IDPT

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Introduction to Well Inflow and Outflow
Performance
 Learning Objectives
You should you be able to…

Explain the concept of “Well inflow & Outflow”

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performance

Explain in detail different reservoir flow regimes
(transient, pseudo steady state, steady state flows)

Define Darcy's equation and assumptions

Define Vogel's equation and assumptions

Explain factors contributing to formation skin damage

Inflow & Outflow Performance – slide 2

 Topics

Darcy radial flow equation

Vogel equation

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Formation skin damage

Inflow & Outflow Performance – slide 3

Total Production System Compressor
Separator

Riser Pump
Choke gas

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Flowline
oil

Safety Valve Export lines

Outflow Performance (Pwf =>> Pwh)

Tubing

Inflow Performance (Pr =>> Pwf)

Reservoir
Completion
Inflow & Outflow Performance – slide 4
 Pressure Losses in Well System
∆P4 = (Pwh - Psep)
Gas
Sales line
Pwh Psep Liquid
Stock tank

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∆P1 = Pr - Pwfs = Loss in reservoir
∆P3 = Pwf - Pwh ∆P2 = Pwfs - Pwf = Loss across completion
∆P3 = Pwf - Pwh = Loss in tubing
∆P4 = Pwh - Psep = Loss in flowline
∆PT = Pr - Psep = Total pressure loss

Pwf Pwfs Pr Pe

∆P1 = (Pr - Pwfs)

∆P2 = (Pwfs - Pwf)
Adapted
Inflow & Outflow Performance from 5Mach et al, SPE 8025, 1979.
– slide
Flow Models for Stabilized Well Inflow

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RADIAL “Usual” model of Production

LINEAR Typically from fracture

Inflow & Outflow Performance – slide 6

 Reservoir Flow Regimes
Pr

•Transient state (infinite acting radial flow)

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•Pseudo-steady state (Closed boundary)
re
•Steady state (Open-cross boundary)
Boundary
(either closed or open)

Time period required to reach the boundary or pss is called

“infinite acting time or stabilization time”

Inflow & Outflow Performance – slide 7

 Pressure profile of a flowing well

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• Steady State – there is flow across the boundary where the fluid entering the reservoir
across the boundary equals to the fluid being produced => dP/dt = 0 or Pr is constant

•Pseudo Steady State- No flow across the boundary => dP/dt = constant or Pr drops

Inflow & Outflow Performance – slide 8

 Reservoir Flow Regimes

• We will concentrate on Pseudo Steady State Radial Flow

• Typically what the Production / Completion Engineer will design for

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• Described mathematically by “Darcy’s Law”

Inflow & Outflow Performance – slide 9

 Darcy’s Law (1856)

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Q = kA (P2 - P1)
µL

Q = flowrate (cm3/sec)
k = permeability (darcy)
A = cross sectional area (cm2)
(P2-P1) = pressure drop (atm)
µ = fluid viscosity (cp)

Inflow & Outflow Performance – slide 10

 Radial form of Darcy’s Law
What Influences Flowrate?

Reservoir radius - re Well radius - rw

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Reservoir permeability - k
Formation thickness - h
Reservoir pressure - Pr

Well flowing pressure - Pwf

Inflow & Outflow Performance – slide 11

 Reservoir Capabilities-Darcy’s Law

-3
7.08 x 10 ko h ( P r P wf )
Qo =
r e
µ oB o

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ln 0.75
r w

Qo = flow rate (BFPD) Darcy’s Assumptions

ko = effective permeability (md)
h = effective feet of pay (ft) •Reservoir is homogenous, clean and no damage
µ o = average viscosity (cp) •Purely radial flow
Pr = reservoir pressure (psi)
Pwf = wellbore pressure (psi)
•Above bubble point pressure
re = drainage radius (ft) •Producing well is completed across the entire
rw = wellbore radius (ft) formation thickness
Bo = formation volume factor (res
bbl/surface bbl) •Reservoir is saturated with one fluid
•Fluid compressibility is small and constant

Inflow & Outflow Performance – slide 12

Pressure drawdown in the Wellbore
Well radius

rw Reservoir radius
re

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Pr

∆P (drawdown)
Reservoir pressure

Pwf

Bottom well flowing pressure

Inflow & Outflow Performance – slide 13

 Productivity Index
The relationship between well inflow rate and pressure drawdown can be
expressed in the form of a Productivity Index, denoted ‘PI’ or ‘J’, where:

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q
PI = = STB/d/psi

(P r − Pwf )

Inflow & Outflow Performance – slide 14

 Productivity Index (PI)
Simplifying...

