Reservoir Engineering

Fundamentals

Course Code: RE03

2.5 Classification of oil reservoirs by composition:
According to several properties, oil reservoirs are classified into:

• Low shrinkage oil.

• Volatile crude oil

1. Low-shrinkage oil:
A typical pressure-temperature phase diagram for low-shrinkage oil is
shown in figure 2.15. The diagram is characterized by quality lines that
are closely spaced near the dew-point curve. The liquid-shrinkage curve,
as given in figure 2.15, shows the shrinkage characteristics of this
category of crude oils. The other associated properties of this type of
crude oil are:

Figure 2.15 A typical phase diagram for low-shrinkage oil.

• Oil formation volume factor less than 1.2 𝑏𝑏𝑙/𝑆𝑇𝐵

• Gas-oil ratio less than 200 𝑠𝑐𝑓/𝑆𝑇𝐵

2
 • Oil gravity less than 35 𝐴𝑃𝐼𝑜
• Black or deeply colored
• Substantial liquid recovery at separator conditions as indicated by
point G on the 85% quality line of figure 2.15.

2. Volatile crude oil:

The phase diagram for a volatile (high-shrinkage) crude oil is given in
figure 2.16. Note that the quality lines are close together near the
bubble-point and are more widely spaced at lower pressures. This type
of crude oil is commonly characterized by a high liquid shrinkage
immediately below the bubble-point as shown in figure 2.16. The other
characteristic properties of this oil include:
• Oil formation volume factor less than 2 𝑏𝑏𝑙/𝑆𝑇𝐵.
• Gas-oil ratios between 2,000–3,200 𝑠𝑐𝑓/𝑆𝑇𝐵.
• Oil gravities between 45–55 𝐴𝑃𝐼𝑜 .
• Lower liquid recovery of separator conditions as indicated by point
G on figure 2.16.
• Greenish to orange in color.

Another characteristic of volatile oil reservoirs is that the API gravity of

the stock-tank liquid will increase in the later life of the reservoirs.

3
 Figure 2.16 a typical P-T diagram for a volatile crude oil.

2.6 Classification of gas reservoirs by composition:

In general, if the reservoir temperature is above the critical temperature
of the hydrocarbon system, the reservoir is classified as a natural gas
reservoir. On the basis of their phase diagrams and the prevailing
reservoir conditions, natural gases can be classified into four categories:
• Retrograde gas-condensate
• Wet gas
• Dry gas

1. Retrograde gas-condensate reservoir:

If the reservoir temperature lies between the critical temperature 𝑇𝑐 and
cricondentherm 𝑇𝑐𝑐 of the reservoir fluid, the reservoir is classified as a
retrograde gas condensate reservoir. This category of gas reservoir is a
unique type of hydrocarbon accumulation in that the special
thermodynamic behavior of the reservoir fluid is the controlling factor in
the development and the depletion process of the reservoir. When the

4
pressure is decreased on these mixtures, instead of expanding (if a gas)
or vaporizing (if a liquid) as might be expected, they vaporize instead of
condensing.

Figure 2.17 A typical phase diagram of a retrograde system.

The associated physical characteristics of this category are:

• Gas-oil ratios between 8,000 and 70,000 𝑠𝑐𝑓/𝑆𝑇𝐵. Generally, the

gas-oil ratio for a condensate system increases with time due to the
liquid dropout and the loss of heavy components in the liquid.
• Condensate gravity above 50 𝐴𝑃𝐼𝑜 .
• Stock-tank liquid is usually water-white or slightly colored.

2. Wet-gas reservoir:

5
 A typical phase diagram of a wet gas is shown in figure 2.18, where
reservoir temperature is above the cricondentherm of the hydrocarbon
mixture. Because the reservoir temperature exceeds the cricondentherm
of the hydrocarbon system, the reservoir fluid will always remain in the
vapor phase region as the reservoir is depleted isothermally

• Wet-gas reservoirs are characterized by the following properties:

• Gas oil ratios between 60,000 to 100,000 𝑠𝑐𝑓/𝑆𝑇𝐵.
• Stock-tank oil gravity above 60 𝐴𝑃𝐼𝑜 .
• Liquid is water-white in color.
• Separator conditions, i.e., separator pressure and temperature, lie
within the two-phase region.

Figure 2.18

6
 3. Dry gas reservoir:
The hydrocarbon mixture exists as a gas both in the reservoir and in the
surface facilities. The only liquid associated with the gas from a dry-gas
reservoir is water. Usually a system having a gas-oil ratio greater than
100,000 𝑠𝑐𝑓/𝑆𝑇𝐵 is considered to be a dry gas.

Figure 2.19 Phase diagram for a dry gas.