Zaxo university

School of Engineering
Principle of petroleum engineering

RESERVOIR ROCK AND

FLUID PROPERTIES
LECTURE 3
Nazir Mafakheri
Lecture 3
 Phase

• Phase:
The term phase defines any homogeneous and physically distinct
part of a system which is separated from other parts of the system
by definite bounding surfaces.
 Phase

D Thus, we say that we have a three-phase system:

./ Solid

./ Liquid

./ G as
 Phases

Three factors are important to the physical behavior of

molecules:
1) Pressure
2) Temperature
3) molecular attraction and repulsion

./ Pressure and molecular attraction tend to confine the molecules and pull
them together.
./ Temperatureand molecularrepulsiontend toseparatethemolecules.

Temperature and pressure changes cause substances to change state.

 Pure Substances
• A pure substance or chemical substance is a material that has constant
composition (is homogeneous) and has consistent properties
throughout the sample
 Compounds

Pure substance composed of two or more different elements joined

by chemical bonds.

• Made of elements in a specific ratio

that is always the same
• Has a chemical formula
• Can only be separated by
chemical means, not physically
 Mixtures

• A combination of two or more pure substances that are not

chemically combined.
• substances held together by physical forces, not chemical
• No chemical change takes place
• Each item retains its properties
in the mixture
• They can be separated physically
 Phase Diagram
• Phase transitions occur with changes in temperature and pressure.

 Phase diagrams:

A phase diagram is a type of graph used to show conditions atwhich

thermodynamically distinct phases can occur at equilibrium.

Or

A phase diagram is a graph of pressure plotted against temperature showing

the conditions under which the various phases of a substance will be present
at equilibrium.

• A phase diagram lets you work out exactly what phases are present atany
given temperature and pressure.
 Phase Diagram for Pure Substances
• This is the phase diagram for a typical pure substance
 Pure Substance
Triple point:
the point on a phase diagram at
which the three states of matter:
gas, liquid, and solid coexist.

• For example, the water

phase diagram has a triple
point corresponding to the
single temperature and
pressure at which solid,
liquid, and gaseous water
can coexist in a stable
equilibrium.
 Phase Diagram for Pure Substances

Critical point:
the point on a phase diagram
at which the substance is
indistinguishable between
liquid and gaseous states.

Or,

is the highest temperature and

pressure at which a gas and a
liquid can coexist at
equilibrium.
 Phase Diagram for Pure Substances
• Fusion(melting) (or freezing) curve: the curve on a phase diagram which represents the
transition between liquid and solid states.
• Vaporization (or condensation) curve: the curve on a phase diagram which represents the
transition between gaseous and liquid states.
• Sublimation (or deposition) curve: the curve on a phase diagram which represents the
transition between gaseous and solid states.
Pure Substance
 two-component mixture
• The behavior of a mixture of two components is not as simple as the behavior of a pure
substance.
• Instead of a single line representing the vapor-pressure curve, there is a broad region in
which two phases coexist. This region is called the saturation envelope, phase envelope,
or two-phase region.
 two-component mixture
• Bubble point:
When heating a liquid consisting of two or more components, the bubble
point is the temperature (at a given pressure) where the first bubble of vapor
or gas is formed.

• Dew Point:
As pressure is decreased below the bubble-point pressure, additional gas
appears. Finally, only a minute amount of liquid remains. This is the dew
point. The pressure at this point is known as the dew-point pressure, Pd.
Or
The dew point is the point at which the first drop of a gaseous mixture begins
to condense.
 Multicomponent system
• Figure 1-1 shows a typical pressure-temperature diagram of a
multicomponent system with a specific overall composition.
• Although a different hydrocarbon system would have a different phase
diagram, the general configuration is similar.
 Multicomponent system

 Cricondentherm (Tct):

is defined as the maximum temperatur e

above which liquid cannot be formed
regardless of Pressure.
Or, The highest temperature on the
saturation envelope is called the
cricondentherm

 Cricondenbar(pcb):

is the maximum pressure above

which no gas can be formed
regardless of temperature. Or,
The highest pressure on the
saturation envelope is called the
cricondenbar
 Multicomponent system
 Critical point:

• The critical point for a multicomponent

mixture is referred to as the state of
pressure and temperature at which all
intensive properties of the gas and
liquid phases are equal (point C).
• At the critical point, the corresponding
pressure and temperature are called the
critical pressure pc and critical
temperature Tc of the mixture.
 Multicomponent system
 Phaseenvelope (two-phase region):

The region enclosed by the bubble- point

curve and the dew-point curve (line BCA),
wherein gas and liquid coexist in
equilibrium, is identified as the phase
envelope of the hydrocarbon system.

