Gas Condensate Reservoