Short-Term Testing Method for Stimulated

Wells—Field Examples
I.M. Kutasov, Pajarito Enterprises

Summary flow (at large values of dimensionless time tD). The suggested
A new short-term testing (STT) method is developed and pre- method can be used for any values of dimensionless time. The
sented in this paper. The STT method is based on a new semi- underlying assumptions in both methods are the same. The early-
theoretical analytical solution of the diffusivity equation for a time skin is expressed through the apparent well radius.
cylindrical source and is used to describe the transient buildup or
drawdown pressures for stimulated wells. This solution gives a
good agreement with the results of a numerical (“exact”) solution Solutions for Cylindrical and Linear Sources
of the diffusivity equation. The analytical solution allows us to It is clear from physical considerations that, for large values of
determine the bottomhole pressure (or pressure derivative) at lin- dimensionless time, the solutions for cylindrical and linear sour-
ear flow and linear-to-radial flow transition with high accuracy. ces should converge. To develop the solution for a linear source,
For small values of time, the STT method gives a half-unit slope the boundary condition expressed by Eq. 2 should be replaced by
straight line (dimensionless pressure drop is proportional to the the condition
square root of time), and for large values of time, the conventional  
equation for a radial flow can be obtained. The STT method can @p ql
limr!0 r ¼ ; t > 0 ; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ð4Þ
be used for any values of flowing or shut-in time. For this reason, @r 2pkh
the principle of superposition can be used without any limitations.
In the following, we demonstrate application of the STT method and the well-known solution in oilfield units for the pressure (at
for two acidized oil wells. r ¼ rw) for an infinitely long linear source with a constant flow
rate in an infinite-acting reservoir is (Lee 1982)
Introduction qBl
pi  pwf ¼ 141:2 pD ðtD Þ; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ð5Þ
The objective of this paper is straightforward: to show that for aci- kh
dized or hydraulic-fractured wells, in many cases, the solutions of
the diffusivity equation based on the Ei function cannot be used where B is the reservoir volume factor.
for analyzing pressure and well-flow tests. It will be shown that The dimensionless time in oilfield units is
for large negative values of the skin factor, the radial-flow regime 0:0002637 kt
may not develop during drawdown or buildup periods. tD ¼ ; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ð6Þ
/ctlrw2
Allow us to assume that a well is producing at a constant flow  
rate from an infinite-acting reservoir and the reservoir is a homo- 1 1
geneous and isotropic porous medium of uniform thickness, po- pD ðtD Þ ¼  Ei  : . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ð7Þ
2 4tD
rosity, and permeability and has fluid of small and constant
compressibility, constant fluid viscosity, small pressure gradients, In Table 1, function PD ðtD Þ ¼ pD ðtD Þ Eq. 7) and the exact so-
negligible gravity forces, and laminar flow; therefore, Darcy’s law lution of Chatas are compared. Thus, we can make a conclusion
can be applied. For a well as a cylindrical source, it is necessary that only when tD > 1,000 will the Ei function approximate the
to obtain the solution of the diffusivity equation under the follow- bottomhole pressure with high accuracy. We introduce the pres-
ing boundary and initial conditions: sure drop caused by skin,

pðt ¼ 0; rÞ ¼ pi ; rw £r < ¥; t ¼ 0 ; . . . . . . . . . . . ð1Þ qBl

pi  pwf ¼ 141:2 ½pD ðtD Þ þ s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ð8Þ
  kh
@p ql
r ¼ ; t > 0 ; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ð2Þ Allow us to assume that the apparent-radius concept can be
@r r¼rw 2pkh
used:
pðt; r ! 1Þ ! pi ; t > 0 : . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ð3Þ
rwa ¼ rw es : . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ð9Þ
where h is the reservoir thickness, rw is the well radius, pi is the
initial reservoir pressure, q is the flow rate, k is the permeability, Then,
and l is the fluid viscosity. It is well known that in this case, the qBl
diffusivity equation has a solution in complex integral form (Car- pi  pwf ¼ 141:2 ½pD ðtDa Þ; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ð10Þ
kh
slaw and Jaeger 1959; van Everdingen and Hurst 1949).
Chatas (Lee 1982) tabulated this integral for a wide range of and the dimensionless flowing time on the basis of the effective
values of tD. We will take the numerical solution by Chatas as an wellbore radius is
exact solution (pDCh). Next, we will assume that for hydraulically
fractured and acidized wells, the apparent-radius concept can be 0:0002637kt
tDa ¼ 2
: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ð11Þ
used. In practice, this means that the radius of investigation is con- /ct lrwa
siderably larger than the effective fracture half-length. Appendix A
(Tables 1 and 2) follows the conventional approach (on the basis The dimensionless bottomhole pressure for a well with skin is
of the Ei function) that can be used only for developed radial fluid  
1 1
pD ðtD Þ ¼  Ei  þ s: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ð12Þ
2 4tD
Copyright V
C 2013 Society of Petroleum Engineers

Original SPE manuscript received for review 7 January 2012. Revised manuscript received
In the case of a damaged well, the preceding expression has a
for review 11 June 2013. Paper (SPE 168219) peer approved 26 September 2013. clear physical meaning—to maintain the flow rate, an additional

