Some Nodal Analysis

Applications
Presented to: Dr. Ahmed Gawish

Presented by: Moataz M. S. Eltantawi

Agenda

1. Effect of depletion.

2. Relating performance to time.

3. Analyzing multiwell systems

Effect of Depletion

• As the pressure in a reservoir declines from depletion both the inflow

and outflow conditions can change.

• The principal parameters which will change with depletion are

gas/oil or gas/liquid ratio and water cut.

• As the pressure in an oil reservoir declines from depletion, the ability

of the reservoir to transport oil will also decline. This is caused from
the decrease in the pressure function as relative permeability to oil is
decreased due to increasing gas saturation.
Effect of Changing Gas/Liquid Ratio

As GLR increases, pressure

gradient due to hydrostatic head
decreases, but pressure gradient
due to friction increases.
Effect of Changing Water/Oil Ratio or Water
Cut
• The total pressure gradient in the
well will increase as fw increases.
• This results from an increase in liquid
density if the water is heavier than
the oil and also from a decreasing
GLR, since the free gas in the tubing
comes primarily from the oil only.
 Example
• For the following data of an oil well. Using Standing’s method for generating
future IPR’s. determine the effect of depletion on both IPR and VLP curves.
• The material balance calculation and the PVT analysis data:

• Present time data:

1- Generating the Future IPR Data

• Predict 𝑞𝐿 max 𝐹
• Vogel‘s equation is now used to generate the IPR data for both the
present and future times.
2- Generating the VLP Data
• A different outflow curve will have to be prepared for each inflow
curve because the gas/liquid ratios and water cuts are changing. It
is assumed that tubing size and wellhead pressure remain
constant.
3- Solution
4- The Oil Producing Capacity
Relating Performance to Time

• Reservoir and well performance needs to be known as a function of

time to facilitate development planning or to make economic
evaluations.
• For example, oil wells may have to be worked over or placed on
artificial lift, or gas wells may require installation of a compressor
when certain producing capacities can no longer be met. Purchasing
this equipment requires knowledge of when it will be needed.
• The timing of the expenditure of money is required for any
economic evaluation of a project or for comparison of projects that
require investment.
The procedure used to relate reservoir and
well performance to time
1. Using data from a material balance model, determine , 𝑃𝑅 ,GOR, fw,
etc., versus cumulative production, Np.
2. Construct inflow—outflow curves.
3. Construct a graph of producing capacity 𝑄𝐿 = 𝑞𝐿 versus 𝑃𝑅 .
4. Select a small increment of production, ∆𝑁𝑝 and determine the average
value of static reservoir pressure 𝑃𝑅(𝑎𝑣𝑔) , that existed during this
producing interval.
5. Enter the graph of 𝑄𝐿 versus 𝑃𝑅 ,and determine the average producing
capacity, 𝑄𝐿(𝑎𝑣𝑔) at each value of 𝑃𝑅(𝑎𝑣𝑔) .
∆𝑁𝑝
6. Calculate the time increment ∆𝑡 = 𝑄𝐿(𝑎𝑣𝑔)

7. Repeat Steps 4 through 6 and plot 𝑃𝑅(𝑎𝑣𝑔) ,and 𝑁𝑝 = ∆𝑁𝑝 versus 𝑡 = ∆𝑡

• Step 1: material balance • Step 3: field producing
Data capacity
Step 7: Performance vs time curves
Example

• For the well described in the previous example. Using the

following cumulative production versus pressure data, determine
when the oil producing capacity of the well will decline to 150
STB/day.
Step 1: Material Balance Data
Step 2: Inflow—outflow Curves
Step 3: Producing Capacity
Steps 4-6 Calculations:

Step 4 Step 5 Step 6

Step 7 Results

• Entering the graph at a value

of Qo = 150 STB/day, a time of
930 clays is obtained.

• At that time the cumulative

oil produced is approximately
300,000 STB and the reservoir
pressure is 1030 psig.
Analyzing Multiwell Systems

• In this case, a change made in any component in the system would

affect the producing capacity of the total system. Some of the
changes that could be considered are:
1. Working over individual wells.
2. Placing some wells on artificial lift.
3. Adding new wells to the system.
4. Shutting in some of the existing wells.
5. Changes in producing characteristics with time.
6. Effect of surface line sizes.
7. Installation of pumps or compressors.
8. Effect Of the final outlet pressure, pp.
The Qualitative Procedures

• The location of the node for the

final analysis must be selected
at a point such that there is no
further commingling of flow
streams downstream of the
node (point C or D).
• Intermediate nodes must be
selected at any point where
flow streams commingle
upstream of the final node
(points A and B).
 Node A

• The inflow to point A for each well

feeding into it will be calculated
from: 𝒑𝑨 = 𝑷𝑹 − ∆𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔 − ∆𝒑𝒕𝒖𝒃𝒊𝒏𝒈
− ∆𝒑𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆
• The gas/liquid ratios and water
fractions used in calculating the
pressure drops in the piping system
to this point would be those
corresponding to the individual
wells, since no commingling of well
streams has occurred.
Node B

• As point A, the inflow to point

B for each well feeding into it
will be calculated from:

• 𝒑𝑩 = 𝑷𝑹 − ∆𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔 − ∆𝒑𝒕𝒖𝒃𝒊𝒏𝒈
− ∆𝒑𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆
Node C

• The inflow expressions for the

flows coming from points A and B
are:
𝑝𝐶 = 𝑝𝐴 − ∆𝑝𝐴𝐶
𝑝𝐶 = 𝑝𝐵 − ∆𝑝𝐵𝐶
• In this case, the correct GLR and
fw for each commingled rate are
calculated using:
𝑞𝑖 𝐺𝐿𝑅𝑖 𝑞𝑖 𝑓𝑤𝑖
• 𝐺𝐿𝑅𝐴𝐶 = , 𝑓𝑤𝐴𝐶 =
𝑄𝐴 𝑄𝐴
• Similar expressions are used to
determine these values for
calculating ∆𝑝𝐵𝐶 .
Nodal Analysis at Point C

• The expression for the outflow

from point C is:
𝑝𝐶 = 𝑝𝐷 − ∆𝑝𝐶𝐷
• Calculation of ∆𝑝𝐶𝐷 for various
rates would again require
determining the correct GLR and
fw corresponding to each
𝑄𝐶 = 𝑄𝐴 + 𝑄𝐵 .
• A change in either 𝑝𝐷 or the line
size between points C and D
would result in different outflow
curves and thus different system
capacities.
References:

1. H. Dale Beggs. Production optimization using nodal analysis.

2. Ali Ghalambr, et al. “Petroleum Production Engineering A

Computer Assisted Approach”. Elsevier Science & Technology
Books. February 2007.

3. Economides m.j. hill and economides, Petroleum Production

Systems.