7.08 x 10 -3
k o−h ( Pr P wf )

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qo = r wf
re
µ o Bo ln 0.75
rw

q = constant ( Pr – Pwf )

Inflow & Outflow Performance – slide 15

 Darcy’s Law for radial flow - IPR
Graphically it would look like this:

Intercept = Pr
Pressure - psi

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m=?

Pwf AOF

0
0
Q - Flow Rate (BPD)

Inflow & Outflow Performance – slide 16

 Darcy’s Law for radial flow - PI
What is the theoretical maximum flow rate the well will produce?

The maximum flow rate occurs at the maximum drawdown Pwf = 0

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qmax
PI = or qmax = Pr x PI
(P r −0 )

Inflow & Outflow Performance – slide 17

What can we actually influence regarding inflow
performance of a well?
Constant k o h ( P r P wf )
q = r wf
re
ln rw 0.75

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Given What we can influence

Reservoir permeability, k rw = wellbore radius, basically how large a

diameter hole have we drilled through the
Net pay, h reservoir
Reservoir pressure, Pr Pwf = flowing bottom hole pressure
Drainage radius,re Tubing sizing, back pressure imposed by
facilities, artificial lift

Inflow & Outflow Performance – slide 18

 Influence on Pwf
How can Pwf be reduced to increase the drawdown?

Reduce skin effect (eg matrix stimulation, fracturing),

lower Pwf for same rate

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Artificial lifts
Gas lift
ESP
Rod pumps
Others

Tubing Sizing

Facilities de-bottlenecking

Inflow & Outflow Performance – slide 19

 Influence on Hole Diameter
If we change rw what effect does this have?

re

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ln rw1  0.75
q2 r wf
=
q1 re
ln rw2 0.75

Exercise 1

Inflow & Outflow Performance – slide 20

 “Real World” IPR
Darcy's law is linear, but large majority of real world plots of Pwf vs Q
are curved. What is going on?

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Darcy's law
Pwf predicted
Qmax
Actual
Qmax
0
0
Q - Flow Rate (BPD)

Inflow & Outflow Performance – slide 21

What happens if gas comes out of solution in
the reservoir?
The permeability, k, will be much higher for The oil flow we get
The first gas bubbles gas. The viscosity of gas, µg is typically as the pressure is
begin to come out of about 50 times lower than that of oil. lowered will be
solution. less than we would
Bubble point Qg >>>Qo
>>>Qo predict using

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Bubble Pressure Pb The gas also takes up more space than it did Darcy's law!
when it was dissolved in the oil. This will
Pressure droops as cause the rock pores to be filled up Or energy is being
fluid moves towards eliminating any place for the oil to go. lost that we have
the wellbore not accounted for

Inflow & Outflow Performance – slide 22

 Vogel IPR
Vogel performed a field study to measuring decrease in pressure caused by the gas
interference and derived a new equation for estimating Pwf in relation to Q*
Pwf/P
r 1

0.8

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0.6

0.4

0.2

0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1

Q/Qmax
Q/Qmax

Using this curve, if we know Q and Pwf, we can Q max, then we can solve for any Q at
any Pwf
Inflow & Outflow Performance – slide 23
 Vogel’s Equation

Used for Saturated Reservoir (Pr < Pbp) or when Pwf < Pbp

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 Q   
2
 p wf   p wf 
  = 1 − 0 .2   − 0 .8   
 Q max    pr   pr  

Simple, however one actual welltest is required to get the q

*There are other correlations (eg Fetkovitch), but Vogel is very widely used

Inflow & Outflow Performance – slide 24

 Composite IPR
•Use
Use when for undersaturated oil well flowing above and below Pbp
=> Multiphase flowing

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J * Pbp Pwf Pwf
Q = Q bp + 1 - 0.2 - 0.8
1.8 Pbp Pbp

*There are other correlations (eg Fetkovitch), but Vogel is very widely used

Inflow & Outflow Performance – slide 25

 Composite IPR

Co
p ns
ta
nt
J

pb

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Vo
ge
lB
Pressure

eh
pwf av
io
r
J p b
J pb
qb
1.8
1 .8 qmax
O
O Rate q

J p b
q max = q b +
1 .8
Inflow & Outflow Performance – slide 26
 Multiphase IPR
Graphically…

Bubble point

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Pr < Pb
Darcy's law
Pwf predicted
Qmax
Actual
Qmax
0
0
Q - Flow Rate (BPD)
Exercise 2
Inflow & Outflow Performance – slide 27
 Summary - Darcy & Vogel

Vogel

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Pwf < Pb
Darcy
Pwf Pwf > Pb

Q - Flow Rate (BPD)

Inflow & Outflow Performance – slide 28

 Summary- Inflow Performance Curve

• We must use some type of inflow performance relationship to

calculate the wellbore pressure for a given flowrate.

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• Depending on the reservoir fluid, we may use a straight line PI,
Vogel (or equivalent) or a combination of the two.

Inflow & Outflow Performance – slide 29

Pressure drawdown in the Wellbore – Skin Effect
rw
re

Pe

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P

∆Pdarcy (theoretical)
∆PDD-actual
∆PSkin

Inflow & Outflow Performance – slide 30

 Pressure drawdown – Skin Factor

Skin factor is a “correction” to Darcy's equation to reflect actual

versus calculated flow from the reservoir

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-3
7.08 x 10 k o h ( Pr P wf )
qo =
re
µ o Bo ln 0.75 + S
rw

Inflow & Outflow Performance – slide 31

 Skin Factor

S = Skin Factor (dimensionless)

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 k   ra 
s =  − 1 ln  
 ka   rw 

Inflow & Outflow Performance – slide 32

 Pressure drawdown – Skin Factor

It reflects the change in the near wellbore region permeability
resulting from the well construction process

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Value can be positive (near wellbore damage) or negative (near
wellbore enhancement due to stimulation)

Clearly, this will affect the ability of the well to produce and
therefore well economics

Well construction and completion practices can have a large

effect on this value

Inflow & Outflow Performance – slide 33

 Example on effects of Skin
IPR Curve - Total Fluid
4000

3000

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psi))
Pwf (psi

2000

1000

0
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000
Skin = 0
Skin = 1 Rate (Bbl oil per day)
Skin = 2
Skin = 4

Exercise 3
Inflow & Outflow Performance – slide 34
 CLASS EXAMPLE – Skin effect

Split into teams

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The idea is to form the groups with people that usually do
not “hang out” together during the previous weeks

Team A will work problem A, team B problem B etc.

Watch out for units (feet versus inches)

and remember to use radius (not diameter)

Inflow & Outflow Performance – slide 35

 What Influences Skin factor?
Mathematically (and physically!), skin factor is influenced by the
following factors:

How much of the producing zone is perforated

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Whether well is deviated

Near Wellbore damage (typically drilling fluid filtrate damage) or

improvement

Perforating geometry and practices

Inflow & Outflow Performance – slide 36

 What Influences Skin?

S total = Spp + Sdev + Sdam + Sperf

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Where…
Spp = Partial Penetration skin
Sdev = Deviation skin
Sdam = Damage zone skin
Sperf = Perforating skin

Inflow & Outflow Performance – slide 37

 Partial Penetration (PP) Skin
More tortuous path, therefore higher pressure drop

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PP skin will therefore always be positive (or zero if all pay is open)

Inflow & Outflow Performance – slide 38

 Deviation Skin
Deviated wellbore
• Increased productivity
especially in thin
reservoirs
• Extends reach within

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reservoir Reservoir

Note: X% more exposure of

wellbore in reservoir
(relative to a vertical
well) does not mean X%
more production!
Skin in this case will always be negative
Deviation skin can be calculated up to 65 degrees
Inflow & Outflow Performance – slide 39
Near Wellbore Damage Skin – Mud solids invasion

Primary cause of damage in wells completed
open hole

Occurs during mud spurt (depth of invasion ~
mm)
Formation invaded by fine solids

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Increased by
Large overbalance pressure
Lack of bridging solids
High clay content
Minimized by bridging solids

Reduced by
Bridging solids
Low fluid loss (especially spurt loss)
Use of solids-free brines Avoided by using clear brine

Inflow & Outflow Performance – slide 40

 Perforating Geometry Skin
Phasing Horizontal Convergence Vertical Convergence

Worst

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Better

Inflow & Outflow Performance – slide 41

 Perforating Geometry Skin
damaged
zone

Perforating beyond the

damaged zone is good, but:

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EVEN IF WE PERFORATE
PAST THE DAMAGE ZONE,
THE EFFECT OF THE
DAMAGE ZONE PERMEABILTY
AND RADIUS STILL NEED TO
BE CONSIDERED

Inflow & Outflow Performance – slide 42

 Perforating Geometry Skin
Some key parameters that effect perforating skin?

Perforating length (shot penetration) – the deeper the better

Shots per foot (separation between perfs)

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Shot phasing (degrees)

Damage zone permeability

Damage zone radius

Horizontal permeability

Vertical permeability
Cover in DPT1

Wellbore diameter

Perforation diameter

Inflow & Outflow Performance – slide 43

Example on effects of Skin Components
Skin factor increases or decreases ??

Base Case Alternate Case

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Entire interval perforated 50% perforated
Vertical well 45 degrees
Shot density = 12 SPF 4 SPF
Perf length into formation = 36” 12”
damage zone radius = 24” Damage zone r = 12”
Damage zone perm = 10 md Damage zone perm = 30 md

Inflow & Outflow Performance – slide 44

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END

Inflow & Outflow Performance – slide 45