Ministry of higher education ‫وزارة التعليم العالي والبحث العلمي‬

Al-Farabi University College ‫كلية الفارابي الجامعة االهلية‬

Dep. Petroleum Engineering ‫قسم هندسة النفط‬

Reservoir Engineering Laboratory

Dr. Shamil Ibraheem Albassam

Experiment: PVT Analysis Test

By: Mustafa Ali Muklif

2019-2020

2020/06/22
Pressure volume temperature (PVT) analysis is the process of
determining the fluid behaviors and properties of oil and gas
samples from an existing well.
As with everything oil and gas related, the amount of time it
takes to extract the hydrocarbons from the subsurface geology
increases the cost of the well. Because oil and gas operators are
at the mercy of the commodities market, this increased cost
reduces the profit margin of the overall project.
Determining the properties of the oil and gas mixture in the
reservoir is vital to understanding how easily the hydrocarbons
are going to flow from the well in its current state and allows
the operator and its geologists to select the most cost-effective
extraction methods.

Defining Pressure Volume Temperature (PVT Analysis)

PVT analysis can be done at just about any stage in the
hydrocarbon extraction process, but obviously the greatest
gains
“…for a given fluid and pore size with a constant wetting, the
pressure required to force an air bubble through the pore is
inversely proportional to the size of the hole.”

Bubble Point
To understand the drive mechanics of the fluids in an oil well, a
test is performed to determine the bubble point of the sample
fluid. This test and the subsequent understanding of the bubble
test is a crucial component to understanding the characteristics
of the reservoir.
A bubble test communicates important information to the
geologist about the expected recovery of the oil in a well. If the
oil that will be recovered is undersaturated (containing very
little dissolved gas), only a small percentage of the oil is
recoverable without the use of some advanced recovery
method.
Flash Liberation
Flash liberation is a process involving a sudden pressure change
that causes the crude oil to quickly separate or “flash” into in
an oil and gas mixture.

Differential Liberation
In the differential liberation process, the gas that is liberated
from the liquid solution is continuously removed from the test
sample, as opposed to the flash liberation process that allows
the sample solution to reach equilibrium.

Reservoir to Surface Volume Relations

Determining the bubble point is only one step involved in a
thorough PVT analysis. Flash and differential liberation tests
yield three other important factors needed to determine the
relationship between reservoir to surface volume – oil
formation volume factor (Bo), gas formation volume factor
(Bg) and solution gas-oil ration (Rs).

Oil Formation Volume Factor (Bo)

Bο is the ratio of the volume of oil at reservoir conditions to
that of surface conditions. It is used to convert the flow rate of
oil at the surface to that of reservoir conditions.

Gas Formation Volume Factor (Bg)

Bg is the ratio of the volume of gas at the reservoir
temperature and pressure to the volume at the surface
temperature and pressure.
Solution Gas-Oil Ratio (Rs)
Rs is the amount of gas dissolved in the oil (or water) at any
pressure. It increases approximately linearly with pressure, and
it is a function of the oil (or water) and gas composition. A
heavy oil contains less dissolved gas than a light oil.
Compositional Analysis: The Real Goal of PVT Analysis
The reason any oil and gas company decides to drill a well is to
turn the project into an oil-producing asset. But the value of
the oil extracted from a single well is not the same as the value
of the oil produced from another.
The makeup of the oil, which can be determined from the
compositional analysis, is an important piece of the equation
that determines how profitable the play will be.
The compositional analysis will determine just how much of
each type of petroleum product can be produced from a single
barrel of oil from that well – how much gasoline, kerosene,
diesel, etc.
Each refinery is also set up to process only certain types of
crude oil. A light crude and a heavy crude have very different
processes, and therefore require different methods of refining.
While this may seem like a small logistical concern, the
difference in the composition of the crude oil a well produces
could be the difference in refining along the U.S. Gulf
Coast where refineries like heavy crude, or sending the oil to
the East Coast of the United States or Europe, where the
refineries prefer light sweet crude.
The key points for taking a good bottomhole sample are:

1- To make sure you take the right type of samples,

2- Ensure they are taken properly by experienced personnel,

3- Ensure all the relevant data applying to the samples are

recorded,

4- Take the samples at the most appropriate time, and

5- Take enough samples for all analyses and for multiple

validation to

check consistency.

Testing procedure:

1- Put the bottomhole oil sample into the PVT cell, at a

pressure at or above initial reservoir pressure.

2- The pressure is lowered using a mercury pump from initial

reservoir pressure to pressures below Saturation Pressure Ps
(bubble point pressure) , agitating the sample for a period of
time until it stabilizes.

3- At each pressure point, we have to take volume and pressure

readings.

4- At pressures below Ps, gas will liberate from solution, and

volume reading below Ps will be representing the total Oil +
Gas volume.

5- Few readings must be taken below Ps.

6- Draw a curve of the readings of P vs. V on a normal graph

paper. This curve will dictate the Saturation pressure of the
sample.
 P-V Curve
7000
107.15
6000 6000
108.1
5250 109.05
5000
4500 110.1
4000
3750 111.15
3000 3000
111.45
is Ps2700 2400 2250 2100 113.35
2000 1950
115.85
1000
118.95
0 122.3
105 110 115 120 125