Advanced Gas Material Balance

in Simplified Format
S. Moghadam, O. Jeje, and L. Mattar, Fekete Associates Inc.

Abstract

Material balance has long been used in reservoir engineering practice as a simple yet powerful tool to determine the original gas in
place (G). The conventional format of the gas material balance
equation is the simple straight line plot of p/Z vs. cumulative gas
production (Gp), which can be extrapolated to zero p/Z to obtain
G. The graphical simplicity of this method makes it popular. The
method was developed for a volumetric gas reservoir. It assumes
a constant pore volume (PV) of gas and accounts for the energy
of gas expansion, but it ignores other sources of energy, such as
the effects of formation compressibility, residual fluids expansion
and aquifer support. It also does not include other sources of gas
storage, such as connected reservoirs or adsorption in coal/shale.
In the past, researchers have introduced modified gas material balance equations to account for these other sources of energy. However, the simplicity of the p/Z straight line is lost in the resulting
complexity of these equations.
In this paper, a new format of the gas material balance equation is
presented, which recaptures the simplicity of the straight line while
accounting for all the drive mechanisms. This new method uses a
p/Z** instead of p/Z. The effect of each of the previously mentioned
drive mechanisms appears as an effective compressibility term in
the new gas material balance equation. Also, the physical meaning
of the effective compressibilities are explained and compared with
the concept of drive indices. Furthermore, the gas material balance
is used to derive a generalized rigorous total compressibility in the
presence of all the previously mentioned drive mechanisms, which
is important in calculating the pseudotime used in rate transient
analysis of production data.

Introduction

It has been of great interest to find G by using material balance.

The conventional gas material balance equation was developed
for a volumetric gas reservoir. Therefore, the p/Z vs. cumulative gas production plot may give misleading results in some situations [e.g., when the formation compressibility is of the same order
of magnitude as gas compressibility (overpressured reservoirs)
or where desorption plays a role (coalbed methane/shale)]. Fig. 1
shows p/Z vs. Gp for several scenarios with the same G. It can be
seen from this figure that except for the volumetric reservoir, the
plot is not a straight line because gas expansion is not the only drive
mechanism. In fact, water encroachment in water-drive reservoirs,
formation and residual fluid expansion in overpressured reservoirs
and gas desorption in coalbed methane (CBM) or shale reservoirs
can have a significant role as a driving force in these cases. In these
situations, where the gas expansion is not the dominant driving
force, modified material balance equations have been developed by
several researchers. Among them, Ramagost and Farshad(1) modified the conventional material balance equation to account for PV
shrinkage caused by formation and residual fluid expansion and inThis paper (2009-149) was accepted for presentation at the 10th Canadian International
Petroleum Conference (the 60th Annual Technical Meeting of the Petroleum Society),
Calgary, 16-18 June, 2009, and revised for publication. Original manuscript received for
review 23 March 2009. Revised paper received for review 26 April 2010. Paper peer approved 28 April 2010 as SPE Paper 139428.

90

Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology

troduced a new plotting function that keeps the material balance as

a straight line. Therefore, the modified material balance equation
can be used for overpressured reservoirs. Later, Rahman et al.(2)
introduced a rigorous form of material balance equation that considers the effect of the formation and residual fluid expansion.
The attempt to find a material balance equation for unconventional gas reservoirs started when these resources became more
popular. Jensen and Smith(3) proposed a simplified material balance equation for unconventional gas reservoirs by assuming that
the stored free gas is negligible and consequently omitted the effect of water saturation completely. However, King(4) derived a
comprehensive material balance equation for unconventional gas
reservoirs that accounts for the free and adsorbed gas, water encroachment/production and water and formation compressibility.
Seidle(5) suggested that the water saturation change does not have
a significant effect on material balance and substituted constant
water saturation in Kings material balance.
This study presents an advanced, rigorous gas material balance
equation and its plotting function that unifies all the previously
mentioned modifications in one equation. The new gas material
balance equation has the same format as traditional material balance and can be plotted as a straight line with pi/Zi as y-intercept
and G as x-intercept. A significant advantage of this material balance equation is that it can be used to define the total compressibility of the system; therefore, the pseudotime calculated with this
total compressibility honours material balance in all situations.

