Well Test Analysis

The review of reservoir rock and fluid properties

(Oilfield Units)
Instructors:
Bui Tu An (PVU)
Huynh Thanh Tung (Schlumberger)
Nguyen Tuan Duong (VSP)

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Reservoir rock properties

Porosity
Saturation

Permeability
Pore volume Compressibility
Net Pay Thickness

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Porosity

pore volume

bulk volum e

Porosity is a measure of the capacity of the reservoir rock to

store fluids.
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Porosity
Symbol -

Units

Equations - fraction
Reports - % (or fraction)
Source

Logs, cores
Range or Typical Value

30%, unconsolidated well-sorted sandstone

20%, clean, well-sorted consolidated sandstone

8%, low permeability reservoir rock

0.5%, natural fracture porosity
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Porosity

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Saturation
Saturation is the fraction of pore volume occupied by a

particular fluid.

oil volume
So
pore volume
gas volume
Sg
pore volume
water volu me
Sw
pore volume

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Saturation
Units fraction or %

Source logs
Range or Typical Value

15 to 25% connate water saturation in well-sorted,

coarse sandstones
40 to 60% connate water saturation in poorly
sorted,
fine-grained,
shaly,
low-permeability
reservoir rock

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Saturation

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Permeability

Permeability is the measure of capacity

of rock to transmit fluid.

qL
k
Ap
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Permeability
Units: Darcy or millidarcy (D or mD)

Source: Well tests, core analysis

Range: 0.001 md - 10,000 md

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Pore volume Compressibility

Pore volume compressibility (formation compressibility

or rock compressibility) is the fractional change in

porosity due to unit change in pressure

1 V p 1 ln
cf

V p p p
p

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Pore volume Compressibility

Units psi-1, microsips (1 psip = 10-6 psi-1)

Source Lab measurement, correlation, guess

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Net Pay Thickness

The net pay thickness is the total thickness of all

productive layers in communication with the well.
h = h1 + h2 + h3
Shale
h1

Sand

h2

h3

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Net Pay Thickness

Symbol h

Units ft

Source logs

Range: 5 ft or even less - 1,000 ft or more

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Fluid Properties
Formation Volume Factor
Fluid Compressibility
Viscosity

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Formation Volume Factor

The formation volume factor is the volume of fluid at

reservoir conditions necessary to produce a unit

volume of fluid at surface conditions (stock tank).

Vres
B
Vst
Symbol Bo, Bg, Bw
Units res bbl/STB, res bbl/ Mscf
Source Lab measurements, correlations

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Formation Volume Factor

Range and typical values

Gas
0.5
5

res bbl/Mscf, at 680 psi

30
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res bbl/Mscf, at 9000 psi

res bbl/Mscf, at 115 psi

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Fluid Compressibility
Compressibility is the fractional change in volume due

to a unit change in pressure.

ln Vo
1 Vo
co

Vo p
p
ln Vw
1 Vw
cw

Vw p
p
ln Vg
1 Vg
cg

Vg p
p

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Fluid Compressibility
Units psi-1, microsips (1 microsip = 1x10-6 psi-1)
Source Lab measurements, correlations

Ideal gas
60x10-6 psi-1, at 9000 psi
1.5x10-3 psi-1, at 680 psi
9x10-3 psi-1, at 115 psi
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Viscosity
Viscosity is a measure of resistance to flow --

specifically, is defined as the rate of shear strain to the

applied shear stress within a fluid.
Symbols: o, g, w
v + dv

dy

v
F

dv
A
dy

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Other Properties

Two other variables used in well test

interpretation are neither rock nor fluid

properties:
The total compressibility
The wellbore radius

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Total Compressibility
The total compressibility defined reflects change of

both pore volume and fluid volume with change in

pressure.

c t c f Soco Sw c w Sgcg
Units
psi-1, microsips
Source
Calculated

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Wellbore Radius
Wellbore radius is the size of wellbore.
rw

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Wellbore Radius
Symbol

rw
Units

feet
Source

Bit diameter/2

Caliper log
Range or Typical Value

2 to 8 in.

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Exercise 1

List 4 objectives of well testing?

List as many as possible without referring to

the notes.

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Exercise 2
Define variables used in well testing
Define, give the units for, and name a common source for each of

the following variables used in well testing. Complete as much of

this exercise as possible before referring to the notes.
1.
Porosity
2.
Saturation
3.
Permeability
4.
Pore-Volum Compressibility
5.
Net sand thickness
6.
Formation volume factor
7.
Fluide Compressibility
8.
Viscosity
9.
Total Compressibility
10. Wellbore radius
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Exercise 3
Calculate total compressibility for undersaturated oil reservoir
(above the bubblepoint)
Sw = 17%, oil gravity = 27API,
Rso = 530 scf/STB, gas gravity = 0.85, Tf = 185F,

p = 3500 psi, cf = 3.610-6 psi-1

Tsep= 75F, psep = 115 psia
From fluid properties correlations,
pb

2803 psi

co

1.158 x 10-5 psi-1

cw

2.277 x 10-5 psi-1

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Exercise 4
Calculate total compressibility for saturated oil reservoir (below
the original bubblepoint)
Sw = 17%, Sg = 5%, oil gravity = 27API,
Rso = 530 scf/STB, gas gravity = 0.85, Tf = 185F,

p = 2000 psi, cf = 3.610-6 psi-1

Tsep = 75F, psep = 115 psia
From fluid properties correlations,
pb

2803 psi

co

1.429 x 10-4 psi-1

cg

5.251 x 10-4 psi-1

cw

4.995 x 10-6 psi-1

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Exercise 5
Calculate total compressibility for the following Lowpressure, high-permeability gas reservoir
Sw = 20%, gas gravity = 0.74, Tf = 125F, p = 125 psi,

cf = 3.610-6 psi-1, cw = 4 x 10-6 psi

From fluid properties correlations,
cg = 8.144 x 10-3 psi-1
cw = 4x10-6 psi-1

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Exercise 6
Calculate total compressibility for the following high
pressure, low permeability gas reservoir
Sw = 35%, gas gravity = 0.67, Tf = 270F,

p = 5,000 psi, cf = 2010-6 psi-1

From fluid properties correlations,

cg

cw =

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1.447 x 10-4 psi-1

3.512 x10-6 psi-1

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