Chapter II.

Engineering Research
Water Influx into a Reservoir and Its Application to the Equation
of Volumetric Balance
By WILLIAM HURST*
(New York Meeting. February 1942)
ABSTRACT
This is a presentation of the diffusivity
theory for the calculation of the water drive
on an oil reservoir in which the history of
reservoir pressure with time are the essential
parameters for the determination of the rate
and cumulative water encroachment into a
field. The main body of the paper is essentially
the application of the principles underlined
here to actual field data. It consists of the work
plots of the radial-flow case, and includes a
discussion of an illustrated problem for which
the water-drive calculations are treated in
conjunction with the volumetric-balance equa-
tion. The appendix is a mathematical treatment
of the linear, radial, and spherical cases of
water influx into a reservoir.
INTRODUCTION
The evaluation of oil reserves and the
prediction of pressure behavior with
different rates of production are related
to the volumetric balance of the fluids
entering and leaving the space occupied
by the oil and gas originally present in the
formation; that is to say, important
information can be gleaned from a volu-
metric study of the oil, gas, and water
produced from a formation as it affects
the extent of change in volume of oil zone,
the gas cap, and the amount of water
influx from the adjoining water sands.
It is not the purpose of this paper to
enter into a discussion of the equation of
Manuscript received at the office of the Institute
Feb. 9. 1942. Issued in PETROLEUM TECHNOLOGY.
May 1942.
* Research Engineer. Humble Oil and Refining Co .
now associated with Core Laboratories. Inc . Dallas.
Texas.
57
volumetric balance, in which such per-
tinent information as subsurface sampling
and the measurement of reservoir pressures
playa predominant part, as this has been
discussed in detail by others.l.2 However,
there is an inherent difficulty that has
limited the general application of this
equation to a study of oil reservoirs; that
is, the insufficient knowledge of the
analytics for expressing the water drive
on a field as a function of reservoir pres-
sure. This to a large degree has been
overcome and it is the purpose of this
paper to present this theory in such form as
to be applicable for reservoir calculations.
WATER DRIVE
If the amount of oil originally in place
and the gas space are known, it is a rela-
tively simple matter to determine, by the
volumetric equation, the cumulative water
influx into a reservoir from the adjoining
water sands. Often, however, the oil
reserve as well as water influx must be
determined, and in order to be able to
make this calculation it is essential to
assign a mathematical relationship for the
varying water term that is compatible
with conditions known to exist in the
formation and gives an accuracy acceptable
for engineering calculations.
Various equations have been employed
empirically by different investigators in
making reservoir studies of water drive.
One form used by Schilthuis
2
expresses
the rate of water influx into a reservoir at
any time as proportional to the pressure
References are at the end of the paper.
58 WATER INFLUX INTO A RESERVOIR AND VOLUMETRIC BALANCE
difference between the original formation
pressure and the pressure in the reservoir
at the given time. Various other empirical
relations have been used to take into
account the effect of time on the water
influx. With reference, however, to the
application of empirical equations to
water-drive calculations, it can be said
that except in a few specific instances
their general applications are limited.
The method described in this paper for
the determination of water drive is based
on the classical diffusivity equation. This
equation was applied originally to the
hydrodynamic problem by the author
3
in
developing the transient conditions for the
flow through a sand of a single-phase fluid
whose compressibility is small or whose
density varies exponentially with pressure.
The derivation is developed by the applica-
tion of Darcy's law for the flow of fluids
through porous media to the equation of
continuity. The final form, however, as
applied to a slightly compressible fluid is
given in vector notation, ana expresses
the divergence of the flow from an in-
finitesimal element of sand, as proportional
to the pressure change per unit of time
within the element itself. That is
[r]
where V
2
is the Laplacian operator on
pressure P in time (), with the diffusivity
constant equal to a
2
= K/f.Lrpc in :which K
is the permeability and rp the porosity
of the sand, with f.L the viscosity, and c
the compressibility of the water. Thus a
solution of Eq. I that can be applied to
the formation, which also satisfies the
boundary limits of the oil reservoir and
water formation, is essentially a solution
of the water drive. The analyses, given
in the Appendix to this paper (p. 9) are
the applications of Eq. I to the water
drive on fields interpreted as linear, radial,
and spherical influx of water into oil
reservoirs.
This theory of water drive has been
successfully applied by various investiga-
tors4.5,6 to the study of water movements,
as illustrated for the East Texas field.
In the analysis of the problem the rate of
oil production for this field was introduced
in a solution of Eq. I to predict the pressure
variations in the reservoir for different
assumed rates. The reason it was possible
to interpret the water influx into East
Texas as proportional to the oil production
lies in the characteristics of the field; at
the existing reservoir pressures the oil
is undersaturated with gas, and as there
is no evidence of a gas drive, but only the
presence of a water drive, the oil produced
is replaced by a corresponding volume of
water in the reservoir from the Woodbine
formation. The solutions for water drive,
as developed for East Texas, cannot be
applied to a field that is subject to both
a gas and water drive, as the application
of the volumetric balance equation to the
fluids in the reservoir shows that the water
influx can be expressed only as a function
of the reservoir pressure if the equation is
to be solved explicitly for the oil originally
in place.
It is the experience of the author that
for the fields studied the radial flow case
for water drive has proved sufficiently
accurate for most engineering purposes,
and for the remaining portion of the paper
this solution only will be discussed.
Nevertheless, it must be kept in mind that
water drive can be effective not only as an
influx of water from adjoining sands at
the edge of a field but also as a rising table,
and in general water drive should not
necessarily be limited entirely to the radial-
flow problem.
RADIAL FLOW
The physical interpretation of the
boundary conditions for this case is that
the oil field is concentric with the adjacent
water formation, which is assumed to
extend for large distances away from the
WILLIAM HURST
59
field. Further, the water sand is considered
to be initially saturated with water at the
same pressure as the original reservoir
pressure, but for increasing times pressure
influx of water for the entire history of the
pressure surveys in the field. This range
in scope for cx
2
jR2 has also been observed
in the application of this theory to flow
'(e-enl
-R-'-
10-4
10

10
I
10
-,
I
10" I O ~
...........
......
10' 10'
10"
I
I o
-",
r--
I
I
I
10' 10' 1()6
0-'
cr'(e-enl
--R'-
FIG. r.-Gl FUNCTION FOR CALCULATION OF RATE OF WATER INFLUX.
gradients are established from the edge
of the oil reservoir back into the formation
to approach the original pressure at some
point removed from the field. These
gradients, in turn, are subject to the varia-
tions of the field pressure, and this effect
is introduced into the mathematics by
superimposing a sequence of constant
terminal pressure solutions, which essen-
tially reproduces the pressure changes in
the field. Thus by means of the calculus,
and the application of Darcy's law at the
periphery of the field, the water influx
is determined as a function of reservoir
pressure.
It has been observed that in the applica-
tion of this theory to reservoir studies the
physical values in the analytics, such as
the diffusivity constant and the radius
of the field, are not at all critical in evaluat-
ing the water influx. In several of the
calculations the comparable term to these
constants, namely cx
2
j R2, was varied in
the order of the probable error introduced
in establishing this value, without mate-
rially affecting the calculated proportional
tests on oil wells, in which the well is
interpreted as an instantaneous point sink,
analogous to the heat problem. It can be
said from these observations, therefore,
that the mathematics offers a certain
amount of latitude in fixing the constants
associated with water drive. However, what
is most critical in these analyses is the
history of the reservoir pressure as it
varies with time.
It is derived in the Appendix that for the
radial flow of water into a field, the rate of
water influx into the oil reservoir at any
time 0 is expressed in barrels per day as
dZ
dO =
27r(I44)KuH
S62J.1.
(edP G' (CX
2
(0 - 0')) dO' [2]
Jo dO' R2
and the cumulative water influx up to
this time, expresseu as barrels, is given
by the relation
27r(I44)KuHR2
Z = - ---''--'---'-'----,,--
S62J.1.cx
2
(6 dP G (CX
2
(0 - 0')) dO' [3]
Jo dO' R2
60 WATER INFLUX INTO A RESERVOIR AND VOLUMETRIC BALANCE
10
10'
I
10
.,
10
VI?
10'
,
10
,
/
0
I
10
10- 3
10'
V
10'
10
V
10"
'16 -6nl
--R'-
FIG. 2a.
",'16-6nl
--R'-
10'
./
10'
crOle-6nl
R'
FIG. 2b.
10'
10 '
10' 10'
/
I-
V
10
.
10
,

I
I
I 0'
10
I
I 0'
1

0'
10
FIG. 2.-G FUNCTION FOR CALCULATION OF CUMULATIVE WATER INFLUX.
The integrands in these equations are the
products of the slopes of the reservoir
pressure versus time curve for the field,
multiplied by either G'[a
2
(0 - 0')IR2] or
G[a
2
(0 - 0')1 R2] which are given in Figs. I,
2a and 2b, as functions of a
2
( 0 - 0')1 R2.
These pressure slopes are negative for
decreasing reservoir pressures, and positive
for increasing pressures. The definitions
of the symbols and the units employed
are given in the Nomenclature (p. 64).
An alternative form for expressing the
cumulative water-influx equation IS the
relation
z = ::...27r::...(:,..:I24:!.4
562J.L
[J:81 (PR - P)G' e
2
(OR-:' 0') dO'
+ 2(PR - P)R ::1) ] [4]
where reservoir pressure is explicitly
WILLIAM HURST 61
referred to as (PR - P), or as the difference
between original reservoir pressure and
pressure at time ()'. However, to satisfy
the convergence of the integral the final
Thus in the determination of the absolute
water influx into a field, the coefficient
associated with either of these equations is
established algebraically, along with the
0:2(e -en)
-R-'-
10
,
10 102
-
10

'0
10
IV
10 10

10'
/
1/
10
,
10'
10
.
I
I o
I o
I 0'
10'
([2(6 -en)
-R-'-
FIG. 3.-G FUNCTION FOR DETERMINATION OF INTEGRATED AVERAGE VALUE OF C.
pressure difference is taken as constant
for the interval ()I ::::;; ()' ::::;; () where (() - ()I)
::::;; o.ooIR2/a 2.
With reference to Eqs. 2, 3 and 4, it
can be stated definitely that none of these
equations can establish the absolute water
influx unless it is possible to fix the' numeri-
cal coefficients associated with the integrals.
From this remark, however, it must not
be construed that these equations are
limited; on the contrary, it is the propor-
tional variations of the integrals as they
fluctuate with time () that are important
in the calculations of the volumetric-
balance equation, and for this reason
Eqs. 3 and 4 should be regarded as
or
quantity of oil originally in place, by a
solution of the volumetric balance equation
for the fluids in the oil reservoir.