Volumetric Reservoir

The conventional gas material balance was derived based on the

fact that the remaining gas in the reservoir at any pressure expands
to fill the reservoir volume, which was initially occupied by G at
the initial pressure [Fig. 2(a)]. In other words, the reservoir volume
occupied by gas stays constant. In this situation, gas compressibility is the only production mechanism.

GBgi = G Gp Bg ,........................................................................(1)

where Bgi is initial gas formation volume factor, Bg is gas formation volume factor at pressure p, G is original-gas-in-place and Gp
is cumulative gas produced.
Substituting for Bg from the real gas law, at constant temperature, results in:

p pi Gp
..........................................................................(2)
1=
Z Z i G
The previously described equation is the well-known conventional gas material balance equation.

Generalized Equation

In this paper, we derive the advanced gas material equation to account for water encroachment in waterdrive reservoirs, expansion
of formation and of residual liquids in overpressured reservoirs
and gas desorption in CBM and shale gas reservoirs in the same

Overpressured Reservoir
Waterdrive Reservoir
Volumetric Reservoir
CBM Reservoir

p /Z

pi /Z i

Water Influx and Production. In a waterdrive reservoir, the aquifer provides pressure support for the reservoir by encroachment of
water into the gas reservoir. The encroached water (We) decreases
the PV available for the remaining gas [Fig. 2(b)]. The reservoir
volume changes because the net encroached water (DVwip) can be
calculated from(6):

Vwip = 5.615 We W p Bw ,.............................................................(4)

G
0
0

Gp

Fig. 1Conventional plot p/Z vs. cumulative gas production.

simple format of Equation (2). However, the modification needs to

be started from Equation (1).
Each of the previously mentioned effects can be added to the
right side of Equation (1) as a volume change term.
GBgi = (G G p ) Bg + Vwip + Vep + Vd ..........................................(3)

The explanation of each of the volume change terms is provided

in the following sections.
Reservoir @ p

Reservoir @ p i

where We is the water encroachment into the gas reservoir, Wp is

water produced at surface and Bw is the water formation volume
factor (5.615 is a constant used only in oilfield units).
The encroached water may be determined by using the aquifer
models in the literature, such as Schilthuis (steady state)(6), Fetkovich (pseudosteady state)(7), Carter and Tracy(8) and Van
Everdingen and Hurst (unsteady-state)(9). Each of these has its own
assumptions and applications.
Overpressured Reservoir. Formation and residual fluid compressibility are usually small in comparison with gas compressibility.
Therefore, in general, ignoring the formation and the residual fluid
expansion does not affect the gas material balance significantly.
However, at high pressures the gas compressibility is of the same
order of magnitude as that of the formation and residual liquids.
Overpressured reservoirs are the most common example of this
situation, in which ignoring the effect of formation and residual
fluid expansion may result in serious overprediction of G. In overpressured reservoirs, the p/Z vs. Gp plot yields two distinct slopes.
The first slope (shallow) is in the pressure range where formation
Produced
volume @ p
(a)

GBgi

(GGp )Bg
(b)

GBgi

(WeWpBw)+ (GGp )Bg

Vwip

(c)

GBgi

Vep
= (GBgi /Sgi)(c f +c w Swi+coSoi )(p ip)
+ (GGp )Bg
(d)
Vd

G f Bgi = BVBVL(p i /(p L+p i )p /(p L+p ))Bg

+(Gf Gp)Bg
(e)

G f Bgi = (G f Bgi /Sgi)(c f +cw Swi+coSoi )(p ip)

+(WeWpBw )
+BVBVL(p i /(p L+p i )p /(p L+p ))Bg
+(Gf Gp)Bg
Fig. 2Schematic of reservoir volume at initial pressure and a lower pressure.
January 2011

91

and residual fluid expansion play a significant role, while the second slope (steep) reflects the region where gas expansion is the
dominant production mechanism(1). Ramagost and Farshad(1) considered the effect of formation and residual fluid expansion by a
volume change equal to

GBgi S wcw + c f

(Ga). The red-dashed box in Fig. 2(d) shows the volume of desorbed gas at reservoir pressure p, which is added to the free
gas. The desorbed gas volume, which needs to be added to the right
side of Equation (1), can be calculated from (for Sgi>0):
Vd = B Bg

) ( p p) .

