Material Balance Simulation

Group members: Faculty:

17BPE071-17BPE080 Dr. Uttam kumar Bhui
 Material balance equation(MBE)
• The material balance equation (MBE) has long been recognized
as one of the basic tools of reservoir engineers for interpreting
and predicting reservoir performance. The MBE, when properly
applied, can be used to:
• Estimate initial hydrocarbon volumes in
1 place

• Predict future reservoir performance

2
• Predict ultimate hydrocarbon recovery under
3 various types of primary driving mechanisms
 What is MBE?
• In its simplest form, the equation can be written on
volumetric basis as:
Initial volume = volume remaining + volume removed
• Volume occupied by initial oil in place = N Boi
where N = oil initially in place, STB
Boi = oil formation volume factor at initial
reservoir pressure pi, bbl/STB

Now define the ratio m as

Initial H-C volume of gas cap

m= -------------------------------------
Initial H-C volume of oil

• Pore Volume Occupied by the Gas in the Gas Cap

Volume of gas cap = m N Boi
• The total volume of the hydrocarbon system is then
given by:
• Initial oil volume + initial gas cap volume = (P.V) (1 -Swi)
• N Boi + m N Boi = (P.V) (1 - Swi)

Now let say we are taking some amount of production

• Pore Volume Occupied by the Remaining Oil
• Volume of the remaining oil = (N - Np) Bo
•
• where Np = cumulative oil production, STB
• Bo = oil formation volume factor at reservoir pressure p, bbl/STB
• Pore Volume Occupied by the Gas Cap at Reservoir Pressure p :
• Assume no gas is produced from gas cap so it will only expand due
to pressure decline

New volume of gas cap =

Pore Volume Occupied by the Evolved Solution Gas

Volume of evolved solution gas
= (Initial gas) – (volume of gas remaining in solution)--
(volume of gas produced)

= (N Rsi - (N - Np) Rs – Np Rp) Bg

• Np = cumulative oil produced, STB

• Rp = net cumulative produced gas-oil ratio, scf/STB
• Rs = current gas solubility factor, scf/STB
• Bg = current gas formation volume factor, bbl/scf
• Rsi = gas solubility at initial reservoir pressure, scf/STB
• Pore Volume Occupied by the Net Water Influx
• net water influx =We - Wp Bw
where We = cumulative water influx, bbl
Wp = cumulative water produced, STB
Bw = water formation volume factor,

Change in Pore Volume Due to Initial Water and Rock

Expansion:
The compressibility coefficient c which describes expansion
of the fluid or material with changing pressure is given by:
Connate water expansion = [(pore volume) Swi] cw ∆p

Expansion in connet water:

For rock expansion :

Total change in pore volume

∆p = change in reservoir pressure, (pi − p)

Cw = water compressibility coefficient, psi−1
m = ratio of the volume of the gas-cap gas to the reservoir oil
volume, bbl/bbl
Cf = Rock compressibility coefficient .psi-1
• Pore volume occupied by gas injection:
• = Ginj Bginj +Winj Bw

• According to material balance equation

• Initial volume = volume remaining + volume removed

equate both the sides and simplify it the we will get

The above relationship is referred to as the

material balance equation(MBE).
• Introducing two phase formation volume factor
Bt = Bo + (Rsi -Rs) Bg
• with the parameter A as defined by:
• A = Np [Bt + (Rp -Rsi) Bg]

• DDI + SDI + WDI + EDI = 1.0

• DDI: depletion drive index

• SDI: solution drive index
• WDI: water drive index
• EDI: Liquid and rock expansion drive
 Driving Forces
Depletion drive: In this oil recovery mechanism wherein
production is accomplished by expansion of original oil
volume with all its gas dissolved.
Segregation (gas cap) drive: In this mechanism,
production is accomlished by free expansion of original
free gas cap.
Water drive: In this mechanism, production is
accomlished by net encroachment of water into oil
zone. Effective water drive results in max. oil recovery.
Expansion drive: For undersaturated oil reservoirs with
no water influx,the principal energy source is a result of
rock and grain expansion.
 The MBE as an Equation of a Straight Line
• Rearranging the MBE
F Eo

Ef,w
Eg
• If no water and gas Injection is considered

In this equation
• F represents the underground withdrawal
• Eo describes the expansion of oil and its originally dissolved
gas
• Eg is the term describing the expansion of the gas-cap gas
• Ef,w represents the expansion of the initial water and the
reduction in the pore volume
 Case 1. Volumetric Undersaturated-Oil Reservoirs

• Linear form of MBE

Here
We = 0, since the reservoir is volumetric
• m = 0, since the reservoir is undersaturated
• Rs = Rsi = Rp, since all produced gas is dissolved in the oil
Applying the above conditions on Equation :
F = N (Eo + Ef,w)
A linear plot of the underground withdrawal F versus (Eo + Ef,w)
indicates that the field is producing under volumetric
performance, i.e., no water influx, and strictly by pressure
depletion and fluid expansion.
On the other hand, a nonlinear plot indicates that the reservoir
should be characterized as a water-drive reservoir.

