Dynamic Data Analysis - v4.12.

03 - KAPPA 1988-2012

Chapter 5 Wellbore models - p167/558

5 Wellbore models
OH OSF DV

5.A

Introduction

Until we are able to beam the fluid directly from the pore space into the ship cargo bay we will
need to use this route called the wellbore. Wellbore effects are seen very differently,
depending where you stand:

For the Pressure Transient Analysts anything related to the wellbore is a nuisance. Wellbore
effects will spoil the early part of the pressure response, and may even persist throughout
the whole test or shut-in survey.
So to the PT-Analyst Wellbore Effects = BAD.

Production Analysts are a little luckier, because they work on a time scale where transient
effects are not that important, and addressing wellbore effects amounts to connecting a lift
curve. In fact, playing with the lift curves and implementing what if scenarios is part of
their jobs.
So to the Production Analyst Wellbore Effects = OK.

This Manichean split can be presented another way:

The steady-state component of wellbore effects is a key element of the well productivity. It
may be modeled using lift curves, or VLP curves, and this in turn requires flow correlations
that are present in both Production Logging and Well Performance Analysis, a.k.a. Nodal
Analysis (Trademark of Schlumberger).
Correction to datum may be either applied to the data in order to correct the real pressure
to sandface, or integrated in the model in order to simulate the pressure at gauge level.
Correction to datum and integration of VLP curves are detailed in the PTA (QA/QC) and the
Well Performance Analysis chapters of this book.

The transient component of wellbore effects often ruins the life of the PT-Analyst. The
action at the origin of a sequence of flow (opening and shut-in of a valve, change of a
choke) is occurring at a certain distance from the sandface, and any wellbore volume
between the operating point and the sandface acts as a cushion. This induces a delay
between what we want to see and what effectively occurs at the sandface.
In welltest operations, it is highly recommended to reduce this nuisance as much as
possible by means of downhole shut-in tools.
In Production Analysis it is not much of an issue, as transient wellbore effects occur at a
time scale of little interest for rate decline.

This chapter deals with the modeling of some of the simplest transient wellbore models,
and is mainly applicable to Pressure Transient Analysis only.

Dynamic Data Analysis - v4.12.03 - KAPPA 1988-2012

5.B

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Constant Wellbore storage

The simplest wellbore model is the constant wellbore storage

As introduced in the Theory chapter, the wellbore storage introduces a time delay between
the rate we impose at the operating point (typically the choke manifold at surface) and the
sandface rate. The wellbore storage equation was introduced in the Theory chapter:

qsf qB 24C

Wellbore storage equation:

pwf
t

Not surprisingly, the constant wellbore storage model assumes that the wellbore storage factor
C is constant. The below figure illustrates the behavior of the sandface rate during the opening
and shut-in of a well.

Fig. 5.B.1 Wellbore storage

5.B.1

Loglog analysis

Fig. 5.B.2 with various constant wellbore storage constants is illustrated below. Pure wellbore
storage is characterized by the merge of both Pressure and Bourdet Derivative curves on the
same unit slope.
At a point in time, and in the absence of any other interfering behaviors, the Derivative will
leave the unit slope and transit into a hump which will stabilize into the horizontal line
corresponding to Infirnite Acting Radial Flow. The form and the width of the hump is governed
by the parameter group Ce

2S

, where S is the Skin factor.

The horizontal position of the curve is only controlled by the wellbore storage coefficient C.
Taking a larger C will move the unit slope to the right, hence increase the time at which
wellbore storage will fade. More exactly, multiplying C by 10 will translate the curve to one log
cycle to the right.

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Fig. 5.B.2 Wellbore storage loglog response

5.B.2

Specialized analysis (Cartesian plot)

A unique slope on the loglog plot corresponds to a linearity of the pressure response on a
Cartesian plot. This Cartesian plot may show either P or P vs. t.
Below is shown a Cartesian plot of pressure versus time.

Fig. 5.B.3 Cartesian plot of pressure vs. elapsed time

The early time straight line corresponding to the pure wellbore storage is given by:
Wellbore Storage Straight line:

qB
t mt
24C

So one can get the wellbore storage constant with:

Specialized plot result:

qB
24m

Dynamic Data Analysis - v4.12.03 - KAPPA 1988-2012

5.B.3

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Sensitivity analysis on the wellbore storage coefficient

The figure below presents the response with wellbore storage values, C of 0.001, 0.003, 0.01,
0.03 and 0.1 (stb/psi).
The value of C has a major effect, which is actually exaggerated by the logarithmic time scale.
You can see on the linear history plot that all responses seem to be the same, however.
When the influence of wellbore storage is over both the pressure change and the derivative
merge together. Wellbore storage tends to masks infinite acting radial flow on a time that is
proportional to the value of C. Wellbore storage will also tend to mask other flow regimes that
can be present in a well test. Early time well responses such as linear, bi-linear, spherical and
hemispherical flow will disappear if the storage effect is considerable. Effects of heterogeneous
reservoirs can also be masked by wellbore storage. The wellbore storage effect on other well
and reservoir models are covered in the individual chapters of these models.
Wellbore storage does not affect the late time pseudo steady state response.