S gi

VL pi
V p
L ).........................................(8)
pL + pi pL + p

1 Sw

Advanced Material Balance Equation

Later, Rahman et al.(2) introduced a rigorous form of this volume

change by integrating the compressibility equation for any substance in the reservoir. The total effect of formation and the residual
fluids compressibility can be added together as(2):

The advanced material balance equation, with consideration of

water encroachment/production, formation and residual fluids expansions and gas desorption, can be derived by substituting DVwip,
DVep, and DVd from Equations (4), (7) and (8) into Equation (3):

i
i
i

c f dp
cw dp
co dp
Bgi G
...................(5)
p
p
p
Vep =
(
1

e
)+
S
(
e

1
)+
S
(
e

1
)
wi
oi

S gi

G f Bgi = (G f G p ) Bg + (We W p Bw )

When matrix shrinkage occurs during CBM production, the

(fracture) porosity containing the free gas increases. In that situation, cf has a negative value and is a complex function of pressure.
If cf, cw and co are constant values, a simplified form of Equation (5) can be written as:
Vep =

Bgi G

(1 e c f ( pi p ) ) + S wi (ec w ( pi p ) 1) +
S gi
..........................(6)
Soi (eco ( pi p ) 1)

The approximate form of Equation (6) can be found considering

e x1+x as:
Vep =

BgiG
S gi

(c f + S wi cw + Soi co )( pi p).................................................(7)

Equation (7) is the format used by Ramagost and Farshad(1).

Because of its simplicity, it is also the format that is used in this
paper, but for a more rigorous calculation, DVep from Equation (5)
should be used. The effect of formation and residual liquids expansions, DVep, is depicted in Fig. 2(c).
CBM/Shale Gas Desorption. The gas storage mechanism in a
CBM (or shale gas) reservoir is unlike that of a conventional gas
reservoir. In a typical gas reservoir, gas is stored in the pores by
compression. In a CBM/shale reservoir, in addition to the free gas
(Gf) stored in the fracture network, gas is stored within the coal/
shale matrix by adsorption. As the reservoir pressure is reduced,
gas is desorbed from the surface of the matrix. The amount of
gas stored by adsorption can exceed the gas stored by compression. Desorption of gas is commonly described by the Langmuir
Isotherm as specific gas content
=

VL p
,
pL + p

Adsorbed gas=Ga = BVB

G f Bgi

(c f + cw S wi + co Soi )( pi p) ................................(9)

S gi

+ B Bg

G f Bgi
S gi

VL pi
V p
L )
pL + pi pL + p

If both sides of the previously described equation are divided

by

G f Bgi
S gi

(reservoir PV), it can be reduced to:

Gp
p
p
( S gi cwip cep cd ) = i (1
) S gi ,.......................................(10)
Z
Zi
Gf

where cwip, cep and cd are defined as cwip, the change in PV caused
by the water encroachment/production relative to the reservoir PV:

cwip =

Vwip
G f Bgi S gi

5.615(We W p Bw )
G f Bgi S gi

...................................(10A)

cep is the relative change of the PV caused by the formation and

residual fluid expansion (approximate form):
cep =

Vep
G f Bgi S gi

= (c f + cw S wi + co Soi )( pi p )........................(10B)

cd is the relative change of the PV caused by gas desorption:

cd =

B Bg VL pi
Vd
V p
=
(
L ) ............................(10C)
pL + pi pL + p

G f Bgi S gi

Note that the variables cwip, cep and cd are not compressibilities
(as implied by their symbol), but they represent the relative change
in the PV caused by the specific mechanism.

VL is the Langmuir volume parameter and pL is the Langmuir pressure parameter.

