RESERVOIR FLUIDS

Muhamad Ikmaal Payapo 113160010

Fandy Rafzanjani Saleh 113130182
Petroleum Engineering Department, Faculty of Mineral Technology, University of pembangunan Nasional
“Veteran” Yogyakarta
Email:muhamadikmaalp@gmail.com. fandyrafzanjanisaleh@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

Reservoir fluids is defined as substances that are stored and trapped inside a subsurface reservoir. These fluids
usually consist of water, oil, and gas. The fluids that are stored in reservoir have distinct properties that can be
studied for further evaluation in order for these fluids to be produced for public use. The most common reservoir
fluids that can be produced are black oil, volatile oil, condensate (retrograde gas), wet gas, and dry gas. Water is
also found in the reservoir as one of the existing fluids, and in many cases, holds an important role as the driving
force of a reservoir. In order to have a better understanding and more complete data, these fluids have different
properties that shold be considered, and these include density, viscosity, solubility, formation volume factor, and
compressibility.

I. INTRODUCTION
meaning the oil could dissolve more gas if more gas
Reservoir is defined as a place where something is were present. If the pressure is at 2, the oil is at its
kept in store, whereas fluid is a substance that has no bubble point, and is said to be saturated - meaning
fixed shape and yields easily to external presure; a the oil contains the maximum amount of dissolved
gas or (especially) liquid. The composition of a gas and can't hold any more gas. A reduction in
reservoir can consist of water, oil, and gas as those pressure at this point will release gas to form a free
three are the most common to be found inside a gas phase inside the reservoir. Additional gas
reservoir. Reservoir fluids are moving substances evolves from the oil as it moves from the reservoir
that fill the pore of the rocks inside a reservoir. These to the surface. This causes some shrinkage of the oil.
fluids have different physical as well as chemical Black oil is often called low shrinkage crude oil or
properties that can be studied. The study of this ordinary oil.
particular material serves the function to know how
the fluids are behaving to certain changes and
ultimately to produce these fluids in oil and gas
production activity optimally in order to reach the
highest exploitation to the reservoir. Typically, there
are five main types of reservoir fluids: black oil,
volatile oil, condensate (retrograde gas), wet gas,
and dry gas. Each of these fluid types require
different approaches when analyzing the reservoir,
so it is important to identify the correct fluid type
early on in the reservoir's life. Laboratory analysis is
our primary method for determining and quantifying
fluid type, but production information such as initial
production gas-oil ratio (GOR), gravity of the stock-
Figure 1: Black Oils
tank liquid, and the color of the stock-tank liquid are
also useful indicators.
Black oils are dark in color indicating the presence
II. FLUIDS
of heavy hydrocarbons. It is characterized as having
2.1 Black Oils
initial gas-oil ratios of 2000 scf/stb or less.
Black oils are made up of a variety of components
Producing GOR will increase during production
including large, heavy, and non-volatile
when reservoir falls below bubble point pressure, 2
hydrocarbons. The phase diagram is shown below.
→ 3 as the gas evolves from the solution inside the
When the reservoir pressure lies anywhere along
reservoir and flows preferentially to the oil.
line 1 → 2, the oil is said to be undersaturated -
2.2 Volatile Oils
Volatile oils contain fewer heavy molecules and
more intermediate components (ethane through
hexane) than black oils. Volatile oils generally have
initial gas-oil ratios in the 2000 to 3300 scf/Bbl
range, and the stock tank gravity is usually 40° API
or higher. The color is generally lighter than black
oil – brown, orange, or green. Gas associated with
volatile oils tends to be very rich and similar to
retrograde condensate gas.
The phase envelope for a volatile oil tends to cover
a much narrower temperature range when compared
to a black oil; but like a black oil, the reservoir
temperature is always lower than the critical
temperature for the fluid. As the reservoir
temperature approaches the critical temperature a
volatile oil will become more gas-like such that with
even moderate depletion, a volatile oil reservoir can
flash mainly to gas and have a relatively low liquid
content.
Figure 2: Volatile Oil
2.3 Condensate (Retrograde Gas)
Condensate gas is very similar to volatile oils in
terms of the colour (green, orange, brown, even
clear) and gravity (40° to 60° API) of the produced
oil. However, the reservoir temperature of a
condensate gas reservoir is greater than the critical
temperature of the fluid, and so where a volatile oil
is a liquid at original reservoir pressure and
temperature, a condensate gas is a gas.
As pressure is reduced in a condensate gas reservoir,
the fluid will pass through the dew point and large
volumes of liquid will condense in the reservoir.
Since the gas flows preferentially to oil, much of this
oil will be unrecoverable. Consequently, it is
important to recognize that a reservoir contains a
condensate gas and re-inject dry gas to maintain
reservoir pressure above the dew point to maximize
recovery of the liquids. In the diagram below, the
retrograde gas exists completely in a gaseous state
inside the reservoir at point 1. As the pressure
decreases, the condensate exhibits a dew point at
point 2. As the reservoir further depletes and the