Eq. 3 is particularly suited to deter-
mination of the cumulative water influx
into a reservoir, where the reservoir
pressure-time curve may be represented
as a series of straight lines (Fig. 4). If
the pressure-time relation is a smooth
curve, there is no alternative but to
resort to a graphical integration. Thus
if the pressure variation in a reservoir is
represented in "broken-line" fashion, with
the pressure at different times as PR, PI, P2
at time zero, ()I and ()2, etc., the pressure-
time slopes are the following:
dP (PR - PI)
- d()' = ()r
dP (Pr - P2)
- d()' = (()2 - ()r) ;
dP (P2 - Pa)
- d()' = (()a - ()2) ;
dP (Pn - I - P)
d()' = (() - ()n-I) ;
62 WATER INFLUX INTO A RESERVOIR AND VOLUMETRIC BALANCE
This means that between the pressure
surveys the slope of a line is fixed, therefore
Eq.3 can be expressed as
However, defining G(n) by the relationship
G(n) = Jon G(n)dn
which is plotted as G(a
2
(6 - 6')/R2)
versus a
2
(6 - 6')/ R2 in Fig. 3, the cumula-
tive water equation may be expressed as
various times and the corresponding
cumulative water as determined from a
volumetric balance on the field. The case
illustrated is that for the radial flow of
water, and is an application of Eq. 6.
The physical constants for the deter-
mination of the diffusivity factor for the
Z = 27r(I44)KuHR2 5(P
R
_ P) [G(a
2
6/R2) - G(a
2
(6 - ( 1)/R2)]
5. 62Jja
2
1 I a
2
6J/ R2
+ (PI _ P
2
) [G(a
2
(6 - ( 1)/R2) - G(a
2
(6 - ( 2)/R2)]
a
2
(62 - (1)/ R2
+ (P _ P) [G(a
2
(6 - ( 2)/R2) - G(a
2
(6 - ( 3)/R2)]
2 3 a2(6a - ( 2)/ R2
+
... + (P _ P) [G(a
2
(6 - 6n _ I )/R2]t [6]
n-I a2( 6 - 6
n
_
l
) / R2 \
where the terms inside the brackets are the
integrated average values for G over the
time limits referred to in the equation.
In a similar manner the rate equation
can be established in terms of G functions,
which are the integrated averages for the G'
functions over the corresponding time
limits. It must be pointed out, however,
that in the series expansion the water-rate
equation is most sensitive to the pressure_
time variation of the final surveys, whereas
in the cumulative equation this applies
only to the earlier pressure surveys.
ILLUSTRATIVE CALCULATION, RADIAL FLOW
In this illustrative caleulation for a
Gulf Coast field, the purpose is to show the
application of the theory to the determina-
tion of the cumulative water influx for
the "broken-line" pressure variation, and
also to show the close agreement between
the calculated relative water influx at
field, as established from core analysis
and the viscosity of the salt water at the
reservoir temperature, are given as follows:
K/p. = 200 md., or 200/22,700 = 0.00882
cu. ft./day/sq. ft./lb./sq. ft./ft.
= 0.28, and with c = 2.5(10)-8 cu.
ft.jcu. ft./lb.jsq. ft. for water.
Thus
a2 - K/ c _ (0.00882)
- p. - (0.28)(25)(10)-8
= 1.260(10)6 sq. ft. per day.
The radius of this field is approximately
R = 7850 ft., so
2 2 1.260(10)6 ()-2
aiR =6 8 ()7=2.0410 per day .
. 1 0 10
Shown in Fig. 4 and listed in Table I
are the data on the reservoir pressure
against time for the field, corrected to a
WILLIAM HURST
fixed subsurface depth. Also listed in the
table is the time argument 0l2(Jn/ R2 for
each pressure survey. In Table 2 is given
a sample calculation of the proportional
4400
4200
...............
~
between the actual and calculated water
influx as represented by the ratio Z/Z1766,
which is arbitrarily chosen to represent
the proportional variatitn of the water
4000
"',
'"
!i 3600
"
'"
~
~
3400
.'"
200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800
Time Days
FIG. 4.-RESERVOIR PRESSURE VS. TIME.
1.0
'0
~ O . 4
i
Legend:
.- Volumetric balance
0- - "8roIcen line If presSUte
variation in the reserllOir.
lL
/
/,/
/
"d'/
V
N
';DO.2
N
~
V
>!::: .....
200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800
Time. Days
FIG. S.-CUMULATIVE WATER INFLUX VS. TIME.
cumulative water influx for 1645 days
of the production life of the field, employing
Eq. 6 and the corresponding plot for the G
function. Finally, in Table 3 are listed the
calculated values for all 10 surveys
against actual values for water influx,
which were determined from the volu-
metric-balance equation using the geologi-
cal estimate of the oil originally in place.
It is observed that in Table 2, and also
in Fig. 5, there is fairly good agreement
drive. This is true for the last eight surveys,
although the first two are considerably off.
However, this should not be construed
as an inaccuracy in the theory of water
drive for early times, qut rather as a
limitation of the volumetric-balance equa-
tion, which is fairly insensitive to small
pressure drops from the original reservoir
pressure. The numerical coefficient of
Eq. 6, which is determined' from the
volumetric and calculated water influx
64 WATER INFLUX INTO A RESERVOIR AND VOLUMETRIC BALANCE
given in Table 2, is also listed. The con-
stancy of this coefficient is a further check
on the two sets of data. Thus for the last
eight surveys the numerical average of
TABLE r.-Pressure-time Data
P n. Reservoir (Pn - P.+1).
