Hydrocarbon Reserves

Volumetric Method
Prof Attia M. Attia

Contents
Calculating oil and gas in place by Volumetric
method
Calculation Unit Recovery from Volumetric
Gas Reservoirs
Calculation of Unit Recovery from Gas
Reservoirs under Water Drive
Recovery factor
Example

Petroleum Reservoir Engineering (Book) (Craft &Hawki

Volumetric Method
The volumetric method is probably the easiest method
one can use to estimate the reserves.
This method requires a limited amount of information,
and can be used even in the absence of the actual
drilling of a well. Obviously, if data can be collected
from a well, the volumetric estimates will be subject to
much less uncertainty than if no well data were
available.
In the absence of a drilled well, most of the parameters
are estimated by analogy, i.e., data based on geological
and geophysical inferences based on nearby wells.

Volumetric Estimate of
Oil Reserves
Original oil in place (OOIP)
N 7758 A H (1 S wi ) / B oi
Original oil reserves = Npa = N x Rf
Original solution gas in place = N x Rsi

 where Npa is the recoverable standard barrels

of oil from the reservoir,
Ah is the reservoir volume (typically product
of area times thickness) in acre-foot,
is the fractional porosity of the reservoir,
Swi is the fractional residual water saturation,
Boi is the formation volume factor in bbl/STB,
and
RF is the recovery factor which is a fraction.

Estimating Reservoir Bulk Volume

Reservoir volume is very difficult to determine and can
be subject to significant errors. If the well is to be
drilled on a required spacing, an obvious choice of
drainage area is the spacing of a unit. This may not be
true, but is often used as an approximation for defining
the area.
In addition to area, we also need the payzone
thickness, h, to determine the reservoir volume. If a
well has already been drilled, the payzone can be
defined based on the log data. In the absence of
information from a drilled well, information can be
inferred from nearby wells by creating contour maps
with respect to payzone thickness

 Another method one can use to estimate the

reservoir volume is by creating isopach maps.
These maps are the maps drawn at constant
depth of productive zones. The map shows
the area of oil bearing formation. These maps
are typically drawn at constant intervals.

 To calculate the reservoir volume, we can use

any of the standard numerical methods. For
example, if we use a trapezoidal rule, we can
calculate the volume, Ah, as,
Ah = 1 h A1 + 2A2 + .... + 2An 1 + An + tavg An
2

 where is the isopach map interval, A1 is the area

of deepest oil bearing zone, An is the area of the
shallowest oil bearing zone, and tavg is the
average thickness above the maximum thickness
isopach line. Another commonly applied
numerical method is the pyramidal rule.
Here, the volume between two successive
isopach contours is given by

1
Ah i = h Ai + Ai + 1 +
3

Ai Ai + 1 .

 In this case, we estimate the volume of the

reservoir by summing the volumes between all
successive isopach contours.
Sometimes the contour maps are not necessarily
circular and can exhibit twisted patterns.
A device called planimeter can be used to
measure the area at each contour level.
In modern times, computers are used to calculate
the areas, and hence volume, after drawing the
contour maps.

Example
The following data are read from a contour
map. It shows area as a function of the depth
of a production zone. Calculate the reservoir
volume using the trapezoidal rule.
Depth, Feet
2,900
2,925
2,950
2,975
3,000
3,025
3,050

Area, Acres
20
35
50
70
95
110
130

Average thickness above 2900 ft = 0

Solution
The interval over which area maps are drawn
is 25 feet, i.e., h = 25 feet. Using a trapezoidal
rule
Ah = 1 h A1 + 2A2 + .... + 2An 1 + An + tavg An
2
= 1 25 20 + 2 35 + 2 50 + 2 70 +2 95 +2 110 + 130
2
= 10875 acreft

Example
Geological contouring of a yet to be explored
region indicates that the drainage area of a
potential hydrocarbon reserves is 150 acres
and the payzone is expected to be 45 feet.
The porosity of nearby regions in the same
zone is 23% and the water saturation is 20%.
If the formation volume factor is assumed to
be 1.2 bbl/STB and the recovery factor is
estimated to be 0.19, calculate the potential
reserves from this project.