pressure drops, liquid condenses from the gas to
form a free liquid inside the reservoir.
Figure 3: Condensate/Retrograde Gas
2.4 Wet Gas (Rich Gas)
Natural gas that contains significant heavy
hydrocarbons such as propane, butane and other
liquid hydrocarbons is known as wet gas or rich gas.
The general rule of thumb is if the gas contains less
methane (typically less than 85% methane) and
more ethane, and other more complex hydrocarbons,
it is labelled as wet gas.
Wet gas exists solely as a gas in the reservoir
throughout the reduction in reservoir pressure.
Unlike retrograde condensate, no liquid is formed
inside the reservoir. However, separator conditions
lie within the phase envelope, causing some liquid
to be formed at the surface. This surface liquid is
normally called condensate, and the reservoir gas is
sometimes called condensate-gas, which leads to a
lot of confusion between wet gasses and retrograde
condensate. The entire phase diagram of a wet gas
will lie below the reservoir temperature. Note that
the pressure path line does not enter the phase
envelope, meaning no liquid is ever formed inside
the reservoir.
Figure 4: Wet Gas
Wet gases produce stock tank liquid with the same
range of gravities as the liquids from retrograde
gases. However, the gravity of the stock tank liquid
does not change during the life of the reservoir. Also,
producing GOR are very high ( > 50000 scf/stb) for
wet gases and remains constant.
2.5 Dry Gas
Natural gas that occurs in the absence of condensate
or liquid hydrocarbons, or gas that had condensable
hydrocarbons removed, is called dry gas. It is
primarily methane with some intermediates. The
hydrocarbon mixture is solely gas in the reservoir
and there is no liquid (condensate surface liquid)
formed either in the reservoir or at surface. The
pressure path line does not enter into the phase
envelope in the phase diagram, thus there is only dry
gas in the reservoir. The surface separator conditions
also fall outside the phase envelope (in contrast to
wet gas); hence no liquid is formed at the surface
separator.
Figure 5: Dry Gas
2.6 Water
Water often times becomes the driving force of a
reservoir. There are three different sources for all
free water found in the subsurface, which are:
1. Meteoric water, falls as rain and enters into the
subsurface via percolation.
2. Connate Water, is a sea water mixed in with the
sediments when they were deposited.
3. Mixed water, which comes from different
origins.
In waterdrive reservoirs, the importance of aquifer
holds a crucial role in driving oil and gas above it as
natural force that helps the production activity.
Aquifer itself means a subsurface layer or layers of
rock or other geological strata of sufficient porosity
and permeability to allow either a significant flow of
groundwater or the abstraction of significant
quantities of groundwater. In this particular
reservoir, there are three types of aquifer based on
its location. These are Peripheral waterdrive (the
aquifer areally encircles the reservoir, either
partially or wholly), Edgewater drive (the aquifer
exclusively feeds one side or flank of the reservoir),
and Bottomwater drive (the aquifer underlays the
reservoir and feeds it from beneath).
Figure 6: Waterdrive reservoir
III. FLUIDS PROPERTIES
3.1 Oil Fluid Properties
In order to understand the behaviour of oil, its
physical properties must be understood well. Among
those properties are:
- Density
It is defined as a ratio between the mass of oil and its
volume.
- Viscosity
Viscosity of oil is oil’s reluctance in flowing. The
higher the viscosity of oil, the harder it would be for
the oil to freely flow.
- Formation Volume Factor (FVF) ML_Files/Reference_Material/General_C
FVF or Bo is a Volume ratio between oil in oncepts/Reservoir_Fluid_Properties.htm
subsurface area with its volume after being lifted to - http://fekete.com/SAN/TheoryAndEquatio
the surface. The unit that is used to measure its ns/HarmonyTheoryEquations/Content/HT
subsurface volume is bbl while its surface volume ML_Files/Reference_Material/General_C
uses the unit Stock Tank Barrel (STB) oncepts/Reservoir_Fluid_Types.htm
- Gas solubility in Oil
Oil can contain gas that influences the physical
properties of oil. Hence, it is should be measured
correctly because this value will increase as pressure
increases.
- Compressibility
A change in volume of oil when more pressure is
being added to oil.

3.2 Gas Properties

The physical properties of gas also includes the same
parameter that oil has, except for the gas solubility
factor. The calculation of each parameter will give
us a better understanding as well as more precised
data that can be used for further analysis and
development.

3.3 Formation water

Formation water also needs the same examination
and data analysis from the same parameter. Because
of its similar physical form with oil, formation water
has the physical properties of the following:
- Density
- Viscosity
- FVF
- Gas Solubility
- Compressibility

IV. CONCLUSION
This paper provides the basic information of
what a reservoir contains. It is known that a
reservoir can contain water, oil, and also gas.
Diversity in the composition as well as other
factors such as temperature, pressure, and trap
may affect the fluids within the reservoir. The
different phases also have different physical
properties which include density, formation
volume factor, gas solubility, compressibility,
and viscosity.

REFERENCES
- http://petrowiki.org/Waterdrive_reservoirs
- http://www.dnr.louisiana.gov/assets/TAD/
education/BGBB/4/fluids.html
- http://petrowiki.org/Oil_fluid_characteristi
cs
- http://fekete.com/SAN/TheoryAndEquatio
ns/HarmonyTheoryEquations/Content/HT