B Days a 2B/R2 Pressure, Lb. Lb. per
per Sq. In. Sq. In.
0 0 4,225 25
184 3 75 4,200 55
366 747 4,145 95
550 11.22 4,050 150
731 14.91 3,900 140
915 18.67 3,760 140
1,096 22.36 3,620 140
1,280 26.11 3.480 140
1,461 29.80 3,340 190
1,645 33.56 3,150 127
1,766 36.03 3,023
this coefficient is 896 with a standard
deviation from the average of only 8 per
cent.
In all fields where this theory has been
applied, the calculated water-drive values
give results that agree with the propor-
tional variation of the comparable term in
the volumetric-balance equation.
NOMENCLATURE
dZ/d8, rate of water influx into the reservoir,
bbJ. per day.
Z, total water influx at any time, bbl.
K, permeability relative to one centipoise,
cu. ft./day /sq. ft./lb./sq. ft./ft.
c, compressibility, cu. ft./cu. ft,j1b./sq. ft.
t/>, porosity, fraction.
a 2, diffusivity, sq. ft. per day.
R, radius of reservoir, ft.
H, sand thickness, ft.
P, reservoir pressure, lb. per sq. in.
8, time, days.
u, fraction of perimeter of field exposed to
water drive.
p., viscosity of water in formation, centi-
poise.
TABLE 2.-Sample Cumulative Water-influx Calculation
TIME, 8 =; 1645 DAYS
[G(a2(B - B,,)/R2)
lG(a2 (B - B.)/R2) - G(a2(B - Bn+1)/R2)]
a 2Bn/R2 a2(B - B.)/R2 a 2(Bn+1 - B.)/R2
- G(a2(B - B.+1)/R2)]
a 2(B.+1 - Bn)/R2
X (Pn - P.+1)
---
0.0 33.56 375 65 (17.35) X (25) = 433
3 75 29.81 372 55 (14.80) X (55) = 814
747 26.09 375 53 (14 15) X (95) = 1,348
11.22 2234 3.69 47 (12.71) X (I50) = 1,905
14.91 18.65 3.76 40 (10.62) X (140) = 1,490
18.67 14. 89 3.69 33 (8.95) X (140) = 1,252
22.36 I 1.20 375 25. 2 (6.72) X (140) = 040
26. II
745 3.69 184 (4.98) X (140) = 698
29.80 3.76 3.76 84 (2.23) X (190) = 424
33.56
Z16U '" 9.304
TABLE 3.-Comparison of Actual and Calculated Cumulative Water Influx
Volumetric Balance Calculated
On, Days
2 .. (144)K .. HR
5621'a2
Z,., Bbl. Z,,/Z1766 Z,. Z,./Z1766
0 0 0 0 0
184
1,100 0.001 56 0.0052 20
366 433,000 0.0408 247 0.0229 1,753
550 531,000 0.0501 657 0.0608 808
731 1,120,000 0.106 1,403 0.130 798
9 15 2,000,000 0.189 2,449 0.227 817
1,096 3,320,000 0313 3,737 0.346 888
1,280 4,980,000 0470 5,295 0.490 941
1,461 6,900,000 0.651 7,142 0.661 966
1,645 9.000,000 0.848 9,304 0.861 967
1,766 10,600,000 1.000 10,808 1,000 981
WILLIAM HURST
APPENDIX
It has been shown in this paper that an
nterpretation for water drive can be
deduced from the movement of slightly
compressible fluid flowing through a
porous medium in an unsteady state.
This is expressed by Eq. I, which is
applicable to the flow of fluid in a sand
body parallel to the earth's surface, and
therefore independent of gravitational
effects. Where the water drive is not
restricted to a horizontal plane the velocity
potential or driving force, as applied to
Darcy's equation, is eI> = P g'YX, or
reservoir pressure plus or minus the hydro-
static head of fluid, depending on the
direction of flow relative to a given datum
plan; with g the acceleration of gravity,
'Y the density of the fluid, and x the vertical
component of the fluid head. Therefore,
where the water drive is influenced by
gravity the comparable form to Eq. 1 is
the relation
which is sustained for the small compressi-
bility for water, as
It must be mentioned, however, that
eI> or P can be interchanged, because
what, is derived in these analyses is the
variation of water influx as a function
of eI>, referred to sonie given datum point
or plane in the reservoir, and therefore
.:leI> = M for the same subsurface depth.
Further, the limits defined for P in the
following analyses apply also to eI> for
nonhorizontal formations.
A solution of the equation in which
pressure or velocity potential is expressed
as a function of distance from the field
and time is essentially a solution of the
problem for water influx, provided the
boundary limits of the problem are met.
These limits are: (I) that initially the
reservoir pressure in the water sand is
fixed and uniform for large distances
away from the edge of the field proper,
and (2) that the influx of water is reflected
by the actual variations of the pressure in
the oil reservoir itself.
It must be understood, though, that
the mathematical treatment of the problem
cannot be regarded as absolute; rather,
it is empirical, because of the fact that it
has been necessary to assume the sand to
be of uniform permeability throughout.
An explicit analysis of the problem in
which the sand is irregular would be
difficult, if at all soluble, and there would
not be sufficient geological data available
to justify its usage. However, the good
agreement between the relative water
influx at various times as calculated from
field data and that determined from the
theory suggests the applicability of this
analysis for the determination of the
extent of water drive in an oil reservoir.
