Reservoir Mechanisms

and Problem types

Reservoir Problem types

Reservoir water flow mechanisms
Displacement efficiency
Vertical sweep efficiency
Areal sweep efficiency

Good water, Bad water

Problem types
Well and facilities
Scale
2 WC Reservoir and
Problems
14-Jun-02

Displacement efficiency
Fraction of oil displaced
from rock swept with water
Oil available = (1 - Sor Swi)
Total oil = (1- Swi)
Not target for water control
Sor can be changed by
surfactant flood

3 WC Reservoir and
Problems
14-Jun-02

Sor

Swi

Areal sweep efficiency

Fraction of horizontal
section swept by water
Dependent on
Areal permeability
distribution
Permeability anisotropy
Deposition environment
Flood pattern
Fluid mobility

Limited target for water

control
4 WC Reservoir and
Problems
14-Jun-02

Five Spot Pattern

5 WC Reservoir and
Problems
14-Jun-02

Effect of Mobility Ratio

Breakthrough

M=1.4

65%

Breakthrough

M=0.4

6 WC Reservoir and
Problems
14-Jun-02

83%

WOR = 0.5

WOR = 2

70%

82%

WOR = 0.6

WOR = 4.7

87%

96%

Areal Sweep Efficiency

1

Ea at breakthrough

0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.1

7 WC Reservoir and
Problems
14-Jun-02

0.2

0.3

0.5

1
2
Mobility Ratio

10

Aerial Sweep Problems

Original oil water contact

Proposed injector

Proposed oil producers

8 WC Reservoir and
Problems
14-Jun-02

Vertical sweep efficiency

Fraction of vertical
section swept by water
Dependent on

Vertical permeability profile

Permeability contrast
Deposition environment
Gravity segregation
Fluid mobility

Prime target for water

control

9 WC Reservoir and
Problems
14-Jun-02

Homogeneous zone
Producer

10 WC Reservoir and
Problems
14-Jun-02

Producer

Injector

Discontinuous Zones
Injector

11 WC Reservoir and
Problems
14-Jun-02

Producer

Injector

Producer

Injector

Sandstone Geology

Vertical stacking

12 WC Reservoir and
Problems
14-Jun-02

Lateral stacking

Isolated stacking

Permeability Profile Brent

(9,000)
(9,100)

Depth, ft

(9,200)
(9,300)
(9,400)
(9,500)
(9,600)
(9,700)

13 WC Reservoir and
Problems
14-Jun-02

2
4
6
8 10
Permeability, Darcies

12

RFT Pressures
(9,000)

Depth, ft

(9,200)
(9,300)
(9,400)

ssure
oir pre
reserv
Initial

(9,100)

(9,500)

14 WC Reservoir and
Problems
14-Jun-02

Tarbut
Ness
Etive

(9,600)
(9,700)

Upper Jurassic

Rannoch
5,200
5,600
6,000
6,400
5,400
5,800
6,200
Pressure, psi

Favorable Permeability Profile

Sea level
Increasing
energy

Coarse
po
e
D

ion
t
i
s

Fine

Gamma

Perm

Injector

Oil
Producer

15 WC Reservoir and
Problems
14-Jun-02

Eros
ion

Unfavorable Permeability Profile

Water level

Coarse

Fine

ition
s
o
p
De

Gamma

Perm

Injector
Oil

Producer

16 WC Reservoir and
Problems
14-Jun-02

"Good" Water
Needs to be produced with oil
Cannot be shut-off without shutting off oil
Down-hole separation may be a solution

Injector

t1
t2
t3
t4
17 WC Reservoir and
Problems
14-Jun-02

Producer

Relative Permeability
relative permeability fraction

1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0

18 WC Reservoir and
Problems
14-Jun-02

0.2

Swi

0.4
0.6
0.8
Water saturation, fraction pore space

What Are The Water Problem

Types?

Simple
1
2

Complex
9
10

Good Water
Produced with hydrocarbon
Cannot be shut-off
without loosing hydrocarbon
19 WC Reservoir and
Problems
14-Jun-02

Tubing / Casing / Packer Leak

01
Leak in the wellbore

Detect with spinner

or temperature log
Solution case specific

Shut-off fluids

Leak

Matrix

Mechanical shut-off
20 WC Reservoir and
Problems
14-Jun-02

Near-Wellbore Flow

Problem in or near

wellbore
Poor cement
Cave due to
sanding
Channel in
formation
Solution is case

specific
Cement in channel
Gel in formation
Resin

21 WC Reservoir and
Problems
14-Jun-02

02

OWC moving up
Bottom water uniform

sweep
OWC move up
slowly
Low vertical
permeability
Solution

Abandon
perforations from
the bottom
Bridge plug
(through tubing)
22 WC Reservoir and

Problems
14-Jun-02

Cement plug

03

High Perm. Layer - No Crossflow

Vertical sweep

problem
Edge water

Water flood or
aquifer
Thief layer
High perm streak
Shut off layer

Producer or Injector
Mechanical or fluid
23 WC Reservoir and
Problems
14-Jun-02

04

Fissures to an Injector
05
Areal sweep problem

Rapid breakthrough
Test with tracers
Treat at injector

Use flowing gel

24 WC Reservoir and
Problems
14-Jun-02

Fissures to a Water Layer

Oil bypassed

Natural fissures
Hydraulic fracture
Fault
Water flow in
fissures
Oil in matrix
Treat producer

Flowing gel
Over displace
25 WC Reservoir and
Problems
14-Jun-02

06

Water Coning

Bottom water

Near oil/water
contact
Critical oil rate

Depends on Kv
Depends on gel
radius
Laterals
Treat with layer of gel

Near bottom
perforations
Large volumes
26 WC Reservoir and
Problems required
14-Jun-02

Long delay times

07

Poor Areal Sweep

Areal sweep

problem
Heterogeneous
Anisotropic
Sand channel
Fingering due to
mobility
Treat at injector

Polymer flood
Often not
economic

27 WC Reservoir and
Problems
14-Jun-02

08
Aquifer

Gravity
Segregated
Layer
Vertical sweep
problem
Edge water

Water flood or
Aquifer
One main zone
High vertical
permeability
Local coning
Laterals
Modify profile

Producer

28 WC Reservoir and
Problems
14-Jun-02

09

High Perm. Layer - with

Vertical sweep Crossflow
problem

Edge water

Water flood or
aquifer
Thief layer
High perm streak
Shut off layer

Deep gel
penetration
Difficult to place
Often not economic

29 WC Reservoir and
Problems
14-Jun-02

10

Which Reservoir?

30 WC Reservoir and
Problems
14-Jun-02