Strong water drive

Weak water drive

Volumetric reservoir
 Case 2. Volumetric Saturated-Oil Reservoirs

• An oil reservoir that originally exists at its bubble-point pressure

is referred to as a saturated oil reservoir
• Assuming that the water and rock expansion term Ef,w is
negligible in comparison with the expansion of solution gas
• no initial gas cap, so m=0
• F= N( Eo + mEg + Efw)+WeBw

• This will reduced to

• F= NEo
 Case 3. Gas-Cap-Drive Reservoirs
• Assuming that the natural water influx is negligible (We = 0)
and the effect of water and pore compressibilities can be
considered negligible.

• F= N( Eo + mEg + Efw)+WeBw
• This will reduced to : F = N [Eo + m Eg]
• There are three possible unknown in above equation :

• 1. N is unknown, m is known
• 2. m is unknown, N is known
• 3. N and m are unknown
• a. Unknown N, known m:
a plot of F versus (Eo + m Eg) on a Cartesian scale
would produce a straight line through the origin with a
slope of N
• b. Unknown m, known N:
• F= N(Eo+ mEg)
• Rearranging above equation to :
• (F/N- Eo) = mEg
The slope of graph F/N-Eo vs Eg gives the value of
m

.
C. N and m are Unknown:

F= N(Eo+ mEg)
Rearranging it F/Eo = N+ mN ( Eg/Eo)
A plot of F/Eo vs (Eg/Eo) should then be linear with
intercept N and slope mN.
 Case 4. Water-Drive Reservoirs

• The full MBE can be expressed again as:

• For a water drive reservoir with no gas cap Water influx helps to
maintain pressure, so Eg and Ef,w can be neglected.
• Therefore, F = NEo + We
• and
……(1)
• Assume that the water influx could be properly described
using the simple pot aquifer model
• We = (cw + cf) Wi f (pi − p)
• Where cw = aquifer water compressibility, psi−1
cf = aquifer rock compressibility, psi−1
Wi = initial volume of water in the aquifer, bbl
• Since these properties are seldom available it is
convenient to combine these properties and treated as one
unknown K.
• We = K ∆p
• Therefore, from 1
A plot of the term (F/Eo) as a function of (∆p/Eo) would
yield a straight line with an intercept of N and slope of
K,
 Material balance for gas reservoir
• Material balance equation for both oil as well as gas can be
written as
• Straight line representation of this equation
 Case 1 : Dry gas reservoir
• There is no hydrocarbon liquid phase present in dry gas
reservoir so Nfoi =0 and there is no volatile liquid
present so Rvi = Rv =0
• So the straight line MBE
• The last term is often neglected because gas has higher
compressibility than rock.
• Since the reservoir is volumetric aquifer influx is also negligible

• So plot of GpBg Vs (Bg-Bgi) Will be straight line and slope= Gfgi

• The gas formation volume factor

• Substitute it in above equation

• Similarly by plotting a graph an intercept at x axis will give Gfgi

 Case 2: Gas condensate
• As like dry gas reservoir there is no liquid hydrocarbon phase
present so Nfoi =0 but some extra terms appear because
volatile components are present.
• Therefore MBE
• If gas condensate reservoir with water drive The
equation can be rearranged like this

• So the graph of (F/Eg+BgiEfw) Vs (1/Eg+BgiEfw ) can

be plotted
• Slope: Water influx
• Intercept: Initial gas saturation Gfgi
 Basic Assumptions in MBE.
• The material balance equation calculation is based on changes in
reservoir conditions over discrete periods of time during the
production history.
The basic assumptions in the material balance equation (MBE) are as Follows:

1) Constant Temperature: Pressure-volume changes in the

reservoir are assumed to occur without any temperature
changes.
2) Pressure Equilibrium: All parts of the reservoir have the
same pressure and fluid properties are therefore constant throughout
It is assumed that the PVT samples or data sets represent the
actual fluid compositions. The vast majority of material
balances assume that differential depletion data represent reservoir
flow and that separator flash data may be used to correct for the
wellbore transition to surface conditions.
• Constant Reservoir Volume: Reservoir volume is
assumed to be constant except for those conditions of rock and
water expansion or water influx that are specifically considered in
the equation. The constant volume assumption is also related to
an area of interest to which the equation is applied.
• Reliable production data:All production data should be
recorded with respect to the same time period. There are
essentially three types of production data that must be recorded in
order to use the MBE in performing reliable reservoir calculations.
» Oil production data.
» Gas production data.
» The water production term.
 Application of material balance equation
• Estimation of contributing hydrocarbon volume in
place
• Estimation Gas cap or aquifer size
• Determine presence, type and size of an aquifer.
• Future reservoir performance prediction ( predict
reservoir pressure for given production or injection
schedule.)
• Predict ultimate hydrocarbon recovery under various
types of drive mechanism.
• We can see how pressure is declining and additional
support is required or not.
 Information (Data) required for material
balance calculation:
• The initial reservoir pressure and the average reservoir
pressure at successive
intervals after the start of production
• The stock tank barrels of oil produced, measured at 1 atm
and 60 degree F, at any time
or during any production interval
• The total SCF of gas produced. (The amount of injected gas
will be deducted in
case of gas injection)
• The ratio of the initial gas cap volume to the initial oil volume
• The gas and oil volume factors and the solution gas-oil ratio
• The quantity of water that has been produced
• The quantity of water that has been encroached into the
reservoir from aquifer
 References
 Ch. 11, Reservoir engineering handbook by Tarek
Ahmed.
 Ch.3, Fundamentals of reservoir engineering by L.P
Dake
THANK YOU!!!