There are two possible ways of treating
these problems to include the pressure
variation in the reservoir: (I) Duhamel's
principle
7
and (2) one determined from
an extended treatment by the present
author of an analysis in radial flow by
Lloyd P. Smith.s In either method it is
necessary to have the explicit solution for
the constant terminal pressure case. That
is to say, the analysis must be known for
the condition in which the initial reservoir
pressure in the water sand is fixed and
uniform for large distances from the edge
of the field, but for the duration of flow
the pressure at the field's edge is held
constant at a value fixed by the analytics.
In the final analysis, Duhamel's prin-
ciple and the method presented in
this report are identical. However, a
derivation of Duhamel's principle would
require a somewhat abstract mathe-
matical treatment, whereas the second
method offers an analysis based on the
physics of the problem, which should
66 WATER INFLUX iNTO A RESERVOIR ANn VOLUMETRIC BALANCE
therefore prove to be more conducive to
an understanding of the solution.
RADIAL FLOW
Lloyd P. SmithS developed an analysis
for the determination of the heat influx
into a mine shaft. The mathematics
involved a treatment of contour integrals
to the solution of a Green's function in a
concentric radial system of infinite extent.
To facilitate the solution of the problem
he introduced the temperature v a r i a t i o ~
in the mine as a "step-fashion" relationship
to determine the amount of heat trans-
mitted from the formation. The similarity,
however, of the mathematics for the flow
of heat and the flow of slightly com-
pressible fluids, such as water, suggested
to this author a comparable method to
determine the extent of water drive in an
oil field in which the controlling factor
is the reservoir pressure. The derivation
. '
as gIVen here, treats this independent
variable as any general pressure change
in the reservoir, as compared with the
somewhat restricted" step-fashion" varia-
tion indicated in Smith's work. This is
effected by superimposing a sequence of
constant terminal pressure solutions, which
in effect reproduces the pressure variations
at the field's edge.
To understand this derivation it is
necessary to develop the following mathe-
matics: Thus, if it is assumed that the
pressure, at the periphery of the field
next to the water sand, varies in "step-
fashion" with time, then symbolically it
can be written that
P =PR ;
P =P1 ;
P = P2 ;
8=0
o :5; 8 :5; 81
81 :5; 8 :5; 82
with 8" the final time. This means that
at zero time the pressure drops from the
initial reservoir pressure PR to a lower
pressure PI, which remains constant from
zero time to some given time (Jl, where
again the pressure is lowered from PI
to P2, and this pressure in turn remains
constant from time 81 to (J2. This process
is continued as a sequence of constant
pressure plateaus to include the final
pressure at time 8.
Thus, if a point in this history of pressure
variation is isolated, say for the instant
of zero time, when the pressure suddenly
changes from PR to PI, and it is assumed
that the latter pressure remains constant
for the entire duration of flow, then if the
constant terminal pressure solution of
the radial equation is known, and expressed
by F(r, 8), which gives a pressure value
of unity for r greater than R, the radius
of the oil reservoir, and zero at all times
for r = R, the value for pressure in the
water sand at a distance r from the center
of the field in time 8 is expressed by
M(r, 8) = (PR - P1)F(r, 8)
Actually the influence of pressure drop
(P R - PI) in the oil reservoir on the water
sand is not self-sustained, since P does not
remain constant for the entire period of
production, but is followed by the sequence
of pressure" steps," Eq. 2. To reproduce
this effect, then, each sudden change in
pressure in the reservoir can be treated
as an individual constant terminal pressure
solution, entirely separate from the others,
but which becomes effective only at the
instant that the pressure change occurs
in the reservoir. The net effect however
of the "step-fashion" pressur; v a r i a t i o ~
in the oil reservoir on the water sand is the
superimposing of all these individual
solutions, one on the other, to give the
equation for the pressure at the distance r
from the center of the field in time 8, or
per, 8) = (PR - P1)F(r, 8)
+ (PI - P2)F(r, 8 - 81)
+ (P2 - Pa)F(r, 8 - 82)
+ ... + (P,,-1 - P .. )F(r, 8 - 8,,-1) [3]
where F(r, 8 - 8 .. ) is a constant terminal
pressure solution referred to a zero time, 8,..
WILLIAM HURST
The rate of water influx into the reservoir
is established by Darcy's law for the flow
of fluids. This law, as applied to a slightly
compressible fluid, is the basis for the
derivation of Eq. I in the equation of the
continuity of flow. The law, stated briefly,
is that the linear velocity of flow of a
fluid along its stream line is directly
proportional to the pressure drop per unit
length of flow. Therefore, the rate of water
movement into the reservoir, given as
barrels per day, is expressed as
dZ = (I44)KO"A (ap) [4]
dO 5.62J1, ar r_R
using the engineering units listed in the
Nomenclature of this paper, with K the
normal permeability of the water forma-
tion, JI, the viscosity of the water, 0" the
fraction of the perimeter of the field
exposed to water drive, and A = 271" RH
the peripheral area of the reservoir, or
dZ = 271"(I44)KO"H (rap) [5]
dO 5.62J1, ar r ~ R
with H the thickness of the sand.
For the purpose of simplifying the
calculus involved in applying Eq. 5, the
differentiation of F(r, 0) may be defined
by the expression
(
raF(r, 0) = G' (a
2
0)
ar r_R R2
[6]
where G'(a
2
0jR2) is arbitrarily taken as a
function that is a first-order differential
of G(a
2
0 j R2) with respect to the argument
a
2
0jR2. Therefore, by means of Eqs. 3
and 5,
dZ = 271"(I44)KO"H [CPR _ PI)G' (a
2
0)
dO 5.62Jl. R2
+ (PI - P2)G' (a
2
(OR-; (
1
)
+ (P2 - Pa)G' (a
2
(OR-; (
2
) +
+ (Pn-I - P .. )G' (a
2
(0 ;2 On_I)] [7]
This equation is a sequence of fluid-rate
terms of the constant terminal pressure
case, with each term referred to its initial
time of corresponding pressure change in
the reservoir. The comparable values to
G' were determined by the author in an
earlier study of the constant terminal
pressure case.
3
The analytics of this work
is essentially that of Eq. 7, for which PI
is held constant for the entire period of
production, or
The corresponding term to G' in the
paper cited
3
is computed for a large range
of time arguments. Its transformation to
this analysis is given as follows: In Fig. 4
of the paper cited
3
is given a family of
curves in which the branch curves cor-
respond to closed-in reservoirs of varying
dimensions, but the envelope of these
curves is the rate-time relationship of
the constant terminal pressure case for
the infinite concentric radial system. The
rate terms qR of Fig. 4 and dZjdO of
this analysis are interchangeable, and as
this theory applies to a slightly com-
pressible fluid,
G
' (aR220) I [ qRC ]
= 271" KH(I - f: C(PB PW
as both sides of the equation are dimen-
sionless. Thus a
2
0 j R2 is the abscissas
of Fig. 4, and the reciprocal of G' is equal
to 271" times the ordinate of the main stem
of these curves.
The curves of Fig. 4 of the paper are
likewise reproduced in Fig. I of a paper by
Moore, Schilthuis and Hurst,S and the
transformation for G' is expressed by the
equation
271"KH(I - f: 144c(PB PW
qIl
68 WATER INFLUX INTO A RESERVOIR AND VOLUMETRIC BALANCE
in which the conversion factor 5.62 has
been introduced to convert barrels per
day to cubic feet per day.
The values of G'(a
2
(0 - On)/ R2) versus
a
2
(0 - On)/ R2 are given in Fig. I for
time arguments from a
2
0/R2 = 0.0001
to 1,000,000.
The cumulative water influx into the
reservoir is established by the integration
of Eq. 7 with time. In carrying out this
step, however, it is necessary to take into
account the fact that each term in this
equation is dependent on the relative
time that its pressure drop is effective in
the history of the pressure change in the
reservoir. The integration, then, of Eq. 7
is expressed as
relation in the paper (Fig. 5) is given by
= 27rH q,a2(I - E C(PII Pw
QR
where QR and Z as well as a
2
and R2 are
interchangeable, with 0' = 1. The expres-
sion for G, then, is equal to the ordinate of
the main stem of the family of curves
divided by 27r. These values are given in
Figs. 2a and 2b of this paper.
In this analysis, the influx of water into
the reservoir from the adjacent water
formation has been restricted to the" step-
fashion" pressure variation in the field.
That the pressure does not necessarily
Z = 27r(144)KO'H [CPR - PI) G' (a
2
0) dO + (P _ P) G' (a
2
(0 - ( 1 dO
5. 62J.L Jo R2 I 2 R2
+ (P
2
- P
a
) G' (a
2
(0 - ( 2 dO + . , .
R2
Therefore, by the relationship
f8 G' (a
2
0) dO = R2 G (a
2
0)
Jo R2 a2 R2
this equation becomes
+ (P n-I - P n) .i:_l G' (a
2
(
0
On-I dO]
vary in this manner is evident, since a
host of factors influence the pressure
change in the reservoir. For this reason,
therefore, it is necessary to develop the
analytics further to include any general
Z = [(PR - PI)G + (PI - P2)G (a
2
(OR-; (
1

+ (P2 - Pa)G (a
2
(OR-; (
2
+ ... + (Pn-I - Pn)G (a
2
(0 On-I ] [8]
Thus, it is also observed that the terms
of this series form a sequence of cumulative
water-influx values of the constant terminal
pressure case, and each occurs in the
order as the pressure change in the reservoir
is effected in the" step-fashion" variation.
The integrations indicated in Eq. 8
are likewise developed in the eadier paper, a
for whiCh the corresponding values to G
are computed for a large time range.
Thus for a constant pressure PI in the
reservoir, Eq. 8 reduces to
G (a
2
0) _ 5
62Z
R2 - 27r(I44)HO'R2q,C(PR - PI)
with a
2
= K/J.LtPc and the corresponding
pressure variation as it affects the extent
of water drive on the field.
In order to accomplish this, it is assumed
that the pressure in the reservoir varies
in "step-fashion," Eq. 2, but that each
pressure plateau is of extremely short
duration, such that if 50 is the length of
time for each plateau, there will be 0/50
or n "steps" in the variation. Thus the
rate of water influx into the reservoir, as
expressed by Eq. 7, can be rewritten as the
series expansion
dZ = 27r(144)KO'H
dO 5 62J.L
(
p _ P )G' (a
2
(0 - 07 - 1
7-1 7 R2
WILLIAM HURST
Further, if the time of duration for each
plateau is reduced to an infinitesimal,
there will be an infinite number of "steps,"
and this expansion approaches as a limit
the integral
dZ
dO =
2'11"(I44)KuHI
s62J.L
foB :; G' e
2
(0 R-; 0')) dO' [9]
to which the negative sign is prefixed to
correct for the order of occurrence of
(P,Y-1 - P'Y) with time. Likewise the
cumulative water influx is expressed as
Therefore Eqs. 9 and 10 are applicable for
any pressure variation in the reservoir,
by the substitution for dP / dO' in the
integrands, the actual slopes of the reser-
voir pressure-time relationship for the field.
It is possible to express these equations
as explicit functions of reservoir pressures,
hood of 01
2
(0 - 0')/ R2 = 0, in order to
satisfy the convergence of the integrals
expressed by Eqs. 9 and 10.
Thus for extremely small time argu-
ments, 01
2
(0 - O')/R2, the problem is
comparable to the case in which the time
is finite but the radius of the reservoir is
extremely large. Under these conditions,
then, the influx of fluid into the reservoir
approximates a solution to an infinite
solid bounded by a plane, and the analysis
is essentially that of linear flow. For the
linear flow problem, the corresponding
values for the functions are
G' (0I
2
(OR-; 0')) = I/V'll"0I2(0 _ O')/R2
and
G e
2
(OR-; 0')) = ~ V'II"0I2(0 _ O')/R2
with 01
2
(0 - 0')/ R2 ~ 0.001.
Therefore in Eq. 9, if the slope of dP / dO'
is taken equal to the final slope of the
pressure-time curve and the slope is
considered as constant from 01 to 0 where
o - 01 ~ 0.00IR2/0I 2,
_ 2'11"(I44)KuH [ (B1 dP G' (01
2
(0 - 0')) dO' dP (B G' (01
2
(0 - 0')) dO'J
S62J.L Jo dO' R2 + dO J81 R2
_ 2'11"(I44)KuH [ (81 dP G' (01
2
(0 - 0')) dO' + 2 dP R 1(0 - 01)J
S62J.L Jo dO' R2 dO '\J '11"01
2
[I I]
instead of pressure slopes, by the ex- which is convergent.
pediency of integrating by parts. However, However, an alternative method for
before these integrations can be dealt expressing Eq. 9 is the following relation,
dZ = 2'11"(I44)KuH (8 d(PR - P) G' (01
2
(0 - 0')) dO'
dO S.62J.L Jo dO' R2
= 2'11"(I44)KuH [ (
8I
d(PR - P) G' (01
2
(0 - 0')) dO' _ dP (8 G' (01
2
(0 - 0')) do'J
S.62J.L :1.0 dO' R2 dO J81 R2
with, it is necessary to discuss the diver- which can be deduced from Eq. 7
gence of G'(0I
2
(0 - 0')/ R2) in the neighbor- Thus
dZ 2'11" ( I44)Ku H 5 [ , (01
2
( 0 - 0')) J B' = BI
dO = S.62J.L 1 (P
R
- PiG R2 0
+ ;: JoBI (PR - P)G" (01
2
(0 R-; 0')) dO' - ~ : J : ~ G' (01
2
(0 R-; 0')) dO' ~
= 2'11"(I44)KuH 5 (P
R
_ PiG' (01
2
(0 - 01)) + 01
2
(B1 (PR _ P)G" (01
2
(0 - 0')) dO'
S.62J.L 1 R2 R2 Jo R2
_ 2 dP R 1(0 - 01) l [12]
dO '\J '11"01
2
)
70 WATER INFLUX INTO A RESERVOIR AND VOLUMETRIC BALANCE
where (PR - P) = 0 for (J' = o. The
relation G"(a
2
(J - (J')/R2) is not available
for this paper but if necessary it could be
computed from G' by either empirical
or analytical methods. However, Eq. II
is explicit in itself for most purposes.
The integration by parts for the cumula-
tive water influx, Eq. 10, is expressed as
follows:
since G(J) = o. However,
G (a
2
(J) = a
2
(8 G' (a
2
(J - (J') d(J'
R2 R2JO R2
and
z = 21f(144)KuH
5.621-1
fo8 (P
R
- P)G' (a
2
(JR--: (JI) d(J'
Furthermore, if the final pressure of the
pressure-time curve is held constant, say
from (Jl to (J, for (J - (Jl S; 0.00IR2/a 2,
and this equation expresses reservoir
pressure explicitly.
LINEAR FLOW
The linear water drive on a field is
represented by the movement of water
in a sand formation of uniform cross
section, bounded at one end by the field
and extending in the other direction for
infinite distances. The constant terminal
pressure solution for the linear-flow case
is given in Carslaw,7 and it is expressed as
for P = I at any point in the water
formation in zero time, with P = 0 at
x = 0, where x is the distance measured
from the edge of the field.
As in radial flow, the reservoir pressure
change is reproduced by the application
of the "step-fashion" pressure variation
of Eq. 2. Thus the pressure in the water
formation at any distance x in time (J is
developed by superimposing the constant
terminal pressure solutions for times
zero, (Jl, (J2, etc. (See Eq. 15, below.)
The rate of water influx into the reservoir
at x = 0 is expressed by Darcy's law
[161
where A, in sq. ft., is the cross-sectional
area exposed to water drive. Thus the
differentiation of Eq. 14 with respect to x
for the limit x ~ 0, gives
(
ap) I [171
ax ~ - o = V1fa2(J
for the over-all pressure drop of unity.
[151
WILLIAM HURST
Therefore, by Eqs. 15 and 17, the rate
of water influx is expressed as
and the cumulative water influx by the
relation
centric with an oil field, and subtended by a
spherical angle at the center of the field.
