ENM200 SUBSURFACE

Faculty:

Design and Technology

School:

Engineering

Course:

PgD/MSc Degree
in Oil & Gas Engineering
or Drilling & Well Engineering
or Petroleum Production Engineering
(FULL-TIME & ODL STUDENTS)

Stage of Study:

Level M Examination

Academic Year:

2011/12

Semester:

One

Date:

Monday 9th January 2012

Time (Main Cohort):

1430-1700 hours (Two and a half hours)

Time (SAA Student):

1430-1738 (Three hours and Eight minutes)

No of Pages
(including cover sheet):

INSTRUCTIONS TO
CANDIDATES:

Attempt any TWO Questions from Section A and

any TWO Questions from Section B
USE SEPARATE ANSWER BOOKS FOR EACH
QUESTION.

SPECIAL STATIONERY
(if applicable):

Datasheets (4 pages) (included with the exam paper)

Worksheet Q3(a)

"All dictionaries used during an examination should be paper-based translation dictionaries only.
Students may use programmable calculators but these must be reset to erase any stored
information. Spot checks may be carried out.

Section A - Attempt any TWO Questions from this Section

1 Using the petroleum geology a gas or oilfield in the North Sea as an example,
discuss the separate requirements needed for a working petroleum system.
Marks are awarded for showing a clear understanding of each of the steps
involved in petroleum formation and accumulation. Extra marks are given for
specific details of the field you choose to use as an example.

(25)

2 Write short notes on FIVE of the following:

(a) Absolute dating of rocks;
(b) Oil Kitchen;
(c) Extensional plate boundaries;
(d) Metamorphic rocks;
(e) Net to Gross (N:G);
(f) Primary migration;
(g) Grain sorting;
(h) Porosity in limestones;
(i) Northern North Sea hydrocarbon plays;
(j) Resistivity logs;
(k) 3D Seismic;
(l) Niger Delta petroleum province.

(25)

3 (a) Using the well log suite provided for Q3(a); identify, delineate and mark
the positions of:
(i) All the possible reservoir sections (note: mark the depth positions of
the top and bottom of all the delineated reservoir sections and draw
two lines from these positions across the log to delineate each
reservoir section; ensure that the depth positions and the lines are
well labelled)

(6)

(ii) The fluid types and their contacts (note: mark the depth positions of
all the fluid contacts and draw a line across each contact; ensure that
the depth positions and the lines are well labelled)

(7)

Please remember to attach Well Log Suite Worksheet to your answer

booklet
(b) Using the Hopeman Sandstone Formation as an example of an analogue
for Aeolian reservoirs, discuss the principal characteristics that would
make it a good or bad reservoir. What fields produce from reservoirs
formed from sediments deposited in a similar environment in the North
Sea?

ENM200 Subsurface

(12)

January 2012

Section B - Attempt any TWO Questions from this Section

4 (a) (i) Discuss Capillary Pressure and its role in an oil reservoir which is
underlain by an aquifer.

(5)

(ii) A reservoir has an initial oil volume of 60 MMbbls at 2000psia. The

oil volume increases to 60.3 MMbbls as pressure is reduced from
2000 psia to 1500 psia. Determine the compressibility of the oil and
state what can be deduced about the lower pressure value of 1500
psia.

(4)

(b) Discuss the constant terminal rate solution to the radial diffusivity
equation for a bounded reservoir system.

(6)

(c) An oil well produced 100 MMstb of oil at a rate of 1000 stb/d prior to
shut-in for a pressure build up survey. From the pressure and reservoir
data given below determine the effective permeability and skin factor.
Data
Oil flow rate = 1000 stb/d
Initial Reservoir Pressure = 7800 psia
Wellbore radius = 0.33 ft
Formation thickness = 100 ft
Porosity = 25 %
Oil viscosity = 1.2 cp
Oil Formation Volume Factor = 1.13 rb/stb
Total compressibility = 20 x 10-6 psi-1
m = 60 psi/log cycle
Pressure 1 hour after shut-in (from straight line portion of buildup curve)
= 4892 psia
Final flowing bottom hole pressure = 4412 psia

ENM200 Subsurface

(10)

January 2012

5 (a) The following table gives composition data for a gas stream which is to
be exported from an offshore oilfield by pipeline:
Component

mol%

Methane

82.5

Ethane

10.5

Propane

4.6

Isobutane

1.6

n-butane

0.8

Determine:
(i) the specific gravity of the gas (molar mass of air = 28.96)

(4)

(ii) the density of the gas at the pipeline entry conditions of 2260 psia
and 66F

(12)

(b) What is an equation of state (EOS) and what is meant by the Principle of
Corresponding States? Explain the use of this principle as the basis of
the method used to obtain your answers to part (a) of this question.
What are the main limitations on the accuracy of the z-factor chart used
for your calculations?