426 November 2013 Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology

 TABLE 1—COMPARISON OF THE VALUES OF TABLE 2—COMPARISON OF THE VALUES OF
DIMENSIONLESS PRESSUREy DIMENSIONLESS PRESSURE†

tD pDCh pD p*D– pDCh R (%) tD pDCh pD pDpDCh R (%)

0.1 0.3144 0.0125 0.3019 96.04 0.0005 0.0250 0.0250 0.0000 0.06
0.4 0.5645 0.2161 0.3484 61.71 0.001 0.0352 0.0352 0.0000 0.02
0.8 0.7387 0.4378 0.3009 40.73 0.002 0.0495 0.0495 0.0000 0.03
1.0 0.8019 0.5221 0.2798 34.89 0.005 0.0774 0.0774 0.0000 0.02
1.4 0.9160 0.6582 0.2578 28.14 0.010 0.1081 0.1081 0.0000 0.00
2 1.0195 0.8117 0.2078 20.38 0.020 0.1503 0.1503 0.0000 0.00
4 1.2750 1.1285 0.1465 11.49 0.05 0.2301 0.2300 0.0001 0.03
6 1.4362 1.3210 0.1152 8.02 0.10 0.3144 0.3141 0.0003 0.08
8 1.5557 1.4598 0.0959 6.17 0.20 0.4241 0.4241 0.0000 0.01
10 1.6509 1.5683 0.0826 5.01 0.50 0.6167 0.6164 0.0003 0.05
15 1.8294 1.7669 0.0625 3.42 1.00 0.8019 0.8013 0.0006 0.08
20 1.9601 1.9086 0.0515 2.63 2.00 1.0195 1.0209 0.0014 0.14
30 2.1470 2.1093 0.0377 1.76 5 1.3625 1.3605 0.0020 0.15
40 2.2824 2.2521 0.0303 1.33 10 1.6509 1.6486 0.0023 0.14
60 2.4758 2.4538 0.0220 0.89 20 1.9601 1.9571 0.0030 0.15
80 2.6147 2.5971 0.0176 0.67 50 2.3884 2.3863 0.0021 0.09
100 2.7233 2.7084 0.0149 0.55 100 2.7233 2.7212 0.0021 0.08
200 3.0636 3.0543 0.0093 0.30 200 3.0636 3.0612 0.0024 0.08
500 3.5164 3.5121 0.0043 0.12 500 3.5164 3.5150 0.0014 0.04
800 3.7505 3.7470 0.0035 0.09 1,000 3.8584 3.8601 0.0017 0.04
950 3.8355 3.8329 0.0026 0.07 †
pDCh is the “exact” solution, pD – Eq. 16, R ¼ (pD – pDCh)/ pDCh  100%.
1,000 3.8584 3.8585 0.0001 0.00
†
pDCh is the “exact” solution, p*D - Eq. A-4, R ¼ (p*D – pDCh)/ pDCh 100.
Values of pD calculated from Eq. 16 and results of the numeri-
cal solution are compared in Table 2. The agreement between
pressure drop is required. But this is not a case for a stimulated values of pD calculated by these two methods is good. For this
well. Indeed, under some conditions the value of pD(tD) can be reason, the principle of superposition can be used without any
zero or even negative. It is obvious that the values of pD(tD)  0 limitations.
do not have any physical meaning.
Thus, in some cases (for small values of dimensionless time) a cy- Pressure-Buildup Test
lindrical source (wellbore) cannot be substituted by a linear source.
By use of Eq. 16 and the principle of superposition for a well pro-
ducing at rate q until time tp, and shut in thereafter, we obtain
The Basic Equation working equations for a pressure-buildup test. Allow Dt to be the
Earlier, we obtained a semianalytical equation for the wall tem- shut-in time; then,
perature for a cylindrical source with a constant heat-flow rate
(Kutasov 2003). Because of the similarity between Darcy’s law pwf ¼ pi  m
   
and Fourier’s law, the same differential diffusivity equation 1 pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
describes the transient flow of an incompressible fluid in a porous ln 1 þ c  pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi tDap t ¼ tp ;       ð17Þ
a þ tDap
medium and heat conduction in solids. As a result, a correspon- 8     9
dence exists between the following parameters: volumetric flow >
> 1 pffiffiffiffiffiffi >
>
>
< ln 1 þ c  p ffiffiffiffiffiffi tDa >
=
rate, pressure gradient, mobility, hydraulic diffusivity coefficient a þ tDa
and heat-flow rate, temperature gradient, thermal conductivity, pws ¼ pi  m     t > tp ;
>
> 1 pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi >
and thermal diffusivity. Thus, it is reasonable to assume that the >
: ln 1 þ c  pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi tDas > >
;
a þ tDas
techniques and data-processing procedures of temperature well
tests can be applied to pressure well tests.                    ð18Þ
In terms of pressure, mobility (permeability/viscosity ratio k/l), 0:0002637ktp
fluid-flow rate (q), and porosity and total compressibility product (/ct) tDap ¼ 2
; tDa ¼ tDap b; tDas ¼ tDap c ; . . .ð19Þ
in this semianalytical equation (Kutasov 2003) (in oilfield units), it /ct lrwa
can be rewritten in the following form (see also Appendix A):
tp þ Dt Dt
    b¼ ; c¼ ; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ð20Þ
ql 1 pffiffiffiffiffi tp tp
pwf ðtÞ ¼ pðt; rw Þ ¼ pi  ln 1 þ c  pffiffiffiffiffi tD ;
2pk a þ tD
qBl qBl
                   ð13Þ m ¼ 141:2 k ¼ 141:2 : . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ð21Þ
kh mh
a ¼ 2:7010505; c ¼ 1:4986055: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ð14Þ It is simple to see that for large values of tDa and tDas, we
obtain the well-known Horner equation:
Allow us to introduce the dimensionless wall pressure:
m tp þ Dt
2pkhðpi  pw Þ pws ¼ pi  ln : . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ð22Þ
pD ðtD Þ ¼ ; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ð15Þ 2 Dt
ql
Allow us to consider two cases.
    (1) The value of the initial reservoir pressure is known. At least
1 pffiffiffiffiffi
pD ðtD Þ ¼ ln 1 þ c  pffiffiffiffiffi tD : . . . . . . . . . . . ð16Þ two measurements of pressure pwf and pws1 (at t ¼ tp and Dt ¼ Dt1)
a þ tD are needed to calculate the formation permeability and skin factor.

