PROPERTIES OF PETROLEUM RESERVOIR FLUIDS

References

E.J. Burcik. 1957. Properties of petroleum reservoirs fluids. John Wiley & sons, inc. London

Hydrocarbons
From point of view of chemistry Hydrocarbons are compounds formed by two elements only, hydrogen and carbon. Because of their different molecular structures, they have different chemical and physical properties. One of the main characteristic of hydrocarbons consists in their ability to oxidize quickly releasing a large quantity of thermal energy. For petroleum engineers

Petroleum oil and natural gas are themselves often referred to as "hydrocarbons. However they often contain substantial amounts of nitrogen, sulfur, oxygen, trace metals, and other elements.

DEFINITIONS

C C3-C4 C5-C8 C13+

Dry gas (gaseous @ any p,T conditions) LPG: Liquefied Petroleum Gas Intermediate components or condensates Heavy fractions

Qualitative phase behavior of hydrocarbon systems

Single-Component Systems
Consider a single, pure fluid at a constant temperature, in a cylinder fitted with a frictionless piston.

p is the pressure applied on the piston pv is the vapor pressure of the liquid if p > pv p < pv p = pv @ equilibrium only liquid only vapor

Vapor and liquid

At a given temperature, the pressure determines the kind and number of phases that are present

Single-Component Systems
Pressure-Temperature diagram phase diagram
System behavior as a function of pressure and temperature, studied through PVT laboratory analysis.

p pc
Solid

C A

Lines

Liquid

AO: vapor pressure

OB: sublimation pressure

O B

Vapor

G Tc

OC:

melting points (slope positive for hydrocarbons, negative for water)

Points O: triple point. Pressure and temperature at which solid, liquid and vapor coexist under equilibrium conditions.

Single-Component Systems
A: critical point (pc, Tc). The intensive properties of the liquid and the vapor phases become identical and they are no longer distinguishable

Critical Temperature (Tc): temperature above which a vapor cannot be liquefied, regardless of the applied pressure.
Critical Pressure (pc): minimum pressure necessary for liquefaction of vapor at the critical temperature

Some definitions.. Intensive property (or bulk property): does not depend on the system size or the amount of material in the system. Example: density, viscosity, etc.. Extensive property: depends on the system size or the amount of material in the system. Example: mass, volume, etc..

Single-Component Systems
Pressure-volume diagram p D
T = const < Tc Phases AB: vapor BC: vapor + liquid (liquid and gas coexist at the vapor pressure)

pv

B A volume

CD: liquid

Points
B: dew point. Liquid begins to condense. C: bubble point. The system is all liquid except for an infinitesimal amount of vapor
In a single component system Vapor pressure = dew point pressure = bubble point pressure

Two-Component Systems
Pressure-volume diagram p D
T = const < Tc Phases AB: vapor BC: vapor + liquid (liquid and gas coexist)

pb pD

B
A

CD: liquid

Points PD: dew point. Pb: bubble point.

volume

In a two/multi-component system dew point pressure bubble point pressure

Two-Component Systems
Pressure-volume diagram

critical point

T1 T3 T2

volume
Critical point: is the point where the bubble point line and the dew point line meet

Multi-Component Systems
Pressure-Temperature diagram phase diagram
UNDERSATURATED OIL RESERVOIRS GAS- CONDENSATE RESERVOIRS
SINGLE PHASE GAS RESERVOIRS

Multi-Component Systems
Definitions.. Bubble Point: pressure at which the oil releases the first gas bubble Dew Point: pressure at which the gas releases the first oil drop Cricondentherm: highest temperature at which liquid can exist Critical Point: The intensive properties of the liquid and the gas phases become identical and they are no longer distinguishable

Hydrocarbons at Reservoir Conditions

Tr > Tcricondentherm E: Dry gas reservoirs Surface/transport conditions are outside the two phase envelope Tr > Tcricondentherm D: Wet gas reservoirs Surface/transport conditions are inside the two phase envelope

Hydrocarbons at Reservoir Conditions

C: Gas-condensate reservoirs A: Under-saturated oil reservoirs

B: Saturated oil reservoirs

Tc<Tr < Tcricondentherm

Tr<Tc

C.H. Whitson. M. R. Brule. 2000. Phase behavior. SPE Monograph Series. Richardson, Texas.

