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Water Saturation
in Tight Gas Reservoirs
Marcelo A Crotti
Inlab S.A.
Outline
Characteristics of Tight Reservoirs
Objectives
Capillary Pressure Definitions
A Fundamental Question
Analysis of a Physical Model
Modeling and Measuring Sw
Conclusions
Outline
Characteristics of Tight Reservoirs
Objectives
Capillary Pressure Definitions
A Fundamental Question
Analysis of a Physical Model
Modeling and Measuring Sw
Conclusions
Outline
Characteristics of Tight Reservoirs
Objectives
Capillary Pressure Definitions
A Fundamental Question
Analysis of a Physical Model
Modeling and Measuring Sw
Conclusions
Objectives
Get an explanation of the
unique characteristics of Tight
Gas Reservoirs
Focus the explanation in water
saturation anomalies:
Abnormally low water saturation
Absence of capillary transition zones
Uncertainties in FWL determination
Outline
Characteristics of Tight Reservoirs
Objectives
Capillary Pressure Definitions
A Fundamental Question
Analysis of a Physical Model
Modeling and Measuring Sw
Conclusions
First Definition
Pc = pnw pw [1]
Where
Pc = Capillary pressure
pnw = Non-wetting phase pressure
pw = Wetting phase pressure
But
It does not involve usual reservoir or rock
parameters
Difficult to be used in reservoir calculations
Second Definition
Pc = (w - g ). g . h [2]
Where:
Pc2
PGc1
h2
h1
Pc = Capillary pressure
wg = Density difference
g = Gravitational acceleration
h = Height of the fluids interface above FWL
But
It is only valid at equilibrium conditions!
Pt
Swirr
Sw
Third Definition
Pc = 2 . . cos(c) / r [3]
Pc2
Where
Pc
= Capillary pressure
= Interfacial tension
c = Contact angle
r
Pc1
= Capillary radius
Outline
Characteristics of Tight Reservoirs
Objectives
Capillary Pressure Definitions
A Fundamental Question
Analysis of a Physical Model
Modeling and Measuring Sw
Conclusions
Fundamental Question
Can Eq. [2] be applied to Tight Reservoirs?
Or in other words:
Do geologic time intervals always
guarantee the hydrostatic equilibrium?
Answer
Usually affirmative in normally pressurized
traps
Reservoir pressures are at equilibrium with
superficial water sources
Outline
Characteristics of Tight Reservoirs
Objectives
Capillary Pressure Definitions
A Fundamental Question
Analysis of a Physical Model
Modeling and Measuring Sw
Conclusions
Fluids output
Low K sand
High pressure
gas input
High K fracture
Sw = 100%
Sw = Swirr
Over-Pressurized Sand
inlab
FWL?
No Capillary
Transition
Zone
Outline
Characteristics of Tight Reservoirs
Objectives
Capillary Pressure Definitions
A Fundamental Question
Analysis of a Physical Model
Modeling and Measuring Sw
Conclusions
Modeling Sw
Avoid up-scaling of Lab capillary
pressure curves
Transition zone
Swirr
FWL
Measuring Sw
Indirectly from well logs
Very useful to detect trends
Relative Permeability
Only if water mobility is expected
Far away from theoretical validity
In Brief
In Tight Gas Reservoirs
Laboratory test must not be designed
with modeling purposes
Test must be designed to measure what
actually happened at reservoir scale
during geological times
Outline
Characteristics of Tight Reservoirs
Objectives
Capillary Pressure Definitions
A Fundamental Question
Analysis of a Physical Model
Modeling and Measuring Sw
Conclusions
Conclusions (I)
Tight gas reservoirs could be in non-hydrostatic
equilibrium conditions
Routine lab capillary pressure tests should be
used for Rock type characterization rather than
for Sw calculations
No hydrostatic equilibrium model must be assumed
Conclusions (II)
The location of fluids contacts are not
determined by equilibrated fluids columns
The geometry of the accumulation is defined by Rock
Types distribution
THANK YOU
Marcelo A Crotti
Inlab S.A.