Specific gas content is the volume of gas per unit mass of coal.
Therefore, the total amount of gas adsorbed can be calculated from:
VL p
,
pL + p

where rB and VB are the density and volume of the coal, respectively, and VL is on a dry, ash-free basis.
The material balance equation is based on the reservoir volume
that the free gas occupies at the initial pressure. For CBM, this is
equal to Gf Bgi. In a conventional gas reservoir, G=Gf , but for a
CBM reservoir, the total G includes the Gf and the adsorbed gas
92

G f Bgi

Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology

Plotting Function of Advanced

Gas Material Balance

Equation (10) is an easy formulation for a general material balance

equation and can be plotted as (p/Z)(Sgi-cwip-cep-cd) vs. Gp to
give a straight line. However, it is derived based on the PV of the
free gas. Therefore, the straight line crosses the abscissa at Gf (free
gas volume), not G. This is an inconvenience, and is a disadvantage
of this plotting format (see Fig. 3) when compared to the conventional material balance (Fig. 1), where the abscissa is G. It is worth
mentioning that G can be found easily if Gf is known,
G = Gf +

G f Bgi B VL pi
.
S gi pL + pi

p i /Z i

p i /Z i

p/Z

p/Z

p /Z *

p i /Z i

p/Z

p /Z
G f not G

(p/Z )(Sgicwipcepcd)

0
0

Gp

Gp
Fig. 4Kings p/Z* and p/Z plots.

Fig. 3(p/Z)(1-cwip-cep-cd ) and p/Z plots.

Note also that Equation (10) must be solved iteratively in the case
of water encroachment/production because Gf appears in the cwip
term.
In his work explaining CBM material balance, King(4) introduced Z* as:
Z* =

S gi c f + cw S wi

Z
B
W W B
( pi p ) Ge G pS w + V p B pg + p
( L )
f
gi
gi
L

Gp p
p
= 1 i ..............................................................(12)
Z **
G Z i **
The advantage of the Z** format is that the p/Z** values are
similar in magnitude to the conventional p/Z values. As shown in
Fig. 5, p/Z** vs. Gp is a straight line that starts from the conventional pi/Zi and extrapolates to G. This formulation and presentation has simplified the applicability of the general material balance
equation. The definition of Z** was derived from Equations (10)
and (12) as:

and reformatted Equation (1) as:

p G p pi ................................................................(11)
= 1
Z *
G Z i *
This equation has the same format as the conventional gas material balance equation, and can be plotted as a straight line of
p/Z* vs. Gp, which extrapolates to G, as can be seen in Fig. 4. This
format has a clear advantage over that of Fig. 3 in that it extrapolates to the greater practical value of G rather than Gf. Whereas this
format is theoretically applicable to gas reservoirs other than CBM,
the fact that the p/Z* values bear little resemblance to the conventional p/Z values detracts from its utility.
In an effort to generalize the gas material balance equation for
all reservoirs (conventional, overpressured and CBM/shale), we
have developed a Z** variable to replace Kings Z* and have rewritten the gas material balance equation, Equation (10), as:

p /Z

p i /Z i

p/Z

p/Z **

G
0
0

Gp
Fig. 5p/Z** and p/Z plots.

Z ** =

p
1 p
G ............(13)
p G
( S gi cwip cep cd ) + i
1 f

Zi G f
G
S gi Z

Also, Z** is related to Kings Z* by the following relationship:

Z
Z ** = Z * i .
Z *i
Equation (12) is the general material balance equation for all gas
reservoirs (conventional, overpressured and CBM/shale). When
plotted as p/Z** vs. Gp it yields a straight line, which, similar to
the conventional p/Z plot, starts from the conventional pi/Zi and extrapolates to G.

Analysis Procedure

To interpret field data, when multiple drive mechanisms exist it is

good engineering practice to select for modification the most important of these mechanismsand to specify constant values of the
other mechanisms.
In the following example, the rock compressibility was specified as constant and except for gas expansion, waterdrive is considered to be the important mechanism to be accounted for. A sample
procedure is presented:
1.Specify cf and pi. Select the aquifer model (in this example
we chose Fetkovich).
2.For each data point, calculate cep [Equation (10B)].
3.Assume cwip = 0.
4.Calculate Z** using Equation (13) (note: when there is no adsorption, as in this example, G/Gf is equal to 1. If adsorption is present
Bgi B VL pi
G
= 1+
).
Gf
S gi pL + pi
5.Plot p/Z** vs. Gp(Fig. 6).
January 2011

93

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Curved data
First estimate of OGIP=30.5 Bscf

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300000

500000

700000

900000

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1300000

1500000

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2300000

2500000

2700000

2900000

3100000

Net Cumulative Gas Production, MMscf

Fig. 6p/Z** vs. Gp (cwip is assumed to be 0 in Z** calculation).

6.Choose/adjust aquifer parameters; calculate We.

7.Draw best straight line though p/Z** vs. Gp data (this data
may be curved) and extrapolate to G (on the x-axis).
8.Calculate cwip [Equation (10A)].
9.Return to Step 4.
10.Repeat until acceptable straight line is obtained (Fig. 7).

Drive Indices

Drive indices were defined to indicate the relative contribution of

different drive mechanisms in oil recovery(9). The same concept can
also be applied for gas reservoirs(10). The drive indices are defined
relative to the produced gas volume:
Gas (Compressibility) Drive Index
GDI =

G Bg Bgi
G p Bg

)=

VG
G p Bg

Formation and Residual Liquids Saturation Compressibility

Drive Index
CDI =

Vep
G p Bg

Waterdrive Index
WDI =

Vwip
G p Bg

Desorption drive index can be added to the previously mentioned indices as:
DDI =

Vd
G p Bg

Theoretically, the sum of the drive indices should equal 1. This

is identical to Gp Bg=DVG+DVwip+DVep+DVd, as is shown schematically in the right side of Fig. 2(e).
The variables cwip, cep and cd defined in Equation (10) are related to the drive indices. The denominator in those variables is the
reservoir PV, whereas the denominator in the drive indices is the
produced gas volume at pressure p, Gp Bg.
It is worth noting that in a conventional gas reservoir, the gas
compressibility drive, GDI, is the dominant drive mechanism,
whereas in an unconventional gas reservoir such as a CBM or shale
94

Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology

gas reservoir, GDI can be fairly small (or even negligible) in comparison with the desorption drive index, DDI.

Total Compressibility and Pseudotime

In fluid-flow and pressure transient analysis of gas reservoirs, pseudovariables (pseudotime and pseudopressure) are used to linearize
the diffusivity equation. Pseudotime is defined as:
dt ,
0 ct
t

ta =

where m is the viscosity of the gas and ct is the total compressibility

of the system. The conventional definition of ct is(11):

ct = c f + Soi co + S wi cw + S gi cg .
The problem with the traditional definition of the total compressibility is that it does not always honour the material balance equation. Therefore, the computed pseudotime may contain
a considerable error. Rahman et al.(12) introduced a rigorous
pseudotime definition, which is defined by manipulating the
material balance equation. Their major assumption is that gas
was the only mobile phase in a conventional gas reservoir. In
this paper, a more generalized form of the gas material balance equation is used, which considers water production and is
not limited to conventional gas reservoirs. Therefore, it can be
used for waterdrive and also unconventional gas reservoirs (e.g.,
CBM/shale gas reservoirs). The detailed derivation of this pseudotime is given in the Appendix. The total compressibility is defined as:

cwip cep cd

,
ct = cg S gi cwip cep cd

p
p
p

where cwip, cep, cd and their derivatives are defined in the Table 1.

Conclusions

An advanced gas material balance equation has been presented and

the corresponding plotting function introduced; therefore, the material balance equation can be plotted as a straight line with pi/Zi as
y-intercept and G as x-intercept.
The similarity of the recommended plotting procedure, pi/Z**
vs. Gp, to the more commonly used p/Z format is a great practical
advantage. It allows the use of a rigorous material balance formulation for complex and unconventional gas reservoirs, while retaining
the simplicity and familiarity of the commonly used p/Z format.

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Net Cumulative Gas Production, MMscf

Fig. 7p/Z** vs. Gp.

The advanced gas material balance equation is used to derive a

rigorous definition for total compressibility that can be used for analyzing fluid-flow in unconventional gas reservoirs, or when gas is
not the only mobile phase.

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the contribution of N.M. Anisur Rahman

to this development.JCPT

Nomenclature

Bg = gas formation volume factor at time, t, ft3/scf, m3/m3

Bgi = initial gas formation volume factor, ft3/scf, m3/m3
Bw = water formation volume factor, bbl/stb, m3/m3
c
= compressibility, 1/psia, 1/Pa
c
= in the Appendix, the summation of cwip, cep and cd
cd = relative volume change caused by CBM gas
desorption,

Vd
S gi
GBgi

cep = relative volume change caused by residual fluid and

formation,

Vep

GBgi

S gi

cf = formation compressibility, 1/psia, 1/Pa

cg = gas compressibility, 1/psia, 1/Pa
co = oil compressibility, 1/psia, 1/Pa
cs = CBM sorption compressibility (Appendix)
ct = total compressibility, 1/psia, 1/Pa
cw = water compressibility, 1/psia, 1/Pa
cwip = relative volume change caused by water influx and
production,

Vwip
GBgi

S gi

G
= original-gas-in-place, Bcf, m3
Ga = adsorbed-gas-in-place, Bcf, m3
Gf = free-gas-in-place, Bcf, m3
Gp = cumulative gas produced to time t, Bcf, m3
k
= permeability, md, m2
kr = permeability, md, m2
p
= pressure, psia, Pa
psc = standard conditions reservoir pressure, psia, Pa
PL = Langmuir pressure, psia, Pa
q
= flow rate, MMscfd, m3/s
S = gas saturation, %
Sgi = initial gas saturation, %
So = oil saturation, %
Soi = initial oil saturation, %
Sw = water saturation, %

Swi = initial water saturation, %

t
= time, hours, s
ta = pseudotime, hours, s
T
= reservoir temperature, F, K
Tsc = standard conditions temperature, F, K
VB = bulk volume, ft3, m3
Vi = initial volume, ft3, m3
VL = Langmuir volume, scf/ton, m3/kg
We = Water encroachment into formation, bbl, m3
Wp = cumulative water produced, Bbl, m3
Z
= Gas compressibility factor, no units
Zi = initial gas compressibility factor, no units
5.615 = Conversion constant in oilfield units, ft3/bbl 3

DV = change in volume, scf, m3

DVd = change in volume caused by CBM gas desorption,
ft3, m3
DVep = change in volume caused by formation and the
residual fluids expansion, ft3, m3
DVwip = change in volume caused by water encroachment/
production, bbl, m3

m = viscosity, cp, Pa.s

rB = bulk density, lb/ft3, kg/m3

f = porosity, %

y = pseudopressure, psia2/cp, Pa/s
Subscripts
a = adsorbed
B = bulk
d = desorption
e = encroachment
ep = expansion
f = free
g = gas
i = initial
L = Langmuir
o = oil
p = production
r = relative
s = sorption
sc = standard conditions
t = total
w = water
wip
= water influx and production
SI Metric Conversion Factors
bbl 1.589873
E-01 = m3
*
cp
1.0
E-03 = Pas
ft
3.048*
E-01 = m
January 2011

95

TABLE 1SUMMARY OF TOTAL COMPRESSIBILITY EQUATIONS

FOR ALL RESERVOIR TYPES
Definition

cwip =

Comment

5.615(We W p Bw )
G f Bgi S gi

Waterdrive reservoir

cwip

5.615 We
=
p
G f Bgi S gi p

cep = (c f + cw S wi + co Soi )( pi p ) = ce ( pi p )
cep
p

cep = (1 e
cep
p

c f (pi p )

)+S wi (e

c w (pi p )

1)+Soi (eco (pi p ) 1)

= Soi co eco ( pi p ) + S wi cwecw ( pi p ) + c f e

pi

cep = (1 e

c f dp
p

pi

c f ( pi p )

cw dp
co dp
)+S wi (e p
1)+Soi (e p
1)

pi

pi

pi

cwdp

cep = (1 F (p ))+S wi (e p

pi

co dp
1)+Soi (e p
1)

cwdp
co dp
dF ( p )
+S wi cwe p +Soi co e p
=

p
dp

cd =

co, cw and c f are

constant.
cep is simple form.

co, cw and c f are

pressure-sensitive,
without matrix
shrinkage.
cep is rigorous form.

pi

pi

cep

))

pi

c f dp

cw dp
co dp
= c f e p +S wi cwe p +Soi co e p

cep

= cf 1 cf ( pi p ) + S wi cw 1 + cw ( pi p ) + Soi co 1 + co (

co, cw and c f are

constant.
pi p cep is approximate form.

pi

co, cw and c f are

pressure-sensitive, with
matrix shrinkage.
cep is rigorous form.