November 2013 Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology 427

 2200
TABLE 3—RESERVOIR AND WELL DATA FOR
TWO OIL WELLS*
2100
Well IS-21, PT-1 tp ¼ 263 hours M ¼ 1.5 cp
pi ¼ 2,303 psi ct ¼ 10.410–6 psi–1 m = 186 psi/cycle
Q ¼ 870 B/D B ¼ 1.22 RB/STB 2000
h ¼ 76 ft rw ¼ 0.51 ft
Ø ¼ 0.21 pwf ¼ 1,850 psi
Well IS-7, PT-1 tp ¼ 166 hours M ¼ 2.4 cp 1900
pi ¼ 2270 psi ct ¼ 9.110–6 psi–1
Q ¼ 342 B/D B ¼ 1.18 RB/STB P1 hr
Δt, hr
20 48
h ¼ 101 ft rw ¼ 0.51 ft 1800
Ø ¼ 0.19 pwf ¼ 1,882 psi 1000 100 10 1
(tc + Δt)/Δt
*McDonald 1983.

Fig. 1—Pressure-buildup data for Well IS-21, PT-1; Horner plot

(Kutasov 2003; McDonald 1983). Courtesy of SPE.
Allow
    pwf  pws1 FðtDap Þ  WðtDap ; b1 ; c1 Þ
1 pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi h¼ ¼ ¼ f ðtDap Þ ; . . . ð31Þ
FðtDap Þ ¼ ln 1 þ c  pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi tDap ; . . . . . . . . ð23Þ pwf  pws2 FðtDap Þ  WðtDap ; b2 ; c2 Þ
a þ tDap
2 !3 tp þ Dt1 Dt1
1 b1 ¼ ; c1 ¼ ;
61þ c  pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi 7 tp tp
WðtDap ; b; cÞ ¼ ln6
4 a þ tDap b 7 5 : . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ð32Þ
pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi tp þ Dt2 Dt2
 tDap b b2 ¼ ; c2 ¼
tp tp
   
1 pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
ln 1 þ c  pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi tDap c : The procedure for solving of Eq. 31 and calculation of the
a þ tDap c
value of tDap is similar to that for Eq. 29. From the following
                   ð24Þ equation, we can determine the value of m:
Then, pws2  pws1 ¼ m½WðtDap ; b1 ; c1 Þ  WðtDap ; b2 ; c2 Þ : . . . .ð33Þ
pwf ¼ pi  mFðtDap Þ; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ð25Þ
From Eqs. 17, 21, and 30, we can determine values of the initial
pressure, formation permeability, and skin factor. From pressure-
pws ¼ pi  mWðtDap ; b; cÞ; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ð26Þ buildup-test data, a set of values pi, k, and s is calculated and the
average (or using statistical methods) values of these parameters
and are determined. To speed up calculations after Eqs. 29 and 31, we
prepared two computer programs. In the subprogram, which uses
pi  pfw FðtDap Þ
h¼ ¼ ¼ f ðtDap Þ; . . . . . . . . . . ð27Þ the Newton method, the following parameters were used: (a) the
pi  pws WðtDap ; b1 ; c1 Þ starting value of tDap is 0.01; (b) the time increment is 2; (c) the
absolute accuracy of the ratio of h is e ¼ 0.001.
where
tp þ Dt1 Dt1 Field Examples
b1 ¼ ; c1 ¼ : . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ð28Þ
tp tp In this section, we present two examples of application of the STT
method for analyzing results of pressure-buildup tests conducted
Allow us to assume that the absolute accuracy of the ratio of h in two acid-fractured oil wells (Lee 1982). We will use only
is e, then when solving the following equation, we calculate the early-test data. We will also show that the pressure/time data used
value of tDap: were recorded during the linear or the linear-to-radial-flow
transition.
h  f ðtDap Þ ¼ e: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ð29Þ
Oil Well IS-21, PT-1 and Well IS-21, PT-1 were completed on
the acid-fractured Shuaiba reservoir in Qatar (Lee 1982). The res-
The Newton method (Grossman 1977) was used for solving ervoir, well, and oil-property data are presented in Table 3.
Eq. 29. In this method, a solution of an equation is sought by
defining a sequence of numbers which become successively closer Oil Well IS-21, PT-1. A pressure-buildup test was conducted in
and closer to the solution. The conditions, which guarantee that this well, and the duration of the shut-in period was 48 hours.
Newton’s method in our case will work and provide a unique so- Using the type-curve matching approach, it was determined that
lution, are satisfied (Grossman 1977). the Horner straight line was to begin after approximately 30 hours
From Eq. 25, we can calculate the value of m. Then, the forma- of shut-in time. As was mentioned by McDonald (1983): “Therefore,
tion permeability can be determined from Eq. 21, and finally, the the straightline drawn through the late-time data on the Horner plot
skin factor can be estimated from Eq. 19. (Fig. 1), although not well defined, still should be correct Horner
sffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
0:0002637ktp rwa straightline.” From the slope m ¼ 186 psi/cycle, the average perme-
rwa ¼ ; s ¼ ln : . . . . . . . . . . . . ð30Þ ability of 18.3 md was determined, and by using the value of p1 hr ¼
tDap /ct l rw 1,853 psi, the skin factor of 4.7 was calculated. Assuming the val-
ues of skin factor (4.7) and formation permeability (18.3 md) are
(2) The value of the initial reservoir pressure is not known. At correct, we tabulated Eq. 7, inserting tD with tDa (Table 4). Table 4
least three measurements of pressure ( pwf, pws1, and pws2) at indicates that by use of Eq. 7 at Dt ¼ 30 hours, it allows us to calcu-
t ¼ tp, Dt ¼ Dt1, and Dt ¼ Dt2 are needed to calculate the forma- late the dimensionless pressure with a relative accuracy of approxi-
tion permeability, initial reservoir pressure, and skin factor. From mately 3.5%. Note also that the duration of the test is 311 (263þ48)
Eqs. 23 and 24, we obtain hours, the value of tDa (at 311 hours) is less than 150, and the Ei

