RESERVOIR ENGINEERING I

PCB 2023
DRIVE MECHANISMS

Dr. Mohammed Abdalla Ayoub

Outcomes

To identify various forms of natural reservoir drive

mechanism.
To discuss their performance characteristics
To evaluate the strength of drive mechanism
To correlate drive mechanism with MBE

Contents

Introduction
Production Mechanisms

Natural drive mechanisms

Other mechanisms

Introduction

Drive mechanism is responsible for production of fluids

from a HC reservoir
A reservoir drive mechanism is a source of energy for
driving the fluids out through the wellbore
What is a drive
mechanism?

Natural sources of reservoir

energy causing oil and gas to
flow into a wellbore

Introduction (contd)

Each drive mechanism has certain typical

performance characteristics:

Ultimate recovery factor (RF)

Pressure decline rate
GOR (Gas-Oil Ratio)
Water production / Water cut

Early identification of the active drive mechanisms

is important
Optimize a reservoir performance
through appropriate development plans

Introduction (contd)
1. Primary Drive

Production of oil and gas using the reservoirs

own energy.
No other fluids are injected into the reservoir.
Typical recoveries are around 2-30% of the
original OIIP.

Introduction (contd)
2. Secondary Drive

Comes after primary production.

Another fluid (normally water or gas) is
injected to displace the reservoir fluids.
Injected gas could be air (without N2),
produced natural gas or CO2.
Typical recoveries are around 20-50%.

Introduction (contd)
3. Tertiary Drive

Comes after secondary drive.

Normally refers to gas injection after water
flooding, to remove residual oil and to contact
unswept zones of the reservoir.
Enhanced oil recovery (EOR)
Typical recoveries are around 40-80%.

Introduction (contd)

Primary production
mechanisms:
Solution gas drive
Gas cap drive
Water influx or
aquifer drive
Compaction drive
Gravity drainage

Secondary and tertiary

production mechanisms:
Water flooding
Gas injection
Polymer flooding
Steam injection
In-situ combustion
Surfactant flooding
Foam flooding

Solution Gas Drive

Drive energy is provided by the expansion of the

initial oil volume and its dissolved gas

Oil-bearing formation is completely surrounded

by impermeable rock
No initial gas cap
No active water drive

At discovery, reservoirs
may be saturated or
under-saturated

Solution Gas Drive

Above the bubble point:

Low compressibility of oil, connate water and

pore space limited expansion
Rapid decline in pressure.

When the bubble point reached:

Gas liberated from oil its
expansion provides the drive force
Pressure decline less quickly
Liberated gas can also migrate
vertically and form secondary gas
cap

Solution Gas Drive

By definition should be no
water production.
Expected oil recovery,
low, 5-30% STOIIP.
Well locations low to
encourage vertical gas
migration

Solution Gas Drive

Performance Characteristic - GOR

Low solution
gas, less
evolved gas

Above Pb, all gas in

solution, Rp =Rsi

Solution gas
expansion,
mobile evolved
gas

Evolved gas immobile,

less solution gas

Solution Gas Drive

Performance characteristics Pressure, Oil Prod

Pb

Time

Oil Production Rate

Pressure

Pb

Time

Gas Cap Drive

Gas cap initially present in reservoir or

formed when solution gas rises to the
top.

Slow gas cap expansion is gravity

stable. Possible to avoid production of
reservoir gas.

Microscopic displacement efficiency is

90%.

Oil production rate may be very small.

Gas Cap Drive

Initial condition free gas in gas cap.

Gas contact will be at bubble point.

Energy from very high compressibility of gas cap.

In a gas injection scheme, gas may be injected into the gas

cap.

Gas Cap Drive

Water Production Negligible

Well Behaviour Longer, depends on gas cap size
Recovery 20 40% STOIIP
Well Locations
Away from GOC
Not to close to OWC

Gas Cap Drive

Oil Production
Has a significant decline but less than solution gas drive.
Decline due to reducing pressure and solution gas drive
Pressure
Production of fluids largely
due to high compressibility
of gas cap.
Pressure declines slowly
depending on gas cap size.
Gas-Oil Ratio
Early stages GOR steady.
Slowly impact of solution
gas drive increases Rp
Gas by-passing oil

Water Drive

Reservoir in contact with the supporting aquifer

As oil is produced, aquifer water expands and
displaced oil

Water Drive Reservoirs

Expansion of an active aquifer

Active aquifer
Key issue-relative
size of aquifer to
hydrocarbon
accumulation

1 V
c
V P

Water Drive

Two types:

Water Drive

Water Production, Oil Recovery

Water production an early and characteristic feature

Produced at the expense of oil
Total fluid production steady
Oil recovery 35 60% STOIIP
Water coning water is drawn

upwardly from the water bearing

portion into the oilbearing portion
about the well

Water Drive
Producing GOR
Remains constant since reservoir
undersaturated.
Pressure
Declines as aquifer
decompresses
Productivity
remains high.
Reduces as water
production
increases

Compaction Drive
Not a common drive
mechanism.
Characteristics can be
dramatic as a result of
increase in net
overburden stress as
pore pressure reduced.
Nature of the rock or its
consolidation determines
extent of mechanism

Gravity Drainage

Due to density difference between oil and gas

causing downward flow of oil
Occur at later stage, after which other drive
mechanisms have been the more dominant
Typically active during the final stage of a
depletion drive

Gravity Drainage

Can be significant and effective in steeply dipping

fractured reservoirs

Combination Drive

Rare for reservoirs to fit into the simple pure

drive classification
Many have a combination of drives during
production period.

Reservoir Performance

The production characteristics of reservoirs.

Gas-Oil ratio
pressure decline
water production
Oil production

can give indications of drive mechanism

Solution Gas Drive

Characteristics
Reservoir pressure
Gas-Oil Ratio

Production rate
Water production
Well behaviour
Expected recovery

Trend
Declines rapidly
First low then rises through a
maximum
First high, then declines rapidly
None
Requires artificial lift early
5-30% STOIIP

Gas Cap Drive

Characteristics
Reservoir pressure
Gas-Oil Ratio
Production rate
Water production
Well behaviour

Expected recovery

Trend
falls slowly and continuously
Rises continuously
First high, then declines gradually
Absent or negligible
Long flowing life depending on gas
cap
20-40% STOIIP

Water Drive

Characteristics
Reservoir pressure
Gas-Oil Ratio
Water production
Well behaviour
Expected recovery

Trend
Remains high
Steady
Early and increases to large amount
Flow until water production excessive
up to 60% STOIIP

Recovery

GOR

Water flooding

Water is injected to maintain reservoir pressure

and to displace oil.

Water source sea water, aquifer above oilbearing formation, produced water.

To optimize recovery, need to design placement

of wells which maximizes the sweep efficiency.

Typical well placements line drives, five spots,

peripheral water drives.

Gas injection

Normally described as miscible / immiscible.

Gas injection aids oil recovery by 3 mechanisms:

vaporizing gas drive (oil vaporizes into gas)

condensing gas drive (injected gas condenses into

oil)
increasing oil relative permeability and decreasing
residual oil saturation
Problems:

gravity over-ride

chanelling

To mitigate the problems, WAG is introduced.

Chemical flooding

Two types: polymer and surfactant

Polymer is added to water to make the water

more viscous to reduce channeling.

Surfactant lowers the oil-water IFT.

Chemical flooding only economical at high oil

price.