OIL RESERVOIR

DRIVE MECHANISMS
Presented by :

Moklesur Rahman
Moupiya Mallick
Natra Kamal Hazarika
Nayan Jyoti Sabhapandit
Nishal Gohain
Parardha Sabhapandit.

4th SEMESTER, PETROLEUM ENGINEERING, DUIET

 INTRODUCTION
Each Reservoir is a unique combination of :
GEOMETRIC FORM GEOLOGICAL ROCK PROPERTIES

FLUID CHARACTERISTICS PRIMARY DRIVE MECHANISMS

Each Drive Mechanism has typical performance characteristics:

 ULTIMATE RECOVERY FACTOR

 PRESSURE DECLINE RATE

 GAS-OIL RATIO

 WATER PRODUCTION
 PRIMARY RECOVERY MECHANISMS
The term refers to the production of hydrocarbons from a reservoir without
the use of any process like fluid injection, to supplement the natural energy of
the reservoir.

SIX OIL RESERVOIR DRIVING MECHANISMS:

 ROCK & LIQUID EXPANSION DRIVE

 DEPLETION DRIVE

 GAS-CAP DRIVE

 WATER DRIVE

 GRAVITY DRAINAGE DRIVE

 COMBINATION DRIVE
 ROCK AND LIQUID EXPANSION DRIVE

 It exists in under saturated oil reservoir (i.e. Pr >Pb )

 The only materials present in an under saturated oil
reservoir are-
* Crude oil
* Connate water
* Rock
 As the reservoir pressure declines, the rock and fluids
expand due to their individual compressibilities.
 The reservoir rock compressibility is the result of two
factors:
• Expansion of the individual rock grains
• Formation compaction
 WELLBORE

ROCKS

ROCKS
ROCKS

FLUIDS

WELLBORE
ROCKS
ROCKS

ROCKS

Res. Pr Decreases  Rocks Expand  Pore Volume Reduces 

Fluids force out of the pore space to the wellbore WELLBORE
 PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS

 RESERVOIR PRESSURE : DECLINE RAPIDLY &

CONTINUOSLY

 GAS-OIL RATIO : REMAINS LOW & CONSTANT

 WATER PRODUCTION : NIL

 RECOVERY EFFICIENCY: 1 - 10 %, Average 3 %

 DEPLETION DRIVE MECHANISM :
 Also known as :

SOLUTION GAS DRIVE,

DISSOLVED GAS DRIVE &
INTERNAL GAS DRIVE

 Principal source of energy  Gas

liberation from the crude oil & the
subsequent expansion of the solution
gas as the reservoir pressure is
reduced.
Production data of a depletion drive
 PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS :

 RESERVOIR PRESSURE : DECLINE RAPIDLY & CONTINUOSLY

 GAS-OIL RATIO : FIRST LOW, THEN RISES TO

MAXIMUM & THEN DROPS

 WATER PRODUCTION : NIL

 RECOVERY EFFICIENCY : 5 - 35 %, Average 20 %

 GAS-CAP DRIVE MECHANISM
 It can be identified by the presence of a gas cap with
little or no water drive

 Due to the ability of the gas cap

to expand, these reservoirs are
characterized by a slow decline in
the reservoir pressure.

 The natural energy available to

produce crude oil comes from :
• Expansion of the gas-cap gas
• Expansion of the solution gas as it
is liberated
PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS :

DECLINE SLOWLY & CONTINUOSLY

RISES CONTINUOSLY IN UP DIP WELLS

NIL

20-40%, Average 25 %
 WATER DRIVE MECHANISM

 Many reservoirs are bounded by

water bearing rocks called
AQUIFERS

 The reservoir may be outcropped

at one or more places where it
may be replenished by surface
water as shown in the figure
 BOTTOM WATER occurs directly beneath the oil and EDGE WATER
occurs off the flanks of the structure at the edge of the oil as illustrated
in the figure