428 November 2013 Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology

 TABLE 4—COMPARISON OF THE VALUES OF TABLE 5—PROCESSING OF BUILDUP DATA BY THE STT
DIMENSIONLESS PRESSURE FOR THE WELL IS-21, PT-1† METHOD, OIL WELL IS-21, PT-1y

tDa Time (hours) pDCh pD pDCh – pD R (%) Dt (minutes) pws (psi) k (md) s tDap

1.0 2.13 0.8019 0.5221 0.2798 34.89 60 1,942 17.81 4.784 101.3
2.0 4.26 1.0195 0.8117 0.2078 20.38 70 1,949 17.99 4.761 107.1
3.0 6.40 1.1665 0.9947 0.1718 14.73 80 1,953 17.80 4.785 101.1
4.0 8.53 1.2750 1.1285 0.1465 11.49 90 1,957 17.69 4.800 97.6
5.0 10.66 1.3625 1.2339 0.1286 9.44 105 1,963 17.62 4.808 95.5
6.0 12.79 1.4362 1.3210 0.1152 8.02 120 1,967 17.38 4.840 88.4
7.0 14.93 1.4997 1.3952 0.1045 6.97 150 1,977 17.36 4.843 87.8
8.0 17.06 1.5557 1.4598 0.0959 6.17 180 1,986 17.39 -4.838 88.8
9.0 19.19 1.6057 1.5169 0.0888 5.53 240 1,998 17.08 4.878 80.5
10.0 21.32 1.6509 1.5683 0.0826 5.01 330 2,013 16.83 4.910 74.4
15.0 31.98 1.8294 1.7669 0.0625 3.42 480 2,032 16.55 4.946 68.1
20.0 42.64 1.9601 1.9086 0.0515 2.63 540 2,041 16.79 4.916 73.4
30.0 63.97 2.1470 2.1093 0.0377 1.76 600 2,047 16.74 4.922 72.4
40.0 85.29 2.2824 2.2521 0.0303 1.33 780 2,063 16.71 4.925 71.7
50.0 106.61 2.3884 2.3630 0.0254 1.06 960 2,077 16.81 4.913 73.9
60.0 127.93 2.4758 2.4538 0.0220 0.89 †
pi ¼ 2,303 psi. Average values: k ¼ 17.25 md, s ¼ 4.80.
70.0 149.25 2.5501 2.5306 0.0195 0.77
80.0 170.58 2.6147 2.5971 0.0176 0.67
90.0 191.90 2.6718 2.6558 0.0160 0.60 method (using only the early-time data) shows that these parame-
100.0 213.22 2.7233 2.708 0.0149 0.55 ters are in good agreement. The fracture length was defined by
150.0 319.83 2.9212 2.9107 0.0105 0.36
† L ¼ 2rwa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ð34Þ
tDa (1 hour) ¼ 0.469, pDCh is the “exact” solution, pD - Eq. 7, R ¼ (pDCh – pD )/pDCh
100.
Next, allow us to consider a more general case when the value
of pi is not known. The input data and results of calculations are
function describes pressure buildup with low accuracy (Tables 1 and presented in Table 6. The average value of formation permeabil-
4). We should also mention that deviations pDCh – pD can be incor- ity is 19.35 md, and the average value of the skin factor is 4.76.
rectly attributed to the wellbore-storage effect. The reader also can In this case, also the values of s and k are close to the parameters
observe that the method of pressure derivatives cannot be used if the obtained from the Horner plot. The STT method can be also used
Ei solution is erroneously used. for evaluation of the efficiency of wellbore stimulation.
First, we consider a case when the initial pressure is known. In
Table 5, we present results of calculation of formation permeabil-
ity and skin factor. Only pressure records taken for the first 16 Oil Well IS-7, PT-1. A pressure-buildup test was conducted in
hours of shut-in period were used. Comparison between the values this well, and the duration of the shut-in period was 59 hours.
of skin factor s ¼ 4.7 and formation permeability k ¼ 18.3 md Using the type-curve matching approach, it was determined that
obtained from the Horner plot (large shut-in times) and those the Horner straight line was to begin after approximately 15 hours
(s ¼ 4.80, k ¼ 17.25 md) determined by using the suggested of shut-in time. From the slope m ¼ 143 psi/cycle (Fig. 2), the
average permeability of 10.9 md was determined, and by using
the value of p1 hr ¼ 1,952 psi, the skin factor of 3.8 was calcul-
ated.
TABLE 6—DETERMINATION OF FORMATION PERMEABILITY, Assuming that the values of skin factor (–3.8) and formation
SKIN FACTOR, AND INITIAL PRESSURE BY THE permeability (10.9 md) are correct, we tabulated Eq. 7, inserting
STT METHOD, OIL WELL IS-21, PT-1y tD with tDa (Table 7). Table 7 uses Eq. 4 at Dt ¼ 15 hours, and
allows us to calculate the dimensionless pressure with a relative
Dt1 (hrs) Dt2 (hrs) pws1 (psi) pws2 (psi) k (md) s pi (psi) accuracy of approximately 2.6%. Note also that the duration of
the shut-in period for the test is 59 hours, has a value of tDas (59
2 4 1,967 1,998 21.31 4.667 2,257
2 9 1,967 2,041 20.19 4.715 2,269
2 10 1,967 2,047 20.11 4.718 2,269 2300
2 13 1,967 2,063 19.61 4.740 2,275
2 16 1,967 2,077 18.95 4.769 2,283
2200
3 9 1,986 2,041 21.17 4.659 2,260
Pws , psi

