Course content

 Introduction
 Rock properties
 Reservoirs properties
 Measurement - Core analysis
 Measurement of reservoir properties( well logging)
 Formation evaluation
 Darcy theory
 Fluid flow mechanism and recovery factory
 Reservoir estimate
 Reserve estimation:

• Estimation of petroleum reserve,

resource & reserve concept,
• latest SPE/ WPC/ IS classification,
• volumetric material balance
Resource & Reserve concept,
 Reserves estimation is one of the most essential tasks in the petroleum industry. It is
the process by which the economically recoverable hydrocarbons in a field, area, or
region are evaluated quantitatively.

 Reserves are those quantities of petroleum which are anticipated to be

commercially recovered from known accumulations from a given date forward”
(Petroleum Reserves Definitions 1997).

 Commerciality implies commitment or expected commitment to develop reserves

within a reasonable time frame.

 Depending on the degree of uncertainty, three main classes of reserves are

recognized:
o proved,
o probable, and possible (unproved.)

 Proved reserves are those quantities that have reasonable certainty of being
recovered, indicating a high degree of confidence.

 Proved reserves may be developed or undeveloped

 Geological and engineering data form the basis of determination that:

 Probable reserves are more likely than not to be recoverable, while

Possible
reserves are less likely to be recoverable than probable reserves.

 Proved reserves assume recoverability under current economic conditions,

operating methods, and government regulations. For unproved reserves,
recoverability may be tied to future economic conditions and technology.

Potentially recoverable quantities that do not satisfy the definition of reserves

are contingent (discovered but sub commercial)and prospective
(undiscovered) resources. Sub commerciality includes technology limitations
(Petroleum Reserves Definitions
1997; Petroleum Resources Definitions 2000).
 • SPE/ WPC/ IS classification,
 Because of ambiguity associated with uncertainty levels intraditional definitions of
reserves,
 probabilistic definitions that quantify uncertainty have gained wide acceptance in the
industry.
Under SPE/WPC guidelines

o For proved reserves: there should be at least a 90% probability that the quantities
actually recovered will equal or exceed the estimate (Fig. 2).

o For probable reserves :there should be at least a 50% probability that the quantities
actually recovered will equal or exceed the sum of estimated proved plus probable
reserves.

o For possible reserves, there should be at least a 10% probability that the quantities
actually recovered will equal or exceed the sum of estimated proved plus probable
plus possible reserves.

Fig. 2 shows some common notation (e.g., 1P and 2P).

 Reserves categories are subject to change in response to data maturity and other
contingencies.
Estimation of petroleum reserve
 How much oil and gas is originally in place

1. Volumetric method
 Area
 Thickness
 Porosity
 Saturation
2. Material balance
 Production data
 Fluid properties

http://www.theoildrum.com
Volumetric method

OIP, GIP, STOOIP, STOGIP

• The volume of reservoir rock in a single zone depends upon the area of the zone A, and
the thickness of reservoir rock in the zone h. Volume Bulk = A * h

• The majority of this volume is occupies by the solid rock matrix, and the remainder is
made up of the pore space between the minerals.

• Porosity is completely occupied by either water and hydrocarbon, where the saturation
of the water is Sw, and that of the hydrocarbon is Sh, and Sw + Sh = 1.

• volume of hydrocarbons in place can be written as

The oil formation volume factor Bo is the ratio of the volume of a
standard mass of oil at reservoir conditions to that at stock tank conditions, and has no
units

• 𝐵𝑜 > 1, hence the volume of oil is less at the surface than at depth. This is because
the effect compressibility of oil with pressure for the range of pressures usually
found in reservoirs is less than the effect of thermal expansion of the oil caused by
reservoir temperatures.

𝐵𝑔 << 1, hence the volume of gas is much greater at the surface than at depth. This
is because the effect compressibility of gas with pressure for the range of pressures
usually found in reservoirs is enormous compared to the effect of thermal expansion
of the gas caused by reservoir temperatures.
Conversion Factors for Oilfield
Material balance
Material Balance. This is a conservation-of-matter technique
whereby the pressure behaviour of the reservoir in response to fluid withdrawal is
analysed in several steps.

• The fluid properties and pressure history are averaged, treating the reservoir as
a tank.
• For reliable estimates, there must be sufficient pressure and production data
(for all fluids) and reliable pressure/volume/temperature data, and the
reservoir must have reached semi steady-state conditions.