UENR Well Test Analysis

Flow Regimes in the

Reservoir

Instructor: Prosper Anumah

 UENR Well Test Analysis

TRANSIENT FLOW REGIME

Transient flow is defined as a flow regime where/when the radius of pressure wave
propagation from wellbore has not reached any boundaries of the reservoir

This condition is only applicable for a relatively short period after some pressure
disturbance has been created in the reservoir. In the time for which the transient
condition is applicable it is assumed that the pressure response in the reservoir is
not affected by the presence of the outer boundary, thus the reservoir appears
infinite in extent.

The condition is mainly applied to the analysis of well tests in which the well's
production rate is deliberately changed and the resulting pressure response in the
wellbore is measured and analyzed during a brief period of a few hours after the rate
change has occurred. Then, unless the reservoir is extremely small, the boundary
effects will not be felt and the reservoir is, mathematically, infinite.
 UENR Well Test Analysis

Assuming single-phase oil flow in the reservoir, several analytical solutions have
been developed for describing the transient flow behavior

A constant-rate solution is given by

 UENR Well Test Analysis

This equation describes the declining flowing buttonhole pressure Pwf while the well is
flowing at a constant rate q

However, because oil production wells are normally operated at constant bottom-hole
pressure because of constant wellhead pressure imposed by constant choke size, a
constant bottom-hole pressure solution is more desirable for well . With an
appropriate inner boundary condition arrangement, Earlougher (1977) developed a
constant bottom-hole pressure solution

This indicates that oil rate decreases with flow time. This is because the radius of the
pressure funnel, over which the pressure drawdown (Pi - Pwf ) acts, increases with
time, that is, the overall pressure gradient in the reservoir drops with time.
 UENR Well Test Analysis

Trial Question

Data

Using the above well and reservoir variables develop a production rate profile for
1 year assuming that no boundary effects emerge. Do this increment of 2 months
and use a flowing bottom-hole pressure equal to 3500 psi
 UENR Well Test Analysis

STEADY-STATE FLOW

Steady-state flow is defined as a flow regime where the pressure at any point in the
reservoir remains constant over time
The volumetric flow rate into the reservoir equals the production rate of fluids from
the reservoir, fluid flow occurs into the reservoir across the outer boundary at the
drainage radius.
This flow condition prevails when the pressure funnel has propagated to a constant
pressure boundary. The constant-pressure boundary can be an aquifer or a water
injection well

Radial flow under steady state conditions

 UENR Well Test Analysis

Assuming single-phase flow, the following theoretical relation can be derived from
Darcy’s law for an oil reservoir under the steady-state flow condition due to a
circular constant pressure boundary at distance re from wellbore:

Trial Question

Assume a well in the reservoir described by the data given in Trial Question 1 has a
drainage area equal to 640 acres(re =2980ft) and is producing at steady state with an
outer boundary(constant) pressure equal to 5651 psi.
Calculate the steady state production rate if the flowing buttonhole pressure is equal
to 4500 psi. Use a skin effect equal to +10.

Describe two mechanisms to increase the flow rate by 50%. Show by calculations.
 UENR Well Test Analysis

PSEUDO–STEADY-STATE FLOW

Pseudo–steady-state flow is defined as a flow regime where the pressure at any

point in the reservoir declines at the same constant rate over time.

This flow condition prevails after the pressure funnel has propagated to all no-flow
boundaries. A no-flow boundary can be a sealing fault, pinch-out of pay zone, or
boundaries of drainage areas of production wells.

Under pseudo- steady state flow no fluid flow occurs across the outer boundary such
that the production of fluids must be compensated for by the expansion of residual
fluids in the reservoir. In such a situation, production will cause a reduction in pressure
throughout the reservoir unit.

This condition is applicable to a reservoir which has been producing for a sufficient
period of time so that the effect of the outer boundary has been felt
 UENR Well Test Analysis

Radial flow under semi-steady state conditions

Assuming single-phase flow, the following theoretical relation can be derived from
Darcy’s law for an oil reservoir under pseudo–steady-state flow condition due to a
circular no-flow boundary at distance re from wellbore:
 UENR Well Test Analysis

One unfortunate aspect concerning the application of this equation is that while
both q and Pwf can be measured directly, the outer boundary pressure cannot. It is
therefore more common to express the pressure drawdown in terms of .
Since the average pressure within the drainage volume can be readily
determined from a well test.

The basic assumption in the above equation is that the reservoir is circular and
penetrated by a central well. In reality even a very large reservoir penetrated by a
number of wells behave as if each well drains a portion of the reservoir. Each of these
drainage volumes will be non- circular.
If the no-flow boundaries delineate a drainage area of noncircular shape, the
following equation should be used for analysis of pseudo–steady-state flow
UENR Well Test Analysis
 UENR Well Test Analysis

Trial Question

Assume that two wells in the reservoir each drain 640 acres. Furthermore- assume
that = 5651 psi and that s = 0. The flowing bottom hole pressure in both is 3500
psi. However, well A is placed at the center of a square drainage shape whereas well B
is at the center of the upper quadrant of a square drainage shape.
Calculate the production rate from the two wells at the onset of pseudo-steady state.