(9)

ENM200 Subsurface

January 2012

6 (a) A saturated oil reservoir with a large gas cap had an initial pressure of
3250 psia. From data obtained during exploration and appraisal drilling,
it was estimated that the ratio of initial gas cap volume to initial oil
volume (measured at reservoir conditions) was 0.380. The reservoir was
produced without the use of any secondary recovery and natural water
drive was found to be insignificant (due to the low permeability of the
aquifer).
When the reservoir pressure had fallen to 2400 psia the cumulative
production figures were as follows:Oil
Gas
Water

35.68 x 106 stb

58.26 x 109 scf
negligible

PVT data for the reservoir fluid is shown below:Pressure

(psia)
3250
2400

Bo
(rb/stb)
1.5830
1.4365

Rs
(scf/stb)
890
628

Bg
(rb/scf)
0.00094
0.00140

Showing clearly the steps in your calculations and stating any

assumptions made, determine:
(i) the initial oil in place (stb);

(14)

(ii) the initial gas in place in the gas cap

(scf)

(4)

(b) What name is given to the drive mechanism mainly responsible for
the oil production from a reservoir such as that in part (a) of this
question? Sketch plots showing how the oil production rate and the
producing gas-oil ratio may be expected to vary with recovery efficiency
in such reservoirs, and explain why it is important to minimise the
production of gas from the gas cap along with the oil.

(7)

End of Examination

ENM200 Subsurface

January 2012

THE ROBERT GORDON UNIVERSITY, ABERDEEN

FACULTY OF DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
ENERGY CENTRE

Data Sheet
Unit Conversions
1 acre ft = 43,560ft3 = 7758 bbl
1 square mile = 640 acres
1bbl = 5.615ft3 = 0.159 m3 = 42 US gallons
API gravity =

141.5
specific gravity

131.5

To convert temperatures in F to R add 460

To convert temperatures in C to K add 273
To convert temperatures in K to R multiply by 1.8
1 bar = 14.50 psi
1m

= 3.281 ft

1 kg

= 2.205 lb

Stock-tank or standard conditions are 60F and 14.7 psia

Well Testing Equations

ENM200 Subsurface

January 2012

Slope of Semilog plot, m:

m = -

162.6 q B o
kh

mD

The skin factor, S:

wf (1 hr) - pi
k

S = 1.151
- log
m
c rw2

+ 3.23

Observed Productivity Index (PI):

PI =

qo
stb/d/psi
p -p
i
wf

Additional pressure drop due to the skin:

skin

= 141.2

qo B o
S
kh

psi

General Material Balance Equation

N =

) ] (

Np Bt + Rp R s i Bg We WpBw
Bg

(1 + m)(Sw ccw + cf )p
1 + Bt i
Bt Bt i + mBt i
Bg i

(1 Sw c )

where Bt = Bo + (R s i R s )Bg and Bg is in rb/scf

Gas Properties
Values of the universal gas constant (R):
Units of:

Value of R

Pressure

Volume

Temperature

psia
kN/m2

ft3
m3

R
K

ENM200 Subsurface

10.73 psia ft3/lb mol R

8.314 kJ/kmol K

January 2012

ENM200 Subsurface

January 2012

PHYSICAL CONSTANTS
Imperial Units:
Compound

Formula

Molar Mass

Critical Constants
Pressure, psia

Temperature, F

Methane

CH4

16.043

666.4

-116.67

Ethane

C2H6

30.070

706.5

89.92

Propane

C3H8

44.097

616.0

206.06

Isobutane

C4H10

58.124

527.9

274.46

n-Butane

C4H10

58.124

550.6

305.62

Isopentane

C5H12

72.151

490.4

369.10

n-Pentane

C5H12

72.151

488.6

385.80

Neopentane

C5H12

72.151

464.0

321.13

Carbon Dioxide

CO2

44.010

1071.0

87.91

Hydrogen Sulphide

H2S

34.076

1300.0

212.45

N2

28.0134

493.1

-232.51

Nitrogen
SI Units:
Compound

Formula

Molar Mass

Critical Constants
Pressure, kPa
(abs)

Temperature, K

Methane

CH4

16.043

4604

190.5

Ethane

C2H6

30.070

4880

305.43

Propane

C3H8

44.097

4249

369.82

Isobutane

C4H10

58.124

3648

408.13

n-Butane

C4H10

58.124

3797

425.16

Isopentane

C5H12

72.151

3381

460.39

n-Pentane

C5H12

72.151

3369

469.60

Neopentane

C5H12

72.151

3199

433.75

Carbon Dioxide

CO2

44.010

7382

304.19

Hydrogen Sulphide

H2S

34.076

9005

373.50

N2

28.0134

3399

126.1

Nitrogen
ENM200 Subsurface

January 2012

Matric No:________________
Question 3(a): Well log suite
ENM200 Subsurface Exam
FT 2011/2012