERVOIR ENGINEERING

  Determination of the petrophysical properties of the reservoir rock.
 Work together with geologists and geophysicists to develop reservoir studies.
 BM calculation to identify thrust mechanisms and in situ oil.
 Simulation of flow in the reservoir under complex displacement scenarios.
 Decision making in the reservoir management process.
 Design and analysis of new and advanced processes to improve oil recovery.

TECHNICAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE RESERVOIR ENGINEER

 Contribute, together with geologists and petrophysicists, to the determination of

the volume of hydrocarbons in situ. It is a shared activity.
 Determine the fraction of hydrocarbons that can be technically and
economically recovered. This is the reserve calculation.
 Estimation of the recovery factor or recovery efficiency is an activity purely of
the reservoir engineer.
 Make production forecasts, that is, give a time scale for oil recovery. With this
forecast and with the investment and expenditure aspects, the economic
evaluation of the projects will be carried out.
 Carry out day-to-day operational aspects of reservoir engineering throughout
the life of a project. Activities that will be developed during the delineation and
development stages of a field.

HISTORY OF THE OIL INDUSTRY

The beginning of the 19th century and the INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION were important
for the use of mineral fuels.
The first commercial well was completed in 1859 and marked the transition of oil
production and processing into a large industry in the United States.
The development of internal combustion engines allowed the growth of the use of oil as
fuel.
In 1990, oil and gas provided only 8% of energy. At the beginning of the 21st century,
the main source of energy comes from HC's.
This will continue for at least 50 more years and will probably continue into the late
2100s.

CURRENT EVENTS ON THE OIL INDUSTRY

 HYDROCARBON: Main source of energy. greater tendency to use gas.

 Need for oil in the country.
 Few discoveries.
 Increase and stabilization of crude oil prices.
 Technological advances.
 Culture of quality and environmental control.
RESERVOIR MANAGEMENT

Judicious use of available reservoirs (human, technological and financial) to maximize

the benefits from a reservoir while minimizing capital investments and operating
expenses, preserving the environment.

MAXIMIZE REVENUE REDUCE COSTS

SYNERGY INTEGRATION

SYNERGY

Concurrence of energies, forces, actions. Competition of several organs to

perform a function.
 INTEGRATION

State of organization for conflict liberation. Solution to contradictory trends.

TEAMWORK

ELEMENTS TO MANAGE A FIELD

 Knowledge of the system to be managed.

 Know the company environment.
 Know the technology available.

SYSTEM KNOWLEDGE

 Static reservoir characterization.

 Dynamic behavior of the reservoir.
 History of the field.
STATIC CHARACTERIZATION

DYNAMIC BEHAVIOR OF THE RESERVOIR

FIELD HISTORY

History of Drilling, completion, repairs, fluids produced.

SYSTEM ENVIRONMENT
  Contracts, commitments.
 Crude oil prices, costs, market.
 Environment, safety.
 Resources: financial, personnel.

TECHNOLOGY

 Technological advances, tools.

 Records, 3D, 4D seismic.
 New procedures, data management.

PROCESS OF MANAGING A DEPOSIT

 Establish the strategy.

 Study and definition of the exploitation plan.
 Implementation.
 Monitoring and tracking.
 Assessment.
 Redefinition of the exploitation plan.
THE LIFE OF A RESERVOIR

WHAT IS OIL?

GENERAL COMPOSITION OF OIL

Petroleum is a mixture of hydrocarbons that occur naturally in the subsoil. They can
exist in solid, liquid and gaseous states, depending on P and T.

Chemically it is composed of 11 – 13% by weight of H and 84 – 87% by weight of C.

impurities: O 2 , SO 2 , N 2 , He.

The molecular constitution of oils varies greatly. Approximately 18 series of

hydrocarbons are recognized.

Hydrocarbons: gaseous, bituminous, waxy.

Color, refractive index, odor, density, boiling point, freezing point, flash point, viscosity.

Density (specific gravity) and viscosity are used to classify liquid oils.

DENSITY

 Sp-gr = Liquid density/water density, P and T.

 Sp-gr: 0.75 – 1.01

 Baume type scale. API. It relates Sp-Gr to a density model called API
GRAVITY.

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF HYDROCARBONS

 GRAVITY api > 10 FOR Sp-Gr < 1.

  Liquid density = f(P,T). It is necessary to designate standard conditions for
reporting Sp-Gr and API values.
 Standard conditions: atmospheric pressure and 60ºF

 Extra heavy oil: API < 10

 Heavy oil: API 10 – 22.3
 Medium: API 22.4 – 31.1
 Lightweight: API > 31.1

GOO

Oil ranges from 0.3 centipoise for gas-saturated oils at reservoir conditions to 1000
centipoise for gas-free oils at atmospheric conditions.

Viscosities reported in terms of the creep time in seconds, of a known volume of liquid
through a standard orifice. The times reported depend on the instrument used, such as
Saybolt Universal, Saybolt Furol.

NATURAL GAS

Compound of hydrocarbons of the paraffinic series. 80 – 90% CH4 and C2h6

Other components are propane – decane and impurities such as CO2, N2, H2S
Gases are characterized by their gravity.
Gas gravity = Sp-Gr = gas density/air density P, TSC.
Gas gravity = gas molecular weight/air molecular weight (29)
The gravity of the gases varies 0.6 – 1.1
Molecular composition of the gas obtained by chromatography.