3 10 1,986 2,047 20.96 4.668 2,262

3 13 1,986 2,063 20.17 4.705 2,270 2100 m = 143 psi/cycle
3 16 1,986 2,077 19.31 4.745 2,280
4 9 1,998 2,041 19.44 4.758 2,275
2000
4 10 1,998 2,047 19.40 4.760 2,276
4 13 1,998 2,063 18.86 4.787 2,282 P1 hr
Δt, hrs
4 13 1,998 2,063 18.86 4.787 2,282 10 20 59
1900
4 16 1,998 2,077 18.10 4.825 2,290 1000 100 10 1
9 16 2,041 2,077 16.58 4.929 2,305 (tc + Δt)/Δt
10 16 2,047 2,077 16.07 4.963 2,311
†
Fig. 2—Pressure-buildup data for Well IS-7, PT-1; Horner plot
pwf ¼ 1,850 psi. Average values: k ¼ 19.35 md, s ¼ 4.76.
(Kutasov 2003; McDonald 1983). Courtesy of SPE.

November 2013 Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology 429

 TABLE 7—COMPARISON OF THE VALUES OF TABLE 8—PROCESSING OF THE PRESSURE BUILDUP DATA
DIMENSIONLESS PRESSURE FOR WELL IS-7, PT-1y BY THE STT METHOD, WELL IS-7, PT-1y

