Chapter 4

Undersaturated Oil Reservoirs

 Learning outcomes
Describe the volumetric
undersaturated oil reservoir.
Demonstrate and apply volumetric
equation for oil in place calculation
and estimation of recoveries.
Demonstrate and apply material
balance calculation for oil in place
calculation and estimation of oil
recoveries.
Undersaturated oil reservoirs
Oil reservoirs which are initially at above bubble point.
Reservoir types
Undersaturated Oil Reservoirs

Volumetric method
 Volumetric reservoirs
Initial condition (at Pi) At abandonment (at Pa)
Interstitial water Interstitial water
7758 S w 7758 S w
Reservoir oil Reservoir gas
7758 1 S w 7758 S g
Stock tank oil Reservoir oil
7758 1 S w 7758 1 S w S g
Boi
Stock tank oil
7758 1 S w S g
Bo
7758 1 S w 7758 1 S w S g
Unit recovery

Boi Bo
 Volumetric reservoirs
1 S w 1 S w S g
Unit recovery
7758
B oi B o

Recovery factor = recovery/initial in

place
1 S w 1 S w S g
7758
B oi B o

1
1 S w Sg

Boi
1 S w Bo (1 S w )
7758
B oi

1
1 S w Sg

Boi
(1 S w ) Bo
 Water drive reservoirs
No appreciable decline in pressure
Bo remains the same as Boi
Water influx and no gas saturation
the residual oil saturation after water displacement is S or

At abandonment (at
Pa); 7758 S or
Reservoir oil
7758 S or

Boi
Stock tank oil Recovery
Unitrecovery
factor
7758 1 S w 7758 S or 1 S w S or

Boi Boi 1 Sw
7758 1 S w S or

Boi
Oil in place and Recovery calculation (Volum
Initial oil inplace (N) STB/ac.ft.

Volumetric reservoir

Water drive reservoir

Correlation for sandstone
reservoirs
Oil Reservoir

Material balance equation

Material balance in undersaturated reservoir

Schilthuis, 1936
Schilthuis, generalised material balance

Havlena and Odeh, 1963

Bw
Schilthuis, generalised material balance

Havlena and Odeh, 1963

Undersaturated reservoirs
No gas cap (m = 0), Rsi = Rs, Bo = Bt

0 0

If there is no water and gas injection,

cw S wi c f
N ( Bt Bti ) NBti
p We N p Bt ( R p Rsoi ) Bg BwW p
1 S wi

For volumetric reservoirs and assuming negligible

change in porosity, from Pi to Pbp;

N ( Bt Bti ) N p Bt ( R p Rsoi ) Bg (5.6)
Undersaturated reservoirs (for
P>Pbp)
No free gas in the reservoir - the produced gas at the surface must be
from the solution gas.
R p Rso Rsoi
Then,
N ( Bt Bti ) N p Bt

The two phase FVF (Bt) is related to Bo by the following equation;

 Example 1

Bob= 1.600

Boi= 1.572

Pbp= 3550 Pi
Example 1 (contd)
Undersaturated reservoirs (for
P<Pbp)
Undersaturated reservoirs (for
P<Pbp)
 Example 5.1 (C&H)
Calculations to show the effect of the produced gas oil ratio, Rp on fractional
recovery in volumetric, undersaturated reservoirs

Rsoi =

From the graph;

Rsoi = 1100 SCF/STB
Rso @ 2800 psia = 900 SCF/STB.
0.87

Z @ 2800 psia = 0.870

Example 5.1 (contd)
Example 5.2 (Kelly-Snyder Field)
Example 5.2 (Pi down to Pbp)
 Example 5.2 (below Pbp)
Below 1725 psig, gas come out from the solution.
The free gas is immobile until Sg exceeds the Sgr (around
10%)
The producing GOR at any pressure will equal the solution
GOR at that pressure
Pressure changes much less rapidly with reservoir voidage
for gases than for liquids pressure decline at lower rate
below the bubble point.
When the free gas become mobile, the calculation will
become complicated (beyond the scope of this course)
Example 5.2 (below Pbp)