ORIGIN OF OIL

Petroleum is a mineral substance produced from the earth.

Oil and gas are contained in the pore space of reservoir rocks.
The most common rocks where oil is found are of the sedimentary type. Sandstones
and limestones.

Oil is found at depths from 50 – 21,000 feet

It is found in accumulations located under certain conditions of geological environment.

ORIGIN OF OIL
THEORIES:

INORGANIC: formed by chemical reactions, CO2 and water

ORGANIC: Pressure and temperature then caused other reactions and

polymerizations, forming the other components of oil.
Various information of geological origin (fossil remains of animals and plants have
always been found in oil fields) have meant that this theory was almost abandoned.
Large accumulations of oil and gas are found in sedimentary basins that are near
layers containing large amounts of organic matter.
This layer is known as bedrock or source rock.
RESERVOIR TRAP GEOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS

Being a liquid compound, its presence is not usually located in the place where it was
generated, but rather it has previously undergone a vertical or lateral movement,
filtering through porous rocks, sometimes a considerable distance, until finding an exit
to the exterior in which case part evaporates and part oxidizes when contacting the air,
with which the oil itself disappears – or until a non-porous rock is found that prevents it
from escaping. Then we talk about a deposit.
Oil is found at depths of 50 to 21,000 feet.
It is found in accumulations located under certain conditions of geological environment.
Oil is not distributed uniformly in the subsoil, at least four basic conditions must be
present for it to accumulate:

1.- There must be a permeable rock so that under pressure the oil can move
through the microscopic pores of the rock.

2.- The reservoir must behave like a trap, since the impermeable rocks must be
arranged in such a way that there are no lateral movements of hydrocarbon
leakage.

3.- The presence of an impermeable rock, which prevents the leakage of oil and
gas to the surface.
4.- There must be sufficient and necessary organic material to become oil due to
the effect of the pressure and temperature that predominates in the reservoir.
Structural traps are due to changes in the structure or architecture of the strata.
Tectonic forces break or fold originally horizontal layers, thereby creating
disruptions in layers or regions of high structural relief. In both cases, the oil that is
migrating through the layers upon reaching these obstructing deformations ceases
its migration and then begins the process of accumulation against the barrier or
trying to gain more height and thus we contemplate the birth of an oil field.
All oil that reaches the deformed zone does not continue its slow journey but rather
remains trapped and more and more oil is added to the reservoir, which can be
more or less large depending on the amount of oil that reached it and of the
magnitude and extent of the barrier or elevated area. which can be more or less
large depending on the amount of oil that reached it and the magnitude and
extension of the barrier or elevated area.
Stratigraphic traps are. The result of changes in rock type along a given layer and
are caused by the peculiar deposition of the sediments themselves and not by
deforming tectonic forces as in the case of structural traps. That said,
It is logical that the geologist's second problem is to locate the areas where those
traps we have talked about exist and then test them by drilling in order to know if
they really contain exploitable commercial deposits. This is how you will realize that
no one today in the 20th century can affirm whether there is positively oil in a
certain area; The only one that can verify it is the drill once it has reached the site
and carried out convincing tests.
DISTRIBUTION OF FLUIDS IN THE TRAPS:

The oil is gradually expelled from the source rocks by the weight of the sediments
deposited on top and also by pressure differences of tectonic origin. This oil thus
expelled concentrates in the pores or cavities or fractures of the rocks and begins
to migrate from the deepest parts of the basins towards the flanks. Oil always rises
to the highest possible point and in theory migrates to the surface, as happens in oil
springs, if barriers were not placed in its path.
Permeable rocks contain gas, oil and water
The forces of gravity and capillarity control the distribution of fluids in the reservoir.
Gravitational forces cause the densest fluids to occupy the lowest positions in the
reservoirs.
Capillary forces cause wetting fluids to rise into the pore spaces that hold non-
wetting fluids.
Water is a wetting fluid with respect to oil and gas. And oil is a wetting fluid with
respect to gas. Capillarity tends to counteract the force of gravity in the segregation
of fluids.
Before drilling the first wells, there is a balance between the forces of gravity and
capillarity.

CLASSIFICATION OF RESERVOIR ROCKS

Sandstones: compact quartz sands – fragments of rock crystals.

Limestone: silt skeletons hiding organisms clay containing diatomite and other
other microscopic plants gypsum/ anhydrite/ limestone chemical dissolution of
rocks followed by evaporation and crystallization.

IGNEOUS ROCKS: Volcanic origin some gas producing fields. Igneous rocks are
mostly indicative of the proximity of gas and oil reservoirs.

METAMORPHIC ROCKS: igneous or sedimentary rocks that underwent a type of

change due to chemical pressure and heat.
Quartz --------------------------- quartzite --------------------- --quartz schist
Clay ----------------------shale------------------slate------- -------shale
Generally unfavorable for oil and gas accumulations.

SEDIMENTARY ROCKS:

 CONGLOMERATES: oil fields in Pennsylvania, Texas and Oklahoma

 SANDSTONE SANDS: fields in California, Alberta, Gulf Coast and Texas.
 SHALE CLAYS: some fields in Santa Maria Basin, California and gas in
Kentucky
 LIMESTONE: many fields in Alberta, Middle East and Saudi Arabia.