Solution
7758 Ah 1 Swi
NR =
RF
Boi
7758 150 45 0.23 1 0.2
=
0.19
1.2
= 1,525,611 STB
Potential reserves are 1,525,611 standard barrels

Gas Reservoirs
Gas reservoirs are hydrocarbon reservoirs that
contain dry gas (i.e., the methane mole fraction is
greater than 95%).
Behavior of these reservoirs is governed by the
gas equation of state and the material balance
equation.
Three quantitiespressure, volume, and
temperaturedefine the state of a gas. As we
mentioned, in most hydrocarbon reservoirs the
temperature is considered to be constant.

Volumetric Estimate of
Gas Reserves
Original gas in place (OGIP)

OGIP 7758Ah(1 Swi) / Bgi

Original gas reserves = OGIP x R.F.

Calculation Unit Recovery from

Volumetric Gas Reservoirs
One Acre Foot of Gas Reservoir at Initial Conditions Contains:

Rock Volume = 43,560 ( 1 - )

Water Volume = 43,560 Swi
Gas Volume = 43,560 ( 1 - Swi )

Initial gas-in-place per unit volume:

G = 43,560 ( 1 - Swi ) / Bgi

Unit Recovery from Volumetric Gas

Reservoirs (continued)
Gas-in-place per unit volume at abandonment:
Ga = 43,560 ( 1 - Swi ) / Bga

Unit Recovery G - Ga = Gr
= 43,560 ( 1 - Swi ) / Bgi
- 43,560 ( 1 - Swi ) / Bga
= 43,560 ( 1 - Swi ) ( 1/ Bgi - 1/ Bga)

Unit Recovery from Volumetric Gas

Reservoirs (continued)
Recovery Factor Gr / G

43,560 ( 1 - Swi ) ( 1/ Bgi - 1/ Bga)

43,560 ( 1 - Swi ) / Bgi

= 1 - Bgi / Bga

Calculation of Unit Recovery from Gas

Reservoirs under Water Drive
Initial gas-in-place per unit volume:
G = 43,560 ( 1 - Swi ) / Bgi
Connate water per unit volume:

43,560 ( Swi ) / Bgi

Gas-in-place per unit volume at abandonment:
Ga = 43,560 Sgr / Bga
Note that this assumes the entire volume has been swept with
water and that the term Sgr is the residual gas saturation.
Sgr is generally accepted to not change with pressure.

Unit Recovery from Water Drive Gas

Reservoirs (continued)
Recovery Factor Gr / G

1 - Swi

Bgi

Sgr

Bga

1 - Swi
Bgi

Example
Calculate the initial gas reserve of a 160-acre unit
of Xgas Field by volumetric depletion under
partial and complete water drive
Given : Area=160 acre h=40 ft
Average porosity= 22% - Connate water=0.23
Residual gas saturation afetr water displacement
= 0.34
Big @Pi 3250 psia = 188.0 SCF/Cuft
Bg @P 2500 psia = 150.0 SCF/Cuft
Bgi @P 500 psia = 27.6 SCF/Cuft

Solution
Pore volume
= 43560x0.22x160x40= 61.33x10^6 cuft
Initial gas in place
G1 = 61.33x10^6x(1-0.23)x188=8878MMSCF
Gas in place after volumetric depletion to
2500 psia
G2 =61.33x10^6x(1-0.23)x150=7084MMSCF

Gas in place after volumetric depletion to 500

psia
G3 =61.33x10^6x(1-0.23)x27.6=1303MMSCF
Gas in place after water invasion at 3250psia
G4 =61.33x10^6x0.34x188=3920MMSCF
Gas in place after water invasion at 2500psia
G5 =61.33x10^6x0.34x150=3128MMSCF

Initial reserve by depletion to 500 psia=

G1-G5= (8878-1303)x10^6= 7575 MMSCF
Initial reserve by water drive at 3250 psia
G1-G4= (8878-3920)x10^6= 4958 MMSCF
Initial reserve by water drive at 2500 psia=
(G1-G2)+(G2-G5)=(G1-G5)=
(8878- 3128)x10^6= 5650 MMSCF

Summary
OOIP = 7758 Ah (1 - Swi)/Boi
Original solution gas in place = N x Rsi

Oil reserves = OOIP x R.F.

OGIP = 7758 Ah (1 - Swi)/Bgi
Gas reserves = OGIP x R.F.
Remaining reserves = Reserves at original
conditions - cumulative production