B Bg
V p
V p
(1 a m) ( L i L )

pL + pi pL + p

p
cd B BgVL
1
p
p

+
+
=
(1 a m) cg i
2

p
pL + pi pL + p pL + p ( pL + p )

hp 7.46043
E-01 = kW
F (F-32)/1.8 = C
lb
4.535924
E-01 = kilogram (kg)
ton 9.071847
E-01 = Mg
*Conversion

factor is exact.

References
1. Ramagost, B.P. and Farshad, F.F. 1981. P/Z Abnormally Pressured Gas
Reservoirs. Paper SPE 10125 presented at the SPE Annual Technical
Conference and Exhibition, San Antonio, Texas, USA, 47 October.
doi: 10.2118/10125-MS.
2. Rahman, N.M.A., Anderson, D.M., and Mattar, L. 2006. New, Rigorous Material Balance Equation for Gas Flow in a Compressible
Formation. Paper SPE 100563 presented at the SPE Symposium
on Gas Technology, Calgary, 1517 May. doi: 10.2118/100563MS.
3. Jensen, D. and Smith, L.K. 1997. A Practical Approach to Coalbed
Methane Reserve Prediction Using A Modified Material Balance Technique. Paper 9765 presented at the International Coalbed
Methane Symposium, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA, 1217 May.

96

Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology

CBM/shale gas
reservoir

4. King, G.R. 1993. Material-Balance Techniques for Coal-Seam and

Devonian Shale Gas Reservoirs with Limited Water Influx. SPE
Res Eng 8 (1): 6772; Trans., AIME, 295. SPE-20730-PA. doi:
10.2118/20730-PA.
5. Seidle, J.P. 1993. Long-Term Gas Deliverability of a Dewatered
Coalbed. J Pet Technol 45 (6): 564569; Trans., AIME, 295. SPE21488-PA. doi: 10.2118/21488-PA.
6. Schilthuis, R.J. 1936. Active Oil and Reservoir Energy. SPE936033-G. Trans., AIME, 118: 3352.
7. Fetkovich, M.J. 1980. Decline Curve Analysis Using Type Curve. J Pet
Technol 32 (6): 10651077. SPE-4629-PA. doi: 10.2118/4629-PA.
8. Carter, R.D. and Tracy, G.W. 1960. An Improved Method for Calculating Water Influx. SPE-1626-G. Trans., AIME, 219: 415417.
9. Van Everdingen, A.F. and Hurst, W. 1949. The Application of the Laplace Transformation to Flow Problems in Reservoirs. SPE-949305-G.
Trans., AIME, 186: 305324.
10. Pletcher, J.L. 2000. Improvements to Reservoir Material Balance
Methods. Paper SPE 62882 presented at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Dallas, 14 October. doi: 10.2118/62882-MS.
11. Ramey, H.J. Jr. 1964. Rapid Methods for Estimating Reservoir Compressibilities. J Pet Technol 16 (4): 447454; Trans., AIME, 231.
SPE-772-PA. doi: 10.2118/772-PA.

 12. Rahman, N.M.A., Mattar, L., and Zaoral, K. 2006. A New Method for
Computing Pseudo-Time for Real Gas Flow Using the Material Balance Equation. J Can Pet Technol 45 (10): 3644. JCPT Paper No.
06-10-03. doi: 10.2118/06-10-03.
13. Bumb, A.C. and McKee, C.R. 1988. Gas Well Testing in the Presence
of Desorption for Coalbed Methane and Devonian Shale. SPE Form
Eval 3 (1): 179185. SPE-15227-PA. doi: 10.2118/15227-PA.

Appendix: Total Compressibility and Pseudotime

The purpose of this Appendix is to define ct for any reservoir type

in a general form that honours material balance. The gas material
balance in Equation (10) can be written as:

p
p G f Gp
S gi c = i
S gi ,................................................(1A)
Z
Zi
Gf

where p is reservoir pressure at time, t, Z is the compressibility

factor, Sgi is the initial gas saturation, c is the summation of cwip,
cep and cd, pi is the initial reservoir pressure, Zi is the initial compressibility factor, Gf is the original-free-gas-in-place and Gp is the
gas produced to time, t.
Equation (1A) is rearranged to:
p
p (G f G p ) .................................................................(2A)
= i
S gi
Z Z i G f S gi c