 WATER DRIVE is the result of water moving into the pore spaces
originally occupied by oil, replacing the oil and displacing it to the
producing wells
PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS :

REMAINS HIGH & IS SENSITIVE TO THE RATE

OF OIL, GAS & WATER PRODUCTION

REMAINS LOW IF THE PRESSURE IS

HIGH

DOWN DIP WELLS PRODUCE WATER

EARLY & WATER PRODUCTION
INCREASES
35-80%, Average 50 %
 GRAVITY DRAINAGE DRIVE MECHANISM
 This mechanism occurs as a
result of difference in
densities of the reservoir
fluid

 The fluids in petroleum

reservoirs have all been
subjected to the forces of
gravity, as evidenced by the
relative positions of the
fluids, i.e., gas on top, oil
underlying the gas and water
underlying oil as shown in
the figure

 If the reservoir fluids are in

equilibrium, then the gas-oil
& oil-water contacts should
be essentially horizontal
PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS :

DECLINES RAPIDLY & CONTINUOSLY

REMAINS HIGH IN UP DIP WELLS & LOW

IN DOWN DIP WELLS

ABSENT OR NEGLIGIBLE

40-80%, Average 60 %
 In operating a gravity-drainage reservoir, it is essential that the oil
saturation in the vicinity of the wellbore must be maintained as high as
possible

 There are two basic reasons for this requirement :

• A high oil saturation means a higher oil flow rate

• A high oil saturation means a lower gas flow rate

 In order to have maximum conservation of the reservoir gas in a gravity-

drainage mechanism, wells should be located as structurally low as
possible
 COMBINATION DRIVE MECHANISM

 This drive mechanism is most

commonly encountered where both
water & free gas are available in
some degree to displace the oil
towards the producing wells

 Here, two combinations of driving

force can be present :

• Depletion drive & a weak Water

drive
• Depletion drive with a small gas cap
& a weak Water drive
PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS :

DECLINE RAPIDLY

REMAINS LOW IN DOWN DIP WELLS

NEGLIGIBLE

DEPLETION DRIVE < % < WATER DRIVE

 CHARACTERISTIC COMPARISON TABLE
CHARACTERISTICS
SL. DRIVE RESRVOIR GAS-OIL WATER RECOVERY
NO. MECHANISMS PRESSURE RATIO PRODUCTION EFFICIENCY
1. Rock and liquid Decline rapidly Remains low & 1-10%
&
expansion constant Nil Average 3%
continuously
Decline rapidly First low, then rises 5-35%
2.
Depletion & to maximum & then
Nil
Average 20%
drive continuously drops

Decline slowly
Rises continuously 20-40%
&
3. Gas-cap drive in up dip wells Nil Average 25%
continuously
Remains high
Down dip wells
& is sensitive
produce water
to the rate of Remains low if the 35-80%
early & water
4. Water drive oil, gas & pressure is high Average 50%
production
water
increases
production
Decline rapidly Remains high in up
Gravity 40-80%
& dip wells & low in Absent or
5. drainage drive Average 60%
continuously down dip wells Negligible
Greater than
Combination Remains low in Depletion drive &
Decline rapidly
6. drive down dip wells Negligible less than Water
drive
 CONCLUSION

After studying the six driving mechanisms under

primary recovery, it is clear that each drive mechanism has
typical performance characteristics in terms of Ultimate
Oil Recovery, Pressure decline rate, Gas-oil ratio and
Water production. These driving mechanisms provide the
natural energy necessary for recovery of the oil from the
reservoir and without the use of any external processes
like fluid injection etc..
 SOURCES & REFERENCES

 Reservoir Engineering Handbook by

Tarek Ahmed

 INTERNET
OUR SPECIAL THANKS TO :

 Master Pranjit Borah, 4th semester, Petroleum

Engineering, DUIET

 Master Manas Kalita, 4th semester, Electronics &

Communication Engineering, DUIET

 Master Jyotirmoy Sharma, 2nd semester,

Mechanical Engineering, DUIET