tDa t (hours) pDCh pD pDCh – pD R (%) Dt (minutes) pws (psi) k (md) s tDap

0.10 0.08 0.3144 0.0125 0.3019 96.04 55 2,002 11.88 3.546 401.0
0.20 0.15 0.4241 0.0732 0.3509 82.74 70 2,010 11.75 3.578 371.9
0.30 0.23 0.5024 0.1463 0.3561 70.88 85 2,017 11.67 3.598 354.6
0.40 0.30 0.5645 0.2161 0.3484 61.71 100 2,021 11.45 3.653 311.5
0.50 0.38 0.6167 0.2799 0.3368 54.62 130 2,030 11.25 3.701 278.5
0.60 0.45 0.6622 0.3376 0.3246 49.02 160 2,038 11.14 3.728 261.4
0.70 0.53 0.7024 0.3900 0.3124 44.47 205 2,047 10.95 3.776 233.0
0.80 0.60 0.7387 0.4378 0.3009 40.73 265 2,058 10.84 3.803 218.8
0.90 0.68 0.7716 0.4817 0.2899 37.58 355 2,070 10.64 3.851 195.0
1.00 0.75 0.8019 0.5221 0.2798 34.89 475 2,085 10.65 3.849 195.8
2.00 1.50 1.0195 0.8117 0.2078 20.38 600 2,098 10.72 3.832 204.0
3.00 2.25 1.1665 0.9947 0.1718 14.73 720 2,105 10.50 3.884 180.3
4.00 3.00 1.2750 1.1285 0.1465 11.49 †
pi ¼ 2,270 psi. Average values: k ¼ 11.13 md, s ¼ 3.73.
5.00 3.75 1.3625 1.2339 0.1286 9.44
6.00 4.50 1.4362 1.3210 0.1152 8.02
7.00 5.25 1.4997 1.3952 0.1045 6.97
hrs) that is less than 80, and the Ei function describes pressure
8.00 6.00 1.5557 1.4598 0.0959 6.17 buildup with low accuracy (Tables 1 and 7).
9.00 6.75 1.6057 1.5169 0.0888 5.53 Consider a case when the initial pressure is known. In Table 8,
10.00 7.50 1.6509 1.5683 0.0826 5.01 we present results of calculation of formation permeability and
15.00 11.25 1.8294 1.7669 0.0625 3.42 skin factor. Only pressure records taken for the first 12 hours of
20.00 15.00 1.9601 1.9086 0.0515 2.63 the shut-in period were used. It was estimated that the average
30.00 22.51 2.1470 2.1093 0.0377 1.76 values are k ¼ 11.13 md and s ¼ 3.73.
40.00 30.01 2.2824 2.2521 0.0303 1.33 Next, allow us to consider a more general case when the
50.00 37.51 2.3884 2.3630 0.0254 1.06 value of pi is not known. The input data and results of calcula-
60.00 45.01 2.4758 2.4538 0.0220 0.89
tions are presented in Table 9. The average value of formation
permeability is 13.21 md, and the average value of the skin fac-
70.00 52.51 2.5501 2.5306 0.0195 0.77
tor is 3.52.
80.00 60.02 2.6147 2.5971 0.0176 0.67 Thus, the estimated values of s and k in both cases and those
90.00 67.52 2.6718 2.6558 0.0160 0.60 (s ¼ 3.8, k ¼ 10.9 md) obtained from the conventional Horner
100.00 75.02 2.7233 2.7084 0.0149 0.55 plot are in satisfactory agreement.
150.00 112.53 2.9212 2.9107 0.0105 0.36 Wellbore storage has been recognized as affecting short-time
200.00 150.04 3.0636 3.0543 0.0093 0.30 pressure behaviour (Earlougher 1977).
250.00 187.55 3.1726 3.1658 0.0068 0.22 In our cases, the storage effect is not significant at Dt >1 hour
300.00 225.06 3.2630 3.2568 0.0062 0.19 (Well IS-21, PT-1) and at Dt >55 minutes (Well IS-7, PT-1). Tables
† 5 and 8 indirectly confirm the previously mentioned statement.
tDa (1 hour) ¼ 1.333, pDCh is the “exact” solution, pD - Eq. 7, R ¼ (pDCh – pD )/
pDCh 100. Indeed, at these times, pressure behaviour approximates by the sug-
gested equation (i.e., which governs the linear and transitional fluid
flow). Wellbore storage shows (Earlougher 1977) (in the cases
when the Horner plot can be used and the Ei solution is applicable)
TABLE 9—DETERMINATION OF FORMATION PERMEABILITY,
a unit slope straight line in a log-log plot of Dp (pi – ps) vs. ts. The
SKIN FACTOR, AND INITIAL PRESSURE BY THE STT
end of this plot determines the duration of wellbore storage.
METHOD FOR OIL WELL IS-7, PT-1y
The suggested equation at large values of dimensionless time
transforms to the conventional Horner plot (Eq. 22).
Dt1 Dt2 pws1 pws2 k pi
Tables 4 and 7 show the accuracy of determination pD when
(minutes) (minutes) (psi) (psi) (md) s (psi)
the conventional solution (based on the Ei function) for various
100 355 2,021 2,070 15.37 3.30 2,215 time intervals instead of the suggested equation is used. For exam-
ple, if the time interval is 2.13  t  17.06 hours (first field exam-
100 475 2,021 2,085 14.24 3.40 2,228
ple), the relative accuracy of pD is between 6.2 and 34.9% (Table
100 600 2,021 2,098 13.44 3.47 2,239
4). Similarly for the second field example, if the time interval is
100 720 2,021 2,105 13.68 3.45 2,236 3.0  t  30.0 hours, the relative accuracy of pD is between 1.3
130 355 2,030 2,070 14.90 3.35 2,219 and 11.5% (Table 7).
130 475 2,030 2,085 13.72 3.46 2,233
130 600 2,030 2,098 12.91 3.54 2,244
130 720 2,030 2,105 13.24 3.51 2,240 Conclusions
160 475 2,038 2,085 13.49 3.49 2,236 A new STT method for stimulated wells is developed. The STT
160 600 2,038 2,098 12.63 3.58 2,247 method is based on a new semitheoretical analytical solution of
160 720 2,038 2,105 13.03 3.54 2,242 the diffusivity equation for a cylindrical source and is used to
205 475 2,047 2,085 12.70 3.59 2,244 describe the transient buildup or drawdown pressures for stimu-
205 600 2,047 2,098 11.89 3.68 2,255 lated wells. This suggested solution gives a good agreement with
205 720 2,047 2,105 12.45 3.62 2,247 the results of a numerical solution of the diffusivity equation. The
265 600 2,058 2,098 11.47 3.73 2,260
analytical solution allows us to determine the bottomhole pres-
sure (or pressure derivative) at linear flow and at the linear-to-
265 720 2,058 2,105 12.23 3.65 2,250
radial-flow transition with high accuracy. The STT method can
†
Average values: k ¼ 13.21 md, s ¼ 3.52. be used for any values of flowing or shut-in time. For this

