?

Free gas becomes mobile

?Producing GOR increases steadily
?Fractional gas recovery exceeds fractional oil recovery
?Longest of all stages; typically consumes 85 to 95% of primary recovery
?Primary recovery may be terminated during this stage
Stage 4
?Reservoir pressure is very low, typically less than 100 to 400 psia
?Producing GOR decreases
?Primary recovery often terminated before this stage is realized
This chronology and these characteristics are an idealization and oversimplifica
tion of actual behavior; nevertheless, they are instructive and provide a prelim
inary basis for understanding scenarios that are more complicated.
Performance
To illustrate solution gas drive performance, tank model predictions of a west T
exas black-oil reservoir are presented. Though idealized, these simulations, whi
ch are from a commercial simulator, [1][2] capture the main features and establi
sh the theory of solution gas drives.
For the sake of simplicity, the simulations consider the depletion of only a sin
gle well in an 80-acre closed area. Table 1 summarizes some of the reservoir and
fluid properties. The simulations assume that the PVT parameters in Table 2 app
ly.

Table 1

Table 2
Fig. 1 shows the performance in terms of pressure, producing GOR, and gas satura
tion as a function of cumulative produced oil. The four stages of production are
depicted. During Stage 1, less than 1% of the OOIP is produced. The pressure de
creases from the initial pressure of 2,000 psia to the bubblepoint pressure of 1
,688 psia. The producing GOR remains constant and equal to the initial dissolved
GOR of 838 scf/STB; no free gas evolves.

Fig.1
Pressure (p), gas saturation (Sg). producing GOR (R), and cumulative produ
cing GOR (Rps) as a function of OOIP recovered for a solution gas drive, black o
il reservoir.

During Stage 2, the pressure falls below the bubblepoint; solution gas is libera
ted; and low, immobile gas saturations form. The cumulative oil recovery reaches
approximately 4.5% of the OOIP. The pressure decreases from the bubblepoint to
approximately 1,550 psia. The gas saturation increases to approximately 5% PV. T
he producing GOR actually decreases slightly, but this change is barely noticeab
le.
During Stage 3, the gas saturation increases to the point at which gas is mobile
. Free-gas production begins, and the producing GOR rises steadily. By the end o
f Stage 3, the cumulative oil recovery is 28% of the OOIP, the pressure has decr
eased to 200 psia, the gas saturation reaches approximately 35% PV, and the prod
ucing GOR reaches approximately 6,700 scf/STB.
During Stage 4, the pressure has reached such a low level that the expansion of
gas from reservoir to surface conditions is minimal. Consequently, the producing
GOR decreases. By the time the pressure reaches 50 psia, the GOR is only 2,000
scf/STB and the total oil recovery is 32% of the OOIP.
Fig. 2 shows reservoir performance as a function of time. This figure plots the
pressure, instantaneous producing GOR, cumulative producing GOR, gas saturation,
oil rate, gas rate, and fraction of OOIP and OGIP recovered as a function of ti
me. Stage 1 is very short and lasts less than one month. The oil and gas produci
ng rates and pressure decline sharply. The producing rates decline if the bottom
hole pressure (BHP) is restricted. The producing rates can remain constant, but
only if the minimum BHP is not yet reached.