 Quality lines:

The dashed lines within the phase diagram

are called quality lines. They describe the
pressure and temperature conditions for
equal volumes of liquids. Note that the
quality lines converge at the critical point
(point C).
 Multicomponent system

 Bubble-pointcurve:
The bubble-point curve (line AC) is
defined as the line separating the liquid-
phase region from the two-phase region.
Or
represents the line of saturated liquid (100
% liquid with an infinitesimal amount of
vapor)

 Dew-point curve:
The dew-point curve (line BC) is defined
as the line separating the vapor-phase
region from the two-phase region.
Or
represents the line of saturated vapor (100
% vapor with an infinitesimal amount of
liquid).
These multicomponent pressure-temperature diagrams are essentially
used to:

• Classify reservoirs
• Classify the naturally occurring hydrocarbon systems
• Describe the phase behavior of the reservoir fluid
 Multicomponent system

• Naturally occurring hydrocarbon systems found in petroleum reservoirs are

mixtures of organic compounds which exhibit multiphase behavior over

wide ranges of pressures and temperatures.

• These hydrocarbon accumulations may occur in the gaseous state, the liquid

state, the solid state, or in various combinations of gas, liquid, and solid.
 Multicomponent system

• These differences in phase behavior, coupled with the physical properties

of reservoir rock that determine the relative ease with which gas and

liquid are transmitted or retained, result in many diverse types of

hydrocarbon reservoirs with complex behaviors.

• Frequently, petroleum engineers have the task to study the behavior and

characteristics of a petroleum reservoir and to determine the course of

future development and production that would maximize the profit.

 Petroleum Reservoirs
• In general, reservoirs are conveniently classified on the basis of the location
of the point representing the initial reservoir pressure pi and temperature T
with respect to the pressure-temperature diagram of the reservoir fluid.

• Accordingly, reservoirs can be classified into basically two types. These are:

• Oil reservoirs:
If the reservoir temperature T is less than the critical temperature Tc of the
reservoir fluid, the reservoir is classified as an oil reservoir.

• Gas reservoirs:
If the reservoir temperature is greater than the critical temperature of the
hydrocarbon fluid, the reservoir is considered a gas reservoir.
 Oil Reservoirs

 Depending upon initial reservoir pressure pi, oil reservoirs can be sub
classified into the following categories:

1. Undersaturated oil reservoir.

2. Saturated oil reservoir.

3. Gas-cap reservoir.
 Oil Reservoirs

1) Undersaturated oil reservoir:

If the initial reservoir pressure pi (as represented by point 1 on Figure 1-1), is greater
than the bubble-point pressure Pb of the reservoir fluid, the reservoir is labeled an
undersaturated oil reservoir.
 Oil Reservoirs

2) Saturated oil reservoir

When the initial reservoir pressure is equal to the bubble-point pressure
of the reservoir fluid, the reservoir is called a saturated oil reservoir.
 Oil Reservoirs

3) Gas-cap reservoir.
• If the initial reservoir pressure is below the bubblepoint pressure of the
reservoir fluid, the reservoir is termed a gas-cap or two-phase reservoir, in
which the gas or vapor phase is underlain by an oil phase.
• The appropriate quality line gives the ratio of the gas-cap volume to reservoir
oil volume.
 Oil Reservoirs

• Crude oils cover a wide range in physical properties and chemical compositions, and

it is often important to be able to group them into broad categories of related oils.

• In general, crude oils are commonly classified into the following types:

• Ordinary black oil

• Low-shrinkage crude oil

• High-shrinkage (volatile) crude oil

• Near-critical crude oil

 The above classifications are essentially based upon the properties exhibited by
the crude oil, including physical properties, composition, gas-oil ratio, appearance,
and pressure-temperature phase diagrams.
 Oil Reservoirs

1) Ordinary black oil:

It should be noted that quality lines which are approximately equally spaced
characterize this black oil phase diagram.
 Oil Reservoirs
Hydrocarbons at depth within the Earth's crust are under high pressure and temperature.
Thus, crude oil typically has some quantity of gas dissolved in it. As the crude is brought
to the surface, pressure and temperature decrease and the dissolved gas bubbles out of the
oil. The amount of gas and oil produced at the surface is the producing gas-oil ratio.

As gas exsolves, the crude oil

volume shrinks. The amount of
decrease is the shrinkage (S) and
typically varies from 1.0 (low
dissolved gas) to 0.6 (high
dissolved gas).
 Oil Reservoirs
 Following the pressure reduction path as indicated by the vertical line EF on
Figure 1-2, the liquid shrinkage curve, as shown in Figure 1-3, is prepared by
plotting the liquid volume percent as a function of pressure.
 Oil Reservoirs

 The other associated properties of this type of crude oil are:

• The liquid shrinkage curve approximates a straight line except at very low

pressures.

• When produced, ordinary black oils usually yield gas-oil ratios between

200–700 scf/STB and oil gravities of 15 to 40API.

• The stock tank oil is usually brown to dark green in color.

When oil is brought to surface conditions it is usual for some natural gas to come out of
solution. The gas/oil ratio (GOR) is the ratio of the volume of gas that comes out of
solution, to the volume of oil at standard conditions.
 Oil Reservoirs

2. Low-shrinkage oil
The diagram is characterized by quality lines that are closely spaced near the dew-point
curve
 Oil Reservoirs
 The liquid-shrinkage curve, as given in Figure 1-5, shows the
shrinkage characteristics of this category of crude oils.
 Oil Reservoirs

 The other associated properties of this type of crude oil

are:
• Oil formation volume factor less than 1.2 bbl/STB
• Gas-oil ratio less than 200 scf/STB
• Oil gravity less than 35°API
• Black or deeply colored
3. Volatile crude oil
Note that the quality lines are close together near the bubble-point and are more
widely spaced at lower pressures
 This type of crude oil is commonly characterized by a high liquid shrinkage
immediately below the bubble-point as shown in Figure 1-7.
 Oil Reservoirs
 The other characteristic properties of this oil include:

•Oil formation volume factor less than 2 bbl/STB

•Gas-oil ratios between 2,000–3,200 scf/STB

•Oil gravities between 45–55° API

•Lower liquid recovery of separator conditions as indicated by point

G on Figure 1-6

• Greenish to orange in color

 Oil Reservoirs
4. Near-critical crude oil.
If the reservoir temperature T is near the critical temperature Tc of the hydrocarbon
system, as shown in Figure 1-8, the hydrocarbon mixture is identified as a near-critical
crude oil.
 Oil Reservoirs
• The shrinkage characteristic behavior of the near-critical crude oil is shown in Figure 1-9.
• The near-critical crude oil is characterized by a high GOR in excess of 3,000 scf/STB with
an oil formation volume factor of 2.0 bbl/STB or higher.
• The compositions of near-critical oils are usually characterized by 12.5 to 20 mol%
heptanes-plus, 35% or more of ethane through hexanes, and the remainder methane.
 Gas Reservoir
 Gas Reservoirs
• In general, if the reservoir temperature is above the critical temperature
of the hydrocarbon system, the reservoir is classified as a natural gas
reservoir.
• On the basis of their phase diagrams and the prevailing reservoir
conditions, natural gases can be classified into four categories:

• Retrograde gas-condensate
• Near-critical gas-condensate
• Wet gas
• Dry gas
 Gas Reservoirs
 Retrograde gas-condensate reservoir.
If the reservoir temperature T lies between the critical temperature (Tc) and
cricondentherm (Tct) of the reservoir fluid, the reservoir is classified as a retrograde gas-
condensate reservoir.
 Gas Reservoirs
D The associated physical characteristics of this category are:

• Gas-oil ratios between 8,000 to 70,000 scf/STB. Generally, the gas-oil ratio for a

condensate system increases with time due to the liquid dropout and the loss of

heavy components in the liquid.

• Condensate gravity above 50° API

• Stock-tank liquid is usually water-white or slightly colored.

Wet-gas reservoir
• where reservoir temperature is above the cricondentherm of the hydrocarbon mixture.
• Because the reservoir temperature exceeds the cricondentherm of the hydrocarbon
system, the reservoir fluid will always remain in the vapor phase region as the reservoir
is depleted isothermally, along the vertical lineA-B.
 Wet-gas reservoirs are characterized by the following properties:

•Gas oil ratios between 60,000 to 100,000 scf/STB

•Stock-tank oil gravity above 60° API

•Liquid is water-white in color

•Separator conditions, i.e., separator pressure and temperature, lie within the two-phase

region
 Gas Reservoirs
 Dry-gas reservoir.
The hydrocarbon mixture exists as a gas both in the reservoir and in
the surface facilities. The only liquid associated with the gas from a
dry-gas reservoir is water.