430 November 2013 Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology

reason, the principle of superposition can be used without any Appendix A
limitations. The field-data-processing technique is validated by Derivation of Eq. 13. We will begin with the comparison of solu-
a buildup test conducted in two acid-fractured oil wells. As is tions of the diffusivity equation for a cylindrical and linear source.
shown in Tables 1 and 2, the suggested methods can be used for Allow us to assume that a well is producing at a constant flow rate
any values of dimensionless time, and consequently for any a from an infinite-acting reservoir and the reservoir is a homogeneous
range of permeabilities/mobilities. The method will work best at and isotropic porous medium of uniform thickness, the porosity
large values of negative skin factors (i.e., for stimulated wells). and permeability are constant, fluid is of small and constant com-
pressibility, it has constant fluid viscosity, small pressure gradients,
Nomenclature negligible gravity forces and the laminar flow in the reservoir and
B ¼ oil formation volume factor, RB/STB Darcy’s law can be applied. For a well as a cylindrical source, it is
ct ¼ total compressibility, Lt2/m, psi–1 necessary to obtain the solution of the diffusivity equation under
Ei ¼ exponential integral the following boundary and initial conditions:
F ¼ function (Eqs. 23 and 29)
h ¼ reservoir thickness, L, ft pðt ¼ 0; rÞ ¼ pi ; r  rw ; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ðA-1Þ
k ¼ formation permeability, L2, md  
L ¼ fracture length, L, ft @p ql
r ¼ ; t > 0; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ðA-2Þ
r ¼ radial distance, L, ft @r rw 2pkh
rs ¼ skin radius, L, ft
rw ¼ well radius, L, ft pðt; r ! 1Þ ¼ pi ; t > 0; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ðA-3Þ
rwa ¼ effective wellbore radius, L, ft
p ¼ pressure, m/Lt2, psi
where h is the reservoir thickness, rw is the well radius, pi is the
pD ¼ dimensionless pressure
initial reservoir pressure, q is the flow rate, k is the permeability,
pi ¼ initial reservoir pressure, m/Lt2, psi
and l is the fluid viscosity.
pwf ¼ bottomhole flowing pressure (at t ¼ tp), m/Lt2, psi
The solution (at r ¼ rw) is (Carslaw and Jaeger 1959)
pws ¼ bottomhole shut-in pressure, m/Lt2, psi
q ¼ fluid-flow rate, L3/t, STB/D ð
1 2
qD ¼ dimensionless fluid-flow rate 4 1  eu t
s ¼ skin factor pD ðtD Þ ¼ du; . . . . . . . . . . . . . ðA-4Þ
p2 u ½J1 ðuÞ þ Y12 ðuÞ
3 2
t ¼ time, t, hours 0
tD ¼ dimensionless time
tDa ¼ dimensionless time based on the effective well radius where J1(u) is the Bessel function of the first kind and Y1(u) is the
tDap ¼ dimensionless production time based on the effective modified Bessel function of the first kind. Chatas (van Everdingen
well radius and Hurst 1949) tabulated this integral over a wide range of val-
tDas ¼ dimensionless shut-in time based on the effective well ues of tD (Function pDCh) (Lee 1982). Next, we will call the func-
radius tion pDCh an exact solution.
tp ¼ flowing (production) time, t, hours The dimensionless time (tD) in oilfield units is
Dt ¼ shut-in time, t, hours
0:0002637kt
e ¼ absolute accuracy of the ratio h tD ¼ ; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ðA-5Þ
h ¼ ratio (Eqs. 27 and 31) /ct lrw2
l ¼ viscosity, m/Lt, cp
/ ¼ porosity where / is porosity and ct is the total compressibility. To develop
w ¼ function (Eq. 24) the solution for a linear source, the second condition is replaced
by the condition
 
@p ql
ð2 Þlimr!0 r ¼ ; t > 0; . . . . . . . . . . . . ðA-6Þ
Acknowledgements @r 2pkh
The author would like to thank Gokhan Coskuner and the anony-
mous Associate Editor and three Technical Editors who reviewed and the well-known solution for the pressure at a well producing
the manuscript thoroughly. Their critical comments and valuable at a constant rate in an infinite-acting reservoir is
suggestions were helpful in preparing this paper. qBl
pi  pwf ¼ 141:2 pD ðtD Þ; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ðA-7Þ
kh
References where B is the reservoir volume factor.
Carslaw, H.S. and Jaeger, J.C. 1959. Conduction of Heat in Solids, second  
edition, 261–338. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. 1 1
Earlougher, R.C. Jr. 1977. Advances in Well Test Analysis, Vol. 5. New pD ðtD Þ ¼  Ei  : . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ðA-8Þ
2 4tD
York: SPE/AIME.
Grossman, S.I. 1977. Calculus, 256–259. New York: Academic Press. In Table 1, the function pD  (tD) ¼ pD(tD) (Eq. A-8) and the
Kutasov, I.M. 2003. Dimensionless temperature at the wall of an infinite exact solution are compared.
long cylindrical source with a constant heat flow rate. Geothermics 32 Thus, we can make a conclusion that only at tD > 1,000 will
(1): 63–68. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0375-6505(02)00045-7. the Ei function approximate the bottomhole pressure with high ac-
Lee, J. 1982. Well Testing, 106–107. Richardson, Texas: Monograph Se- curacy. We introduce the pressure drop caused by skin,
ries, SPE.
McDonald, S.W. 1983. Evaluation of Production Tests in Oil Wells Stimu- qBl
lated by Massive Acid Fracturing Offshore Qatar. J Pet Technol 35 pi  pwf ¼ 141:2 ½pD ðtD Þ þ s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ðA-9Þ
kh
(3): 496–506. SPE-9641-PA. http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/9641-PA.
van Everdingen, A.F. and Hurst, W. 1949. The Application of the Laplace Allow us to assume that the apparent-radius concept can be
Transformation to Flow Problems in Reservoirs. In Transactions of the used
American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, Vol. 186,
SPE-94305-G, 305–324. Dallas, Texas: American Institute of Mining
rwa ¼ rw es : . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ðA-10Þ
and Metallurgical Engineers Inc.

November 2013 Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology 431

 Then, pD, we have found that for any values of dimensionless time,
qBl the following semitheoretical equation is a good approximation
pi  pwf ¼ 141:2 ½pD ðtDa Þ of the dimensionless bottomhole pressure (Carslaw and Jaeger
kh 1959):
: . . . . . . . . . . . . ðA-11Þ
0:0002637kt
tDa ¼ pffiffiffiffiffi
2
/lctrwa pD ðtD Þ ¼ ln ð1 þ D tD Þ; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ðA-17Þ
From Table 1 for tD > 1,000, one can observe the convergence 1
D¼c pffiffiffiffiffi : . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ðA-18Þ
of solutions for cylindrical and linear sources. Then, for values of a þ tD
tD ! 1, the logarithmic approximation of the Ei function can be
used, and Using the value of D (tD ! 0) ¼ b, we can determine the coef-
  ficient a
1 1 1
pD ðtD Þ ¼  Ei  ¼ ðln tD þ ln 4  0:57722Þ; 1 pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
ffi 2
2 4tD 2 ¼ e0:80907  pffiffiffi ; a ¼ 2:7010505; . . . . . . . . ðA-19Þ
a p
1
¼ ðln tD þ 0:80907Þ               ðA-12Þ
2 and
where 0.57722 is Euler’s constant. The preceding equation for    
qh l 1 pffiffiffiffiffi
values of tD ! 1 can be transformed to pðt; rw Þ ¼ pi  ln 1 þ c  pffiffiffiffiffi tD :
2pkh a þ tD
1                    ðA-20Þ
pD ðtD Þ ¼ ðln tD þ 0:80907Þ
2 ; . . . . . . . . . . . . . ðA-13Þ
pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi pffiffiffiffiffi Thus, we obtained a semitheoretical equation (Eq. 13) of the
¼ ln tD e 0:80907 ¼ lnð1 þ c tD Þ
bottomhole pressure pwf ¼ p(t,rw) for a well produced at a constant
pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi flow rate. Thus, we introduce the dimensionless bottomhole pres-
c¼ e0:80907 ; c ¼ 1:4986055: . . . . . . . . . . . . . ðA-14Þ sure as
It is known (Kutasov 2003) that for an infinite cylindrical 2pkhðpi  pw Þ
source at values of tD ! 0, a linear flow exists and the dimension- pD ðtD Þ ¼ : . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ðA-21Þ
qh l
less wall temperature is
rffiffiffiffiffi
tD We obtain Eq. 16.
pD ðtD Þ ¼ 2 : . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ðA-15Þ Values of pD are calculated from Eq. 16, and the results of the
p
numerical solution are compared in Table 2. The agreement
Eq. A-15 follows a linear regime of flow and a half-unit slope between values of pD calculated by these two methods is good.
straight line exists in a log-log plot of pD vs. tD. The duration of For this reason, the principle of superposition can be used without
the linear regime of flow is short. For example, for tD ¼ 0.005, the any limitations.
value of pD ¼ 0.0794 (Eq. A-15).
This agrees well with the exact value of 0.0774 (Table 2). I.M. (Izzy) Kutasov is senior research engineer-consultant for
Thus, the time interval for the linear regime of flow is 0.00  Pajarito Enterprises in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Before taking on
tD  0.005; for the transitional regime, the time interval is 0.005 his current position, he was a senior lecturer in the School of
 tD  1,000; and a developed radial regime of flow exists at Petroleum Engineering at University of New South Wales in Syd-
tD > 1,000 (Table 2). ney, and a graduate faculty member in the Department of
Petroleum Engineering and Geosciences at Louisiana Tech
pffiffiffiffiffi
pD ðtD Þ ¼ lnð1 þ b tD Þ; University. Kutasov worked for Shell Development Company in
Houston as a senior research physicist. His research interests
2 : . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ðA-16Þ include the temperature regime of deep wells, transient pres-
b ¼ pffiffiffi b ¼ 1:128379
p sure/flow analysis, and well drilling in permafrost regions. Kuta-
sov holds a PhD degree in physics from O. Schmidt Earth
By use of the previously presented relationships and apply- Physics Institute in Moscow. He can be reached at ikutasov@
ing the trial-and-error method to approximate Chatas values of hotmail.com

432 November 2013 Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology