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PGE 312 - SPRING 2006

Physical and Chemical Behavior of Petroleum Fluids I

Test #1, 50 Minutes

Solution Key

Problem 1 (25 points)

Write down the structural formulas of the 5 isomers of C6 H14 and name them according
to the IUPAC naming rules.

The 5 isomers of C6 H14 and their IUPAC names are:

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Problem 2 (25 points)

100 moles of a hydrocarbon mixture having the total composition of the mixture labeled
1 in Figure 1 is confined in a vessel maintained at a pressure of 500 psia and a
temperature of 160 F.

a. Calculate the moles of liquid in the vessel if any.

Method 1. Apply the Inverse Lever Rule by measuring the lengths of the tie lines.
n = 100 moles
nL L12 2.7cm
nL = = = = 0.3971
n L23 6.8cm
nL = n * nL = 100 * 0.3971 = 39.71 moles of liquid.

Method 2. Apply the Inverse Lever Rule by using the formula on the data sheet.
nL zi - yi Lzy
nL = = =
n xi - yi Lxy
From the ternary diagram, we get
�z1 � �
0.50 � �x1 � �
0.13� �y1 � �0.74�
�z �= �
0.15� � x �= �
0.17 � �y �= �
0.14�
�2 � � �, �2 � � �, �2 � � �
�
�z3 �
��0.35�
� ���x3 �
��0.70 �
� ���y3 �
��0.12�
� �

where subscript 1 is for methane, 2 is for propane and 3 is for n-pentane

Using the mole fractions of methane (subscript 1) in the equation gives
nL zi - yi 0.50 - 0.74
nL = = = = 0.3934
n xi - yi 0.13 - 0.74
nL = n * nL = 100 * 0.3934 = 39.34 moles of liquid.

b. Determine the composition of the gas in the vessel in mole fractions.

The equilibrium gas composition is read at the intersection of the tie line with the dew
point curve and is given by

�y1 � �
0.74 �
�y �= �
0.14 �
�2 � � �
�
�y3 �
��0.12 �
� �
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Figure 1. Ternary diagram of a mixture of methane, propane and normal pentane at 160
F and 500 psia.
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Problem 3 (25 points)

30 pounds of methane are held in a sealed container at 100 F. The volume of the
container is 2 cubic feet. The physical properties of methane are as follows:
Molecular weight = 16.043 lb mass/lb mole
Critical pressure = 666.4 psia
Critical specific volume = 0.0988 cu ft/lb mass
Critical temperature = -116.67 F

a. Calculate the volume of gas in the vessel if any.

We note that the temperature of the system, 100 F, far exceeds the critical temperature of
the methane, -116.67 F. Therefore, the methane exists as a supercritical gas. The volume
of gas in the vessel is equal to the volume of the vessel, which is 2 cubic feet.

b. Sketch the Pressure – Volume diagram for the methane at 100 F.

The P-V diagram for the methane at 100 F is the P-V diagram for a gas at a temperature
far greater than its critical temperature, which can be approximated by PV = a constant.
See the sketch below.
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Problem 4 (25 points)

A discovery well produced during testing 46.6 API stock-tank liquid with an initial gas
oil ratio of 2906 scf/STB. The stock-tank liquid was orange-brown.

a. How would you classify this reservoir fluid?

The API gravity of 46.6, the initial producing gas oil ratio of 2906 scf/STB and the
orange-brown color of the stock-tank liquid all point to a volatile oil. Therefore, I would
classify this reservoir fluid as a volatile oil.

b. Sketch the Pressure-Temperature diagram for this reservoir fluid. Your sketch
should match your classification in part a and should show the initial reservoir
conditions, the separator conditions and other important features of P-T diagrams
appropriately labeled.

We need to sketch the P-T diagram for a volatile oil. See Fig. 5-2 in McCain. The
important features of your sketch are:

The reservoir temperature is close to the critical temperature of the mixture.

The isovolume lines are crowded near the bubble point curve to indicate rapid
vaporization with reduction in pressure below the bubble point.
The separator conditions lie within the two-phase envelope.