Hydrocarbons at Reservoir Conditions

Gas-condensate reservoirs

p pD

1 phase in reservoir

p pD

As the pressure decreases, liquid or condensate is formed. This happens until a limiting value of the pressure, after which further pressure reduction results in re-vaporization. The region in which this phenomenon takes place is called the retrograde condensation region, and reservoirs with this kind of behaviour are called retrograde condensate reservoirs.

Hydrocarbons at Reservoir Conditions

OIL

BLACK OIL
VOLATILE OIL

UNDERSATURED SATURED

GAS

DRY GAS CONDENSED GAS

Phase Envelopes

Single-Phase Reservoir Fluid

Mole composition & other properties of typical Single-Phase Reservoir Fluids

Component

Intermediate oil 48.83 2.75 1.93 1.60 1.15 1.59 42.15

Volatile oil 64.36 7.52 4.74 4.12 2.97 1.38 14.91

Gascondensate 87.07 4.39 2.29 1.74 0.83 0.60 3.80

Wet gas

Dry gas

CH4 C2H6 C3H8 C4H10 C5H12 C6H14 C7H16 +

95.85 2.67 0.34 0.52 0.08 0.12 0.42

86.67 7.77 2.95 1.73 0.88 Inf.

Mol. Wt. C7H16 + GOR, SCF/bbl API gravity Liquid colour

225 625 34.3 Greenish black

181 2000 50.1 Medium orange

120 18,200 60.8 Light straw

157 105,000 Water white

1.

Volumetric Relations

Liberated Gas

Pressure

Temperature Oil Oil Liberated gas Oil Expansion of previously liberated gas

Liberated gas

NORMAL CONDITIONS:
p=1 atm (14.69 psi)
T=0C (273.15 K)

Pres s ure

Termodynamic Conditions

Tempe Oil

STANDARD or STOCK TANK CONDITIONS:

p=1 atm (14.69 psi)

T=15C (288.15 K)

RESERVOIR CONDITIONS
Pressure Temperature

Viscosity

definition

Viscosity is friction within a fluid that results from the strength of molecule to molecule attractions. In other words it is a measure of the resistance of a fluid which is being deformed by either shear stress or extensional stress.

References
C.R. Fitts. 2002. Groundwater science. Academic Press. London, UK

Newton's Theory
Consider two flat plates separated by a thin film of fluid slide one plate laterally, the fluid resist shearing the faster you slide the plate, the grater the resistance
Vx = V

Vx = 0

dv F A dz

F = resisting force A = area of the fluid film V = velocity of the plate

= is known as the coefficient of viscosity, the viscosity, the dynamic

viscosity, or the Newtonian viscosity

Dynamic viscosity
Units

dv F A dz
SI Cgs - OF

m s N m
2

Pa s

Pa s (Pascal-second) P (poise) or cP (centipoise)

1 P = 1 gcm1s1

Conversions: 1 P = 10-1 kgm1s1 = 10-1 Pas 1 cP = 10-3 Pas = 1 mPas

Water at 20 C has a viscosity of 1.0020 cP.

Related parameter
kinematic viscosity

r
r
= dynamic viscosity = fluid density
SI Cgs - OF

Pa s m2 kg s 2 m

m2/s St (stokes) or cSt (centistoke)

Conversions: 1 stokes = 100 centistokes = 1 cm2 s1 = 0.0001 m2 s1. 1 centistokes = 1 mm2 s-1 = 10-6m2 s1 rarely used in petroleum engineering