Next, Equation (2A) is differentiated with respect to time con

c c p , where q represents the rate at
G p = q and
=
t
t p t
time, t. This results in the following equation:
sidering

( )

c p
(G f G p )
p t ..................(3A)
p pi S gi q

=
2
t Z
Z iG S gi c

S gi c

The chain rule can be applied to the right side of Equation (3A) as:

p p p 1
p Z p .
=

=

t Z p Z t Z Z 2 p t
Also, remembering that cg =
by

p
, results in:
Z

p Z iG f
q .
p p
=

cg

S gi c t S gi c
Z pi S gi

The previously described equation can be solved for

p
=
t

qS gi pi Z
G f Zi p

c
cg S gi c
p

1 1 Z
, and then multiplying

p Z p

p
k p
The next step is involving pseudopressure, = 2 r dp.
z

p
o
Therefore,

2kr p ..............................................................................(7A)
=
p
z
Combining Equations (6A) and (7A) together results in
qS gi pi Z
G f Zi p

P 2 k r p
,
=
=
Z c S c c
t
p t
g gi
p
which expands to:
2kr S gi pi
2kr qS gi pi
( q )

G
Z

G f Z i

P
f
i

=
=
=
p t c S c c c S c c
t
g gi
g gi
p
p
...............................................(8A)

There is a relationship between pseudopressure and pseudotime(12) as:

2 pi qkr S gi

.....................................................................(9A)
=
GZ i
t a

2kr S gi pi
( q)
G f Z i
G f Zi
t a t a
=
=

t t c S c
2 pi qkr S gi
g gi
p
t a
=
t

c .....................................................(10A)
cg S gi c
p

Substitute Equation (4A) into (3A):

S gi c

Therefore, Equation (5A) becomes

dt
, which gives,
0 ct
t

c p
c
(G f G p )
p t .................(5A)

Equation (1A) can be rearranged as

.......................................................(6A)

Therefore, Equations (8A) and (9A) together results in:

p p p ....................................................................(4A)
= cg
t Z Z t

p Z i G f p
q
cg
=

Z
pi S gi t S gi c

p
:
t

(G f G p )
S gi c

p ZiG
.
Z pi S gi

Also, pseudotime is defined as ta =

t a
1
. Therefore,
=
t ct

c
ct = cg S gi c .........................................................(11A)
p

Depending on what kinds of assumptions are used for reservoir

type, the previously described equation changes to match the reservoir. The most general form of the total compressibility equation is:
January 2011

97

cwip cep cd

ct = cg S gi cwip cep cd

p
p
p

For CBM reservoirs, cg ( cd )

cg ( cd )

cd
can be further simplified to:
p

pL
cd B BgVL
.
=
( pL + p )2
p

The previously described formulation removes the dependence

of the CBM terms on initial pressure. It is defined as the sorption
compressibility, cs(13).
This changes the form of the total compressibility equation to
the following:

cwip cep

ct = cg S gi cwip cep

+ cs .
p
p

Summary of Equations

p
p Gp
S gi cwip cep cd = i 1
S gi
Z
Zi G f

p
p Gp
= i 1
Z ** Z i **
G

Z ** =

p
1 p
G
p G
( S gi cwip cep cd ) + i
1 f

Zi G f
G
S gi Z

cwip cep cd

ct = cg S gi cwip cep cd

p
p
p

Authors
Samane Moghadam is a reservoir engineer
with Fekete Associates Inc., where she is
working on software development-related
R&D projects. She holds B.Sc. degrees in
mechanical engineering and petroleum engineering from Sharif University of Technology
in Iran and an M.A.Sc. degree in petroleum
systems engineering from the University of
Regina.
Oluyemisi Jeje has been with Fekete and Associates Inc. for over 8 years as a member of
the R&D department. He holds a B.Sc. degree in chemical engineering from the University of Calgary.

Louis Mattar is the president of Fekete Associates Inc. He specializes in the analysis of
production data and well tests. He has authored over 60 technical publications. He has
received the Society of Petroleum Engineers
Distinguished Author Award and the Outstanding Service Award. In 2003, Mattar was
the SPE International Distinguished Lecturer
in well testing.
98

Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology