INTRODUCTION
Reservoir Engineering
Course Outline
• Reservoir Rock Properties
• Pressure and Temperature Regimes
• Phase Behavior of Reservoir Fluids
• Reservoir Fluid Properties
• PVT Experiments
• Fluid Flow in Porous Media
• Reservoir Drive Mechanisms
• Material Balance Technique
• Natural Water Influx
• Decline Curve Analysis
• Principles of Waterflooding
Reservoir Eng. - Introduction 2
Petroleum System
• Elements: Source Rock, Reservoir Rock, Seal Rock, Overburden Rock
• Processes: Trap, Generation, Migration, Accumulation, Preservation
Reservoir Eng. - Introduction 3
The Reservoir
• The Reservoir: A subsurface geological formation, porous and
permeable, usually of sedimentary origin, that accumulates liquid
hydrocarbons or natural gas, in an structure or trap sealed by
impermeable rocks
Anticline
Trap Salt
Dome
Unconformity
Reservoir Eng. - Introduction 4
The Reservoir Fluids
• What is petroleum?
• Petroleum fluids are complex mixtures of naturally
occurring hydrocarbons which may exist in liquid or
gaseous phases, depending upon the pressure and
temperature conditions
• Some non-hydrocarbon components are usually present
• All petroleum is produced from the earth in either liquid or
gaseous form and the production is referred to either
CRUDE OIL or NATURAL GAS
• Hydrocarbon accumulations are always associated with the
presence of Formation Waters
Reservoir Eng. - Introduction 5
Reservoir Engineering
• The job of any reservoir engineer is to maximize production
from a field to obtain the best economic return. They are
where static meets dynamic, so are key to a Field
Development Plan
• To do this, the engineer must study the behavior and
characteristics of a petroleum reservoir to determine the
course of future development and production that will
maximize the profit taking into account uncertainty and risk
• Fluid properties, rock properties and reservoir fluids flow are
only a few of the concepts that a reservoir engineer must
understand to do the job right.
• Several reservoir engineering techniques and tools have
been developed over time to aid in reservoir characterization
and dynamic modeling
Reservoir Eng. - Introduction 6
Reservoir Engineering Tasks
• Contribute to Reservoir Characterization:
• Define data gathering programs
• Integration of data into Subsurface Static and Dynamic Models
• Identification of Reservoir Drive Mechanism
• Propose suitable recovery methods
• Generate Field Development Plan (FDP)
• Implement, update and monitor FDP´s
• Estimate and report reserves associated to these plans
Reservoir Eng. - Introduction 7
Reservoir Engineering Tools
• Volumetric Techniques, based on an integrated Static
model or reservoir maps: Deterministic and Probabilistic
• Incorporate G&G data (maps, logs, core, fluid contacts)
• Integrate Formation Pressure measurements, Well Test, Special Core
Analysis and Fluid Properties Studies
• Reservoir Performance Modeling:
• Analogy
• Analytical Methods
• Reservoir simulation models
Reservoir Eng. - Introduction 8
E&P Life Cycle
Change in recovery estimates and assessment methods over time
Analogy and Analytical Methods
Volumetric Production Trends
Reservoir Simulation and Material Balance
Reservoir Eng. - Introduction 9
Three Main Concepts
1. Material Balance:
▪ Mass is conserved
▪ What leaves the reservoir minus what is injected is the change in
mass in the reservoir
▪ Material Balance must be honored
2. Darcy´s Law for Fluid Flow
▪ Fluid flows in response to a pressure gradient
▪ The linear relationship between the pressure gradient and the flow
rate is Darcy´s Law
Source: Martin Blount: Imperial College Lectures in Petroleum Engineering, Vol.2, 2017
Reservoir Eng. - Introduction 10
Three Main Concepts
3. Look at all the data and have a coherent, consistent
understanding of the field
▪ Assess all data sources (geological, seismic, log and core analysis,
fluid properties combined with production data
▪ Incorporate all this data into model of the reservoir
▪ A model is not only a complicated computer realization of what the
field may be like but more a conceptual understanding of fluids
present, geological structure and production mechanism.
▪ “Too frequently, the time-consuming yet intellectually mundane task
of operating reservoir simulation software overwhelms the effort to
understand the field rationally…”
Source: Martin Blount: Imperial College Lectures in Petroleum Engineering, Vol.2, 2017
Reservoir Eng. - Introduction 11
