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RESERVOIR
DESCRIPTION
.-
Kl Wells
..
K. K. CLARK
MEMBER AIME
I PAN AMERICAN
TULSA,OXIA.
PETROLEUM
CORP.
An infinite radial system is shown in Fig. 1C. This Eq. 3 is based on the infinite radial system shown at the
model is applicable only during the late-lime transient bottom of Fig. 1. Russell and Truitt demonstrated that the
period after wellbore or fracture effects have dissipated. true formation permeability is related to the apparent
This model is used to determine the apparent perme- permeability by
ability utilized by the Russell and Truitt permeability k = & ~-l. WX,lXa
. . . . . . . ., (4)
adjustment expression previously noted.
All three of the flow models shown in Fig. 1 are assumed Substituting Eqs. 3 and 4 in Eq. 2, and rearranging, yields
to be homogeneous. In addition, the fracture is assigned
~,e.. 0!2 q 1?1,.
infinite flow capacity, is of constant volume, and is of
height equal to the thickness of the formation. The pres-
sure-vs-time response of the infinite linear system as de.
W9.?,lx ~
w, 4 -----
hj c
(5)
pictt?d at the top. of Fig. 1. @ expressed by, Eq. s is solved most conveniently for fracture length by
the graphical method indicated by Fig. 4.
(1)
Wellbore damage,. or posit]ve skin as used in this paper.
is dcfrned as a tilter.cake type of deposit in the region
Term A in the equation is the cross-hatched area shown of the wellbore or on the fracture faces. From an inter-
in Fi~. 1A. In the case of a vertically fractured wellbore pretive standpoint, it is important that the filter cake be
that N centrally located on a fracture of length 2X,, the thin so that pressure transients within the positive skin
total formation arc= exposed to the fracture is 4X,h. Sub- region dic out quickly. Table 3 shows that quasi-steady-
stituting this expression for A and for m,. which is defined state conditions are established within 15 seconds for rela-
as Ap/V-r~ into Eq. 1, and solving for X,, the following tively thin filter-cake deposits.
equation is obtained:
Testing Procedure
X,=yy!- . . . . . . . . . (2)
v tjck Manually recording pressure fall-off data points with a
good quality surface pressure gauge and stop watch for
If true formation permeability is known from a previous the first few minutes of readings provides sufficient resolu.
long-term fall-off test. Eq. 2 can be used to calculate frac- tion for earlytime data. Manual recordings normally cover
ture lengths from short-term, shut-in test data. However, a time range from about k2 minute to 15 minutes. Circular
if true formation permeability is not known, a modified chart recorders often arc used for [he remainder of the
version of Eq. 2 is required. This method requires a longer pressure fall-off test. Afterflow effects following shut.in
term shut-in test period to obtain the necessary data. for a pressure fall-off test in such a fluid-packed system
Apparent permeability is defined as the minimum value are negligible even at very early shut-in times. Therefore,
obtainable from the usual semilog plot of pressure vs time these early-time data can be used with much more con-
and is expressed by fidence than similar data from a producing well during a
pressure buildup test.
~ ,, 162.6qp Reauired duration of the shut-in oeriod derserrds on lhc
. . . . . . . . (3)
1)1,.h objec~ves of the test and the reser;oir prop;rtics. Unfor-
II+ y
Yfj
)
COMPLETE TIME
RANGE.
ADJUSTMENT FACTOR
FOR PERMEABILITY
. . -..
~;;~:;R:RIA((F)-
; ,,1. -- pw<. m-, .
Mf3DERATELY LARGE
,,,,A~,,q-,..A
H: -- :---To LARGETIME~
--- FEW
---- -:.-- - .- -
I-mum) - -
APPARENT P.ERMEABliJTY
, .,. . ... .. AND EXTERNAL PRESSURE ; : ~ -
.,. . . .. . . ,.~.
-,. . .- .: ..
F~~.l~low sysrc;rr~ usi~ !o%lyze~elj test
. . dam and .tfe;r application. . ..-~ - ~ : . , -
-640. . ... .
innately, it is not possible to specify test duration require- TABLE lPARAMETERS FOR SYNTHETIC FALL.OFF CURVE,
..wnts that would have universal application. It is sug- 30 PERCENT FRACTURE PENETRATION
gested that test requirements for a particular field be estab- Reservoir
lished by leaving a few wells shut in for a very long Parameter
__ .-, -- True Calculated
. -----
period, i.e., a week or more. AnaIysis of these test cases k 3rnd-- 3.3 md
should indicate the approximate test duration require. x, 198 ft 184 ft
ments for the following types of calculations: + skin 100 psi 100 psi
1, Short duration for wellbore damage and fracture x, 660 ft
length (Eq. 2 only), 6 0.10
2. Long duration for interwell properties such as per- # 0.7 Cp
meability and average reservoir pressure (graphical method c 0.00001 psi
using Eqs. 3 through 5). . . .. h 100 ft
Field data from several West Texas carbonate reservoirs q 2,065 BWPD
indicate that about 1 hour is required for the first type of To 600 hours
test, and several days of shut-in time is required for the ... ... .. ..- ..--. .---.-.
long duration test. Permeability of these reservoirs is in
the range of 1 to 10 md. Reservoirs with lower per- vertically fractured formation is shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 3
meabilities or those containing very compressible fluids, shows the same pressure data plotted vs square root of
such as free gas at pressures below 1,000 psi, would reqrrjre shut-in time. These curves were computed from Ihe re-
longer shu!.in periods. sponse functions presented by Russell and Truitt. The
Injection prior to shut-in should bc held relatively con- reservoir parameters associated with these curves are shown
stant for about four times the expected duration of the in Table 1.
pressure fall-off test to simplify interpretation of test iMaximum slopes formed by the pressure data on the
results. When surface presw.m measurements are used, above plots are used to compute the rmfuired reservoir
Iubing friction pressure losses should be deducted from parameters. These slopes are shown as m, on Fig. 2 and
the ifSjLC[iOII pressure fOr purpOSM Of COStIpUtiT)g positive m, on Fig. 3. Substituting these slopm and the reservoir
skin. parameters in Table 1 into fEq. 5 yields a value of 143 for
the fracture-length function, Fracture length is determined
(ldlculation Procedure
from Fig. 4 as shown by the dashed line. True matrix
A theoretical pressure fall-off curve for a well in a permeability is calculated with Eqs. 3 and 4. Positive skjn
or wellbore damasze is indicated by the difference between
bottom-hole injec~on pressure pr;or to shut-in and the
2000 ~ 1 extrapolated zero.time pressure as illustrated on Fig. 3. lf
the true matrix permeability is known from a previous
V 2400 -
long-term fall-off test, fracture Icngth can be computed
a.. directly by Eq. 2. This can be useful during subsequent
tests to take advantage of shorter rcquirc!d shut-in time.
g 2200 -
v-) Field Examples
u-l PS1/CYCLE
2 2000 -
a Pressure fall-off curves for four water injection WCIISarc
shown in Figs. 5 through 8. These WCIIS are open-hole .
; IFIOO- completions in a West Texas Grayburg limestone forma-
% tion at a depth of 4,200 ft. They were stimulated at com-
1600 , , pletion during the 1930s with several hundred quarts of
.1 I 10 100 solidified nitroglycerin. Before being converted to injection
TIME ,tfOUfW status, the wells received numerous acid treatments and at
least one small-volume fracture treatment. Cumulative
Fig. 2--.5 ynthctic jail-ofl ct{rve jor fractlirc penclrnlion oj injection in each of these wells is approaching I million
30 percent, log T plot. - bbl. Generally speaking, waterflood response has been
good at offset producers in this project.
2700
Premature water breakthrough associated with channel- 2. All calculated parameters deviated from their known
ing or fracturing has occurred around a few injectors. values by less than 10 percent,
Results of impression packer, interference, and tracer dye Conventional radial flow analysis of these generated
tekts indicate vertical fractures oriented approximately data yields a value for permeability of 5.55 md and a skin
east-west are common in the general area. of -5.21. A fracture length of 92 ft is obtained from this
Injection Wells A and D apparently are connected to value of skin, These values deviate from their known
vertical fractures of interwell dimensions. Pressure fall-off values by factors of about two, It should be noted that
curves for these wells are shown on Figs. 5 and 7. The the conventional method of calculating skin combines into
cast offset producing wells to both of these injectors have a single number the improvement due to fracturing and
experienced severe premature water breakthrough. Tracer the damage due to filter-cake-type pressure IOSSCS.The
dyes injected in Well A have been observed within a few calculation procedures described in this paper evaluate
hours at the east offset producer. No tracer dye was de- these two parameters independently. This is of consider-
t&tcd at ihe other three producers offsetting Well A. able utility when selecting workover candidates. Filter- .
Volume of the fracture or channel connecting these wells cake-type deposits generally accumulate near the wellbore
is estimated to be about 200 bbl. To minimize channeling and usually can be removed by appropriate workover
of injected water, injection preisures normally are main- procedures.
tained below fracture-parting or opening pressure as indi- Table 2 summarizes the results oblaincd from the pres.
cated by step-rate injectivity tests. sure fall-off curves for Wells A through D. A fracture
The east offset producer to Well D is experiencing severe Icngth in excess of 600 fl was calculated for Well A.
Existence of a long fracture of this magnitucfc is con.
water breakthrough; water production is in excess of 300
BWPD. Waterflood response at the other three offset pro- firmed by offset produc]ng well behavior. rraccr dyes
ducers to Well D has bum good. Waterflood response at injected into Well A have bwr rccovercd within a fcw
hours at an offset producer located 850 ft away. This
producers offsetting WCIIS B and C has been good.
direct communication with the producing WUII rwar Well
Discussion of Nesults A probably introduces some error into the permeability
calculation for this well. Fluid withdrawal at the offset
Table 1 compares computed reservoir parameters with producer via the fracture should cauw wellbore pressure
the values used to gcrrcrate the fall-off curvc shown ]rr Fig. at Well A to drop faster than normal.
,.%.
2000 - 2200r-- -------
\
z \ WELLA
a ii WELL C
\ ; 1900
\\ $
I , % 1800 ~~ u
,1 10
.01 .1 I 10 ) .01
TIME, HOURS
TIME, HOURS
Fig. 7--Log rim /(dl[Ifl tc.w PI(IIS for in jcctiotl WCII.S
c rrl?d 1).
2200~--- -----
22001- , , r , ,
_WELL B
1
~ 2100 2123 Psl PRE-TEST INJECTION w 2100-
Q.. -%. % ~ ~_WELL A PRESSURES rr
3 -
.+042 PSI YELL A V-s
gmr)(). % %,.-} to
\ Ms=28PSlr#iiL Id
U-I i %,+ E
(n n
.,-jgoo-
\. w.
g 1900 i,. %,\ J 2000 -
+-4 WELL D
\. d \
d.
\ s 8, m~ = 180 psi/~
~ 1800- \ WELL i .
\
%
.. . -: --
VJS220 ww~- .--, -::--- . ...
I I , I 1 I
L.
.. .. --- ..- --- -.. - -
Basically this methcxl evaluates formation nurface area exposed to -California. While on educational leave:
the fracture as indicated by EQ. 1. In the derivation
turw length. it Is assumed that fracture
of Err. 2 for frsc-
height and formation thickness
of absence, he recei wed art MS degree,
- are equal. This assumption amarently dcms not apply In the case of itl petroleum engineering from U. of
WIJII I). Other field dnta mmh m n)-cwnt.zd here are needed to reside
interpretation of pressure t.estdata. . - -- . .
Cali/orniu_,itl. 1964., -.
. . - .: . . . .