10/02/2019

Koya University
Faculty of Engineering
Department of Petroleum Engineering
Fourth Stage

Well Testing Engineering

Interference Well Test Analysis

Farhad Abdulrahman
Assistant Lecturer

Lecture Outlines

• Interference Well Testing

• Functions of Interference well testing

• Interference test solutions

• Examples
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Interference Well Testing

• Multiple Well Testing.

– Conducted by producing from or injecting into one of the

wells (ACTIVE WELL) and the pressure response is
observed in the other well (OBSERVATION WELL).

– No skin effect consideration (except fracture case, where

the skin is in highly negative vale)

– Active well starts producing at uniform pressure at time

t=0, and the pressure is responded at a distance r from the
observation well.

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Radius of Interference

r𝑖𝑛𝑓

r r𝑖𝑛𝑓 = 0.029 𝑘 𝑡 ∅ 𝜇 𝐶
𝑡

Active Well Observation Well

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Functions of Interference Test

• To determine that two or more wells are in communication within the
same reservoir.

• If communication exists, this test can provide estimate of vertical

formation permeability, porosity and compressibility product.

– For homogenous isotropic system, these properties are same

everywhere in all directions.
– For heterogeneous system, numerical solution used to analyse pressure
transient data.

• Involve a larger radius of investigation than single well testing.

• This test is also helpful to understand the well behaviour under

water flood and enhanced oil recovery system.

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Interference Test Analysis

Observation
Active Well Well
(Prod. &/or Inj.)

𝑘
Water Injection &
∅

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Interference Test Analysis (contd.)

• To give a large scale in reservoir properties.

• Improve the estimate of direction of

permeability and reservoir storability.

• By interference test we know the flow pattern

(Laminar or Turbulence) within the porous
media.
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Interference test Solutions

Applications of Interference Test Analysis

1. Line Source Solution

2. Type Curve Solution

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1. Line Source Solution

Case 1: Active well is
producing or injecting
- Pressure Behaviour is given by:
𝑃𝑤𝑠 = 𝑃1 ℎ𝑟 + 𝑚 𝐿𝑜𝑔 𝑡 … 𝑒𝑞. 01
- Eq.01 is valid when:
Case 2: Active Well is shut in after
producing for time (tp)
- Pressure Behaviour is given by:
𝑡𝑝 + ∆𝑡
𝑃𝑤𝑠 = 𝑃1 ℎ𝑟 + 𝑚 𝐿𝑜𝑔
∆𝑡

0.002637 𝑘 𝑡
> 100 - A plot between Pws vs. tp+dt/dt on a semi-log
∅𝜇𝐶𝑡 𝑟 2 graph is required.
– Slope (m) / from straight line
- A plot between Pws vs. t on a 162.6 𝑄 𝜇 𝐵𝑜
– 𝑘=
semi-log graph is required. 𝑚ℎ
– Slope (m) / from straight line - Then Porosity can be obtained:
162.6 𝑄 𝜇 𝐵𝑜
– 𝑘= 𝑘 𝑃1 ℎ𝑟 − 𝑃𝑤𝑠 1
𝑚ℎ ∅= exp( − 𝐿𝑜𝑔(1 + − 3.2275)
𝜇 𝐶𝑡 𝑟 2 𝑚 𝑡𝑝
- Then Porosity can be
obtained: Hints:
a. P 1hr is calculated at t=1 hour
b. Pws is calculated @ dt=0
𝑘 𝑃𝑖 − 𝑃1 ℎ𝑟
∅= 2
exp( − 3.2275)
𝜇 𝐶𝑡 𝑟 𝑚

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1. Line Source Solution (Contd.)

• This method is not applicable every time
because of the following:

– There will not be enough data for having three

different regions (ETR, MTR & LTR), hence
Slope can not be obtained.

– Only time used for data constructing, whereas

radius is most important.

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2. Type Curve Solution

• This method is more applicable in interpretation of
interference well testing.

• Dimension-less variables (𝑃𝐷 , 𝑟𝐷 & 𝑡𝐷 ) are included in

the solution, which give less error to the results.

• Both testing time and radius of investigation are

cooperated for constructing solution graph.

• Measured testing data are calibrated on using type

curve matching.

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Dimensionless pressure for a

single well in an infinite system

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Illustration of type curve matching for an interference test using the type curve
(After Earlougher, R. Advances in Well Test Analysis) (Permission to publish by
the SPE, copyright SPE, 1977).

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2. Type Curve Solution

• First we need the data of ∆𝑡 and ∆𝑃.
∆𝑃 = 𝑃𝑖 − 𝑃𝑤𝑓
• Plot ∆𝑡 vs. ∆𝑃 on log-log tracing paper.

• Match the points from the plot to the type curve.

• After matching, choose any point inside the draph and

tracing paper and get the following data:
𝑡𝐷
𝑃𝐷 , ∆𝑃, ∆𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 2
𝑟𝐷

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Equations for Type Curve Solution

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Example 1.0

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Plot on Semi-log Graph

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Log-Log Graph

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Match Point Finding

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Determine 𝑘 and ∅

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Example 2.0
• During an interference test, water was injected at a 170 bbl/day for
48 hours. The pressure response in an observation well 119 ft away
from the injector is given below:

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