An examination of the literature, however,
has failed to reveal the constant terminal
144KA [ fo8 dO J:8 dO
Z = (PR - PI) -- + (PI - P2) ---
5.62Jl. Vll'CX
2
0 vO 8. V(O - ( 1)
(8 dO (8 dO ]
+ (P
2
- P
a
) J8, V(O _ (
2
) + ... + (P"-I - P
n
) J8.-. V(O - On-I)
2(144)KA [( P) _ r ( ) _ /---
= _ / PR - I V 0 + PI - P 2 V (0 - ( 1)
5.62Jl. VlI'CX
2
+ (P2 - Pa) V(O - ( 2) + ... + (Pn - I - Pn) V(O - On-I) ] [19J
If the pressure plateaus are assumed to
occur in infinitesimal steps, Eqs. 18 and 19
approach the limits
dZ 144KA (8 dP dO'
dO = - 5. 62Jl. Vll'CX2Jo dO' V(O - 0')
and
[20]
Z = - (2)(I44)KA (0 dP _ / , dO'
5. 62Jl. Vll'CX2 Jo dO' V (0 - 0)
[2I]
Therefore, by the integration by parts,
dZ 144KA [(PR - P)
dO = 5.62Jl. Vll'CX
2
V(O - ( 1)
+ ~ (8. (PR - P) dO'
2 Jo (0 - 0')%
dP ]
- 2 dO V(O - ( 1) [22]
where dP / dO is assumed constant for
OJ S; 0' S; 0 with (0 - OJ) small. Further,
Z = I 44KA [(8,(PR - P)dO'
5.62Jl. VlI'CX2 Jo (0 - 0')%
+ 2(PR - P) V(O - (
1
) ] [23]
for the final pressure P constant in the
same interval.
SPHERICAL FLOW
It is possible that the water drive is
from a formation of infinite extent, con-
pressure solution f o ~ this case, therefore
this analysis will be developed in detail.
The comparable form to Eq. I in spheri-
cal flow is the relation
a
2
(<I>r) cx
2
= a(<I>r)
ar2 ao
which is similar to the line'.lf-flow equation,
and the solution is expressed by
(r-r'l'
<l>r = f(r')e "'" r
I f+ '" --4 '" d'
2 Vll'CX
2
0 - '"
where fer') = fer), the value of <l>r in zero
time at any point r.
Further, if the limits are taken that
<I> = I at zero time for r > R, the radius
of the oil field, and <I> = 0 at r = R, the
fer) value in the equation is expressed by
<l>r = fer) = r; r > R
and
<l>r = fer) = r - 2R; r < R
Thus it is observed that for r < R the
fer) function is so chosen as to give the
odd function of fer), or the negative image
of this function. Therefore
(r-T')'
<l>r = I [ ('" r' e - 4",'8 dr'
2 VlI'CX
2
0 JR
(r-r')'
+ f ~ '" (r' - 2R)e- 4",'8 dr']
72 WATER INFLUX INTO A RESERVOIR AND VOLUMETRIC BALANCE
or the form
The rate of water influx into the oil
reservoir is expressed by the equation
where the spherical surface is equal to
411" R2 and u is the fraction of the surface
exposed to water drive. Therefore the
differentiation of Eq. 24 gives the relation
since <I> = 0 at r = R.
Thus by integrating
Finally, employing the "step-fashion"
variation of Eq. 2, we obtain Eq. 27,
where <I> is referred to a given datum plane
and therefore can be expressed as reservoir
pressure. The limit, however, for Eq. 27,
taking'infinitesimal steps, is the equation
dZ 411"(1 44)KuR
dO = - 5.62P,
I 9 dP ( I + ) dO' [8]
Jo dO' V1l"a2(O _ O')/R2 I 2
and the cumulative water influx is the
expression
Z = _ 411"(144)KuR"
562p,a
2
(9 dP (2 la
2
(O - 0')
Jo dO' '\J 11"R2
+ a
2
(O - 0') dO' [29]
R2
REFERENCES
1. S. Coleman, H. D. Wilde, Jr. and T. W. Moore:
Quantitative Effect of Gas-oil Ratios on Decline
of Average Rock Pressure. Trans. A.I.M.E. (1930)
86, 174.
2. R. J. Schilthuis: Active Oil and Reservoir Energy.
Trans. A.I.M.E. (1936),164.
3. W. Hurst: Unsteady Flow of Fluids in Oil Reser-
voirs. Physics (Jan. 1934) 5.
4. M. Muskat: The Flow of Compressible Fluids
through Porous Media and Some Problems in
Heat Conduction. Physics (March 1934) 5.
5. R. J. Schilthuisand W. Hurst: Variations 10 Reser-
voir Pressure in the East Texas Field. Trans.
A.I.M.E. (1935) II4, 164. . .
6. S. E. Buckley: The Pressure Production Relation-
ship in the East Texas Field. Amer. Petro Inst.,
Southwestern Div., Fort Worth, March 1938.
7. H. S. Carslaw: Introduction to the Mathematical
Theory of the Conduction of Heat in Solids,
16-19. New York, 1921. Macmillan.
8. L. P. Smith: Heat Flow in an Infinite Solid
Bounded Internally by a Cylinder. Jnl. Applied
Physics (June 1937) 8,441-448.
9. T. V. Moore, R. J. Schilthuis and W. Hurst: The
Determination of Permeability from Field
Data. Amer. Petro Inst. (1933).