Classification of Natural

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Hydrocarbon Reservoirs
Paul Guièze
Schlumberger
Contents

• Terms and definitions.

• Dry gas.

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• Wet gas
• Retrograde gas condensate.
• Volatile Oil.
• Black oil.
• Reservoir fluid classifications.

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Terms and Definitions
used in this section

• Bubble Point Pressure (pb): at a given temperature, the pressure

at which appears the first bubble of gas from a single phase
liquid.

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• Dew Point Pressure (pd): at a given temperature, the pressure at
which appears the first drop of liquid from a single gas phase
system.
• Cricondenbar: the maximum pressure at which two phases can
exist.
• Cricondentherm: the maximum temperature at which two phases
can exist.

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General Phase Diagram Definitions

Dry gas
Oil Gas condensate

Critical point Dew point

locus

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cricondenbar
Production
Bubble
point locus path
example

80%
Pressure
40%
20%

cricondentherm
10%
5%

Temperature
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Classification Definition

Natural hydrocarbon reservoirs are classified arbitrarily

according to observed properties during production such

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as:
•Gas-oil ratio
•Gas gravity (air=1)
•Oil API gravity
•Color

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Dry gas

• Remains single phase in reservoir during pressure

depletion.

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• No liquid produced at surface.
• Mainly methane

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Wet Gas

• Remains single phase in reservoir during pressure

depletion.

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• Small quantity of liquid produced at surface.
• Light colorless liquid.

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Retrograde Gas Condensate

• Some liquid is deposited in the reservoir during

pressure depletion.

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• Significant amount of condensate is produced at
surface.
• Yellowish liquid.

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High Shrinkage or Volatile Oil

• Exhibit a bubble point in the reservoir.

• High GOR and formation volume factor.

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• Relatively low oil density.
• Low oil viscosity.

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Black Oil

•Exhibit a bubble point in the reservoir.

•Low GOR and formation volume factor.

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•Medium to high oil density.
•Wide range of oil viscosity.

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Reservoir Fluid Classification
From Reservoir and Production Fundamentals (Schlumberger 1980)

GOR API Typical Composition

(scf/sbbl) gravity
C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6+

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Dry Gas No liquid 50º - 70º 0.9 0.05 0.0 0.0 0.01 0.0
0 3 1 1
Wet Gas > 100000 50º - 70º 0.9 0.05 0.0 0.0 0.01 0.0
0 3 1 1
Gas Condensate 5000 - 50º - 70º 0.7 0.08 0.0 .0.3 0.02 0.0
100000 5 4 1
Volatile Oil 3000 40º - 50º 0.6 0.08 0.0 0.0 0.03 0.1
5 5 4 5
Black Oil 100 - 2500 30º - 40º 0.4 0.04 0.0 0.0 0.02 0.4
4 4 3 3
Heavy Oil
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< 100 20º - 25º 0.2 0.03 0.0 0.0 0.03 0.7
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Bitumen 0 10º 0.0 0.02 0.0 0.0 0.03 0.9
Reservoir Fluid Classification
From McCain

Black Volatile Retrograde Wet Gas Dry Gas

Oil Oil Gas
Initial Producing < 1750 1750 - 3200 - > 15000 No liquid

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GOR (scf/sbbl) 3200 15000
Initial Stock Tank < 25 < 40 > 40 Up to 70 No liquid
Liquid
Gravity(°API)
Stock Tank Liquid Dark Colored Lightly Water No liquid
Color colored white
Phase Change in Bubble Bubble Dew point No phase No phase
Reservoir point point change change
C7+ mol % > 20 20 – 12.5 < 12.5 <4 < 0.7
Oil FVF at Pb <2 >2
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