Gas Well Test – Short Description of Key plots

Bg (Formation volume factor of gas) vs Pressure:

Formation volume factor of gas relates volume of gas of reservoir with surface. As
pressure decreases, gas expands and its value increases. Used to convert surface
rates to reservoir (sand face rates)

Cg (Gas Compressibility factor) vs Pressure:

Gas compressibility factor shows the expansion of gas. Its value is inversely related to
pressure. As pressure decreases, gas expands more thereby increasing compressibility
factor. Used to calculated ct. which is used to calculated tpss (time to achieve pseudo
steady state)
Mug (Gas viscosity) vs Pressure:
Viscosity of gas is inversely related to pressure (isothermal conditions). As pressure
decreases, viscosity value decreases due to expansion of gas. Used in darcy equation,
in calculation of pseudo pressure m(p).

Rhog (Gas density) vs Pressure:

Gas density is directly related to pressure. As pressure decreases, gas density also
decreases. Used to calculate gravitation pressure drop as gas moves from sandface to
surface
Z (Gas deviation factor) vs Pressure:
Gas deviation factor relates actual volume of gas to ideal volume. This deviation factor is
incorporated in gas laws for real gases that deviates from ideal behavior. As pressure
decreases value of z also decreases but after up to certain pressure its value starts
increasing at near to surface pressure reaches its maximum value of 1(ideal behavior).
Used to calculate Bg, m(p).

Semi-log plot
Pressure is plotted against superposition time (agarwal time), used to identify ETR, MTR
& LTR. Parameters like skin, Permeability (flow capacity i.e. kh in fact) and boundary
distances can be found. It’s a conventional plot & does not reveal as much information as
derivative plot.
Derivative plot (Bourdet derivative)
Derivative of semi-log curve is plot on log log scale which reveals minor details of well
and reservoir response. ETR, MTR & LTR can be clearly identified. Well bore storage,
skin, permeability, boundaries can be found. This graph particularly helps in differentiating
homogeneous reservoir from Dual porosity/permeability & composite reservoir. It also has
wide range of well models (Vertical, partial penetration, finite & infinite fractures etc) and
boundary models (single fault, parallel faults, rectangular & Circular boundary, no flow
and constant pressure boundaries). Now a day all the matching is done on this plot, other
plots i.e. semi-log & history plot are generally used to quality check the matched result.