Reservoir Rocks properties

Oil & Gas Engineering

Prepared by
M.Sc. Alaa Abd Alsajad
 ‫َﺷﻌﺮي‬
Capillary pressure
‫ﻏﯿﺮ ﻗﺎﺑﻞ ﻟﻸﻣﺘﺰاج‬ ‫اﻧﻘﻄﺎع‬
Capillary Pressure (Pc ) ; two immiscible fluids are in contact, a discontinuity in pressure exists between the
‫ﻋﻠﻰ‬ ‫اﻧﺤﻨﺎء‬ ‫اﻟﺴﻄﺢ اﻟﺒﯿﻨﻲ‬ ‫ﻓﺎﺻﻞ‬
two fluids, which depends upon the curvature of the interface separating the fluids.
‫ﻣﺴﺎﺣﺔ ﻣﺴﺎم‬ ‫ﺗﺒﻠﻞ‬ ‫ﺑﺴﮭﻮﻟﺔ‬ ‫ﯾﻐﻄﻲ‬
- When two or more fluids share the pore space of a rock , the wetting fluid will readily coat the walls of the
‫ﻛﻠﻤﺎ اﻣﻜﻦ ذﻟﻚ‬
pores whenever possible, and a capillary pressure will exist at the interface between the wetting fluid and
non-wetting fluid

uuu
 Capillary pressure = (pressure of the nonwetting phase) - (pressure of the wetting phase)

Pc = Pnw - Pw
‫ﺗﺄﺛﯿﺮ ﻣﺸﺘﺮك‬
_ The‫ﺳﻄﺤﻲ‬
capillary forces
‫ﺑﯿﻨﻲ‬
in a petroleum reservoir are the result of the combined effect of the
‫ﺷﺪ‬
surface and interfacial tensions of the rock and fluids, the pore size and geometry, and the
‫ﻣﻨﺤﻨﻲ‬
wetting characteristics of the system. Any curved surface between two immiscible fluids has the
‫ﯾﻤﯿﻞ‬
tendency to contract into the smallest possible area per unit volume. This is true whether the
fluids are oil and water, water and gas (even air), or oil and gas.
 ‫زﺟﺎﺟﻲ‬ ‫ﺷﻌﺮي‬ ‫اﻧﺒﻮب‬ ‫وﻋﺎء‬ ‫ﯾﺤﺘﻮي‬
- If a glass capillary ‫اﻟﺠﻤﻊ‬
tube is placed in a large open vessel containing
water, the combination of surface tension and ‫ﻓﻮق‬
wettability of tube to
water‫ﺣﺎوﯾﺔ‬
will cause water to rise in the tube above the water level ‫ﺣﺘﻰ‬
in the
container outside the tube , The water will rise in the tube until the total
‫ﺳﺤﺐ‬ ‫ﻻﻋﻠﻰ‬ ‫ﺗﺘﻮازن‬
force acting to pull the liquid upward is balanced by the weight of the
‫ﻣﺪﻋﻮم‬
column of liquid being supported in the tube
Type of Capillary pressure

1-Water-Oil capillary pressure, Pcwo Pcwo = Po − Pw

2- Gas-Oil capillary pressure, Pcgo Pcgo = Pg − Po

3- Gas-Water capillary pressure, Pcgw Pcgw = Pg − Pw

‫ﺗﻤﺜﻞ‬
where Pg, Po, and Pw represent the pressure of gas, oil, and water

‫ﻣﺴﺘﻤﺮة‬
If all the three phases are continuous, then: Pcgw = Pcgo + Pcwo

‫ﻗﺒﻞ‬
► before the oil starts to migrate into the reservoir. There is only water in the pores, and
no capillary pressure .
 ‫ﺑﺎﻻﺷﺎرة‬ ‫ﻓﺮق‬ ‫ﻋﺒﺮ‬
Referring to the figure , the pressure difference across the interface
between Points 1 and 2 is essentially the capillary pressure, i.e.:

Pc = P1 - P2 …………….1

The pressure of the water phase at Point 2 is equal to the pressure at

point 4 minus the head of the water ;

P2 = P4 – ghr w ……………….2
FF
The pressure just above the interface at Point 1 represents the pressure
of the air and is given by ;
CC
P1 = p3 – ghr air ………………..3

It should be noted that the pressure at Point 4 within the capillary tube
is the same as that at Point 3 outside the tube. Equation 1 is…

Pc = P1 – P2 = (P3 – g h ρair) – (P4 – g h ρw)

Pc = g h (ρw-ρair)= 𝐠𝐡 ∆ρ
Pc = Capillary pressure, dyne/cm2
‫ارﺗﻔﺎع‬
h = Capillary rise, cm
∆ρ =(ρwetting – ρnonwetting ), gm/cc
‫اﻟﺘﺴﺎرع‬ ‫اﻟﺠﺎذﺑﯿﺔ‬
g = acceleration due to gravity , cm/sec2
______________________________________________________________________________________________

• Gas-liquid system • Oil-water system

2 𝜎 𝑔𝑤 (cos 𝜃) 2 𝜎 𝑜𝑤 (cos 𝜃)
PC = PC =
𝑟 𝑟

2 𝜎 𝑔𝑤 (cos 𝜃 ) 2 𝜎 𝑜 𝑤 (cos 𝜃 )
h= h=
𝑟 𝑔 ( 𝜌 𝑤 − 𝜌 𝑔𝑎𝑠 ) 𝑟𝑔(𝜌𝑤 −𝜌𝑜)
dd
where 𝜌 w = water density, gm/cm3
𝜎 gw = gas-water surface tension, dynes/cm
𝜎 ow = oil- water interfacial tension , dynes/ cm
‫ﻧﺼﻒ ﻗﻄﺮ‬
r = capillary radius, cm
𝜃 = contact angle
‫ارﺗﻔﺎع‬
h = capillary rise, cm
g = acceleration due to gravity, cm/sec2
pc = capillary pressure, dynes/cm2
Example ; PC h
Calculate the pressure difference, i.e., capillary pressure, and capillary
‫اﺧﺘﻼف‬

rise in an oil-water system from the following data:

𝜃 = 30° ρw = 1.0 gm/cm3 ρo = 0.75 gm/cm3

r = 10−4 cm 𝜎 ow = 25 dynes/cm

Solution : study task ………

Capillary pressure is dependent on:

1- Interfacial tensions, 𝝈𝒘𝒐 , 𝝈𝒘𝐬 , 𝝈 𝒐s
2- Contact angle measured through the water phase, 𝛉
‫ﻣﺴﺎﻣﯿﺔ‬
3- Rock porosity
‫ﻧﻔﺎذﯾﺔ‬
4- Rock permeability
‫ﺗﺸﺒﻊ‬
5- Fluid saturations and wettability of the rock
‫ﻛﺜﺎﻓﺔ‬
6- Fluid densities
Contact angle & Capillary pressure
 ‫ﺗﻄﺒﯿﻘﺎت‬
Applications of capillary pressure
‫ﺗﺸﯿﻊ‬ ‫ﺗﻮزﯾﻊ‬
1- Water saturation distribution in the reservoir

‫اﻻﻧﺘﻘﺎﻟﯿﺔ‬ ‫اﻟﻤﻨﻄﻘﺔ‬ ‫ﺳﻤﻚ‬ ‫ﺗﺤﺪﯾﺪ‬

2- Transition zone thickness determination

‫ﺣﺮ‬ ‫ﻣﺴﺘﻮى‬
3- Free water level

study well guys