Fig. 5.B.4 Effect of wellbore storage, loglog plot

Fig. 5.B.5 Effect of wellbore storage, semilog and history plot

Dynamic Data Analysis - v4.12.03 - KAPPA 1988-2012

5.C

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Changing wellbore storage

The most frequent case of changing wellbore storage is related to the compressibility change
of the wellbore fluid.
A classic example is gas. When the well is flowing the pressure in the wellbore will decrease,
and the gas compressibility will increase. In this fixed volume this will result in an increase of
the wellbore storage parameter. The opposite will occur during the shut-in, where the increase
of pressure will result in a decrease of the wellbore storage. Though it occurs in any gas test,
this behavior will be visible, and become a nuisance, in the case of tight gas, where the high
pressure gradient in the formation results in a high pressure drop in the wellbore.
Another typical example is an oil well flowing above bubble point pressure in the reservoir. At a
stage (sometimes immediately) there will be a point in the wellbore above which the pressure
gets below bubble point. In this place the oil compressibility will be progressively dominated by
the compressibility of the produced gas, hence an increase of the wellbore storage which will
evolve in time.
In both cases, the wellbore storage will be increasing during the production and decreasing
during the shut-in.
Other sources of changing wellbore storage may be various PVT behaviors, change of
completion diameter of a rising or falling liquid level, phase redistribution, falling liquid level
during a fall-off, etc.
In some cases the wellbore effect will be so extreme that any modeling is hopeless. In this
case the engineer will focus on matching the derivative response after the wellbore effect has
faded, accepting that the early time response cannot be matched and may induce a
(cumulative) incorrect value of the skin factor.
There are three main ways today to model changing wellbore storage:

5.C.1

Analytical, time related wellbore storage

PVT correction using the pseudotime function and a constant storage value
Numerical, pressure dependent storage model

Analytical models

Most analytical formulations of changing wellbore storage involve an initial value of wellbore
storage Ci, a final value Cf, some assumption for a transition function (Hegeman, Fair, etc) and
a time at which this transition occurs. The main characteristic of these models is that the
transition occurs at a given value of t, and is NOT related to the value of the pressure.
The figures below illustrate increasing and decreasing wellbore storage as modeled by the
Hegeman model of changing wellbore storage.
The matching consists in setting the wellbore storage straight line on the FINAL value of
wellbore storage, pick a second position corresponding to the INITIAL value of storage, and
then pick the median time when the transition occurs. The initial model generation will seldom
match the response perfectly, but this model, combined with a robust nonlinear regression,
has the capacity to adjust to virtually any single trend early time response.

Dynamic Data Analysis - v4.12.03 - KAPPA 1988-2012

Fig. 5.C.1 Increasing storage

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Fig. 5.C.2 Decreasing storage

In practice, the Hegeman model is sharper and has more capabilities to match real data. This
is related to the choice of transition function and does not mean that this model is physically
better. Actually it does not mean that ANY of these models are correct, and they should be
used with care for the following reasons:

The models are just transfer functions that happen to be good at matching real data. There
is no physics behind them. They may end up with an initial, final storage and transition
time that makes no physical sense.

These models are time related. There will be a wellbore storage at early time and a
wellbore storage at late time. This is not correct when the model is pressure related. In the
case of production, the real wellbore storage at early time will correspond to the storage at
late time of the build-up, and the reverse. So, the superposition of a time related solution
will be incorrect on all flow periods except the one on which the model was matched. This
aspect is often ignored and/or overlooked.

These models are dangerous to the extent that they work beautifully to match anything
that goes wrong at early time, even when the use of such model is not justified. They are
the early time version of the radial composite model at intermediate time. Actually,
combining changing wellbore storage and radial composite will match any rubbish data.

5.C.2

Combining pseudo-time and a constant storage model

In a tight reservoir, the pressure changes can be large and the assumption that ct is constant
leads to a distortion in the early time of the loglog plot. The response can in most cases be
matched using the changing wellbore storage option described above. However the changes in
ct can also be included in the diffusion equation and pseudo-time can be used during the
extraction of the period to be analyzed. Pseudo-time is defined by
Pseudo-time:

t ps t I pwf d
t

where

I p

1
p ct p

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Chapter 5 Wellbore models - p173/558

The following figures show a loglog response before and after pseudo time correction. The use
of pseudo time is detailed in the chapter on Gas.

Fig. 5.C.3 Without pseudo-time

Fig. 5.C.4 With pseudo-time

There are two drawbacks to this approach:

This method modifies, once and for all, the data to match the model, and not the opposite.
This excludes, for example, the possibility of comparing several PVT models on the same
data. The method was the only one available at the time of type-curve matching, where
models were limited to a set of fixed drawdown type-curves.

In order to calculate the pseudotime function one needs the complete pressure history.
When there are holes in the data, or if the pressure is only acquired during the shut-in, it
will not be possible to calculate the pseudotime from the acquired pressure. There is a
workaround to this: use the pressures simulated by the model, and not the real pressures.
This amounts to the same thing once the model has matched the data, and there is no
hole. However it is a bit more complicated for the calculation, as the pressure at a
considered time requires the pseudotime function, and vice versa.

5.C.3

Numerical pressure dependent wellbore storage

The principle is to use a wellbore model which, at any time, uses the pressure to define the
wellbore storage parameter. In order for the model to be stable, the wellbore storage has to
be calculated implicitly at each time step. As the problem is not linear, this can only be done
using a non linear model.
This is by far the most relevant way to simulate pressure related wellbore storage. The figure
below illustrates a buildup matched with the changing wellbore storage model (Hegeman), the
extracted buildup corrected for pseudo time and matched with this model, and the match with
the non linear numerical model with pressure dependent wellbore storage.

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Fig. 5.C.5 Changing wellbore storage match

Fig. 5.C.6 Pseudo time match

Fig. 5.C.7 Match with non linear numerical model:

Pressure dependent wellbore storage