Understanding Hydrocarbon

Fluid Properties and Behavior

Source: Djamel Eddine Ouzzane

01/13/23 SPE Continuing Education 1

 Outline
Application of Fluid Properties

Volumetric Relationships used by Reservoir

Engineers

Different Sources to Obtain Fluid Properties

PVT Analysis and Fluid Compositions

Aspects of Sampling

01/13/23 SPE Continuing Education 2

Application of Fluid Properties
Phase Behavior and Compositional Concepts
are required to determine.
 How much oil or gas is present
 How much can be recovered
 How fast it can be recovered
 Reservoir management and
production strategies

Fluid
Properties

01/13/23 SPE Continuing Education 3

 Properties Required for Reservoir
Engineering Calculations

 Formation Volume  Formation Volume

Factor of Oil BO Factor of Gas Bg

 Solution Gas-Oil  Gas Compressibility

Ratio RS Factor Z

 Oil and Gas Densities  Oil - Gas Viscosities 

 Coefficient of Isothermal  Coefficient of Thermal

Compressibility C0 Expansion 0

01/13/23 SPE Continuing Education 4

Gas Formation Volume Factor
Gas
Well Stream

Oil

VSC

Bg Volume at Reservoir (P,T)

= Volume at (Psc ,Tsc)
VR
01/13/23 SPE Continuing Education 5
 Oil Formation Volume Factor
Volatile Oil Black Oil
4 1.35

1.3
3.5
B o fo r V o la tile O il

1.25

B o fo r B a lc k O il
3

1.2

2.5

1.15

2
1.1

1.5
Bubble Point
1.05

1 1
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000

Pressure [psia]

01/13/23 SPE Continuing Education 6

 Gas - Oil Ratio
GOR - RS Gas
Separator

Stock Tank

Separator Oil Stock Tank Oil

Volume of Gas at (Psc, Tsc)

GOR =
Volume of Oil at (Psc, Tsc)

(Standard Conditions)
01/13/23 SPE Continuing Education 7
 Gas - Oil Ratio
GOR - RS
350

300

250
R s [m 3 /m 3 ]

200

150

100
Bubble Point
50

0
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000

Pressure [psia]

01/13/23 SPE Continuing Education 8

How to Obtain Fluid
Properties
Laboratory Analysis Black Oil Correlations
Measured Data on Calculated Data using
Fluid Sample @ Validated Correlations
Reservoir Conditions On Specific Oil databases

Compositional Models – Equation of State

Calculated Data using
Consistent Thermodynamic
Models based on Fluid Compositions

01/13/23 SPE Continuing Education 9

 How to Obtain Fluid
Properties
1. Laboratory PVT Analysis

01/13/23 SPE Continuing Education 10

 How to Obtain Fluid
Properties
2. Black Oil Correlations
Standing Correlation for Bubble Point

Rs : Dissolved Gas to Oil Ratio

g : Gas Gravity
API : Oil Stock Tank Density
T : Reservoir Temperature in degrees F

01/13/23 SPE Continuing Education 11

 How to Obtain Fluid Properties
2. Black Oil Correlations

Restricted to the type of oil from which they were

derived
01/13/23 SPE Continuing Education 12
How to Obtain Fluid Properties !

3. Compositional Modeling - Equation of

State - EOS
RT a (T )
P 
V  b V ( V  b)  b( V  b)

  
Z3  1  BZ 2  A  2B  3B 2 Z  AB  B 2  B3 
 N 
bi A

 2 x j a ij 
 
bi   Z  1  2 B 
ln  i  Z  1  ln Z  B   j1
  ln 
b B2 2 


a b
   
Z  1  2 B 
 
2
 f L

 

1  i 
f iV 
 10 -12

01/13/23 SPE Continuing Education 13

 How to Obtain Fluid Properties !
3. Compositional Modeling
Equation of State - EOS

Based on Equilibrium Criteria Gas

Fluid Mixture Equilibrium

Y1 Y2 Y3…Yn Ratio
Temperature
Z1 Z2 Z3…Zn Yi
Ki = Xi
Pressure X1 X2 X3…Xn

Liquid
01/13/23 SPE Continuing Education 14
 Compositions & Phases

Hydrocarbons Non
 Paraffins Phase: Hydrocarbons
 Naphtenes Solid/liquid
gas  Oxygen
 Aromatics
 Asphaltenes  Nitrogen
 Wax  Sulfur
 Resins  CO2
01/13/23 SPE Continuing Education 15
 Hydrocarbon Families & Other
Reservoir Components
NON HYDROCARBONS HYDROCARBONS

• N2 upto10% Aliphatic Aromatics

• CO2 4%
• H2S 6%
Paraffins Olefins Naphtenics
• H2, He
•Na, K, Fe, Cu,
Zn,
• CaCl2, Alkanes Alkenes Alkynes Cyclic
Aliphatics
•MgCl2 5%
• O2 Laboratory Analysis - C1-C6 and C7+
01/13/23 SPE Continuing Education 16
 What are Compositions ?
Asphaltene Structure

Wax (Paraffin) Structure

01/13/23 SPE Continuing Education 17

 Phase Envelope
8000
Bubble Point Region Dew Point Region
7000
A
Pressure (psia)

6000
Liquid B Vapour
5000
Critical Point

4000 Bubble point

line D
3000 2-phase Region

2000 Dew point

40
line
1000
E
20
10 Vapour
0 F
0
20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200
o
TemperatureC)
(

01/13/23 SPE Continuing Education 18

 Typical Reservoir Fluid
Compositions
Component Formula Dry Gas Wet Gas Retrogrde gas Volatile Oil Black Oil
Nitrogen N2 0.30 0.20 3.68 1.21 0.36
Carbon Dioxide CO2 1.10 2.10 1.28 2.10 0.29
Methane CH4 90.00 85.00 78.56 60.50 23.97
Ethane C2H6 4.90 4.70 5.62 7.75 6.42
Propane C3H8 1.70 3.20 3.54 4.75 7.64
iso-Butane i-C4H10 0.60 1.20 0.36 2.27 1.79
normal-Butane n-C4H10 0.50 1.00 2.19 2.01 5.29
iso-Pentane i-C5H12 0.30 0.90 0.19 1.96 2.98
normal-Pentane n-C5H12 0.20 0.80 1.98 0.88 3.27
Hexanes C6H14 0.20 0.30 0.68 1.90 4.85
Heptanes C7H16 0.20 0.60 0.51 2.51 7.09
Octanes C8H18 0.44 2.45 7.67
Nonanes C9H20 0.20 1.68 5.19
Decanes C10H22 0.12 1.45 4.47
Undecanes C11H24 0.06 1.05 2.96
Dodecanes plus C12 plus 0.59 5.53 15.76

Total 01/13/23 SPE Continuing

100.00 Education
100.00 100.00 100.00 19 100.00
 Need Fluid Properties 
Need Samples
How to Obtain Fluid Samples ?
Surface Sampling

Bottom Hole Sampling

Formation Tester Sampling

01/13/23 SPE Continuing Education 20

 Surface Sampling

01/13/23 SPE Continuing Education 21

 Bottom Hole Sampling
Preserved Samples

Reservoirs Conditions

Selective Sampling
Zones

Sampling early in the

life of the reservoir with
minimum disturbance

Lower overall cost

01/13/23 SPE Continuing Education 22

Formation Tester Sampling
Assess reservoir fluid
quality
Contamination
Monitoring
Insitu Bubble point
determination

01/13/23 SPE Continuing Education 23

Fluid Property Uncertainty Is Sample Quality a Concern ?

Maximum
Acceptable
Uncertainty

Sample’s Poor Quality

Typically <10 %
01/13/23 SPE Continuing Education 24
Is Sample Quality a Concern ?

01/13/23 SPE Continuing Education 25

 Conclusions
Fluid properties are required in various
disciplines of petroleum engineering
Petroleum fluids are complex mixtures and
therefore accurate properties must be
obtained
Laboratory analysis generally provide
reliable data
The compositional approach is preferred
and widely used
Samples may be collected using various
methods however obtaining a
representative sample is crucial.

01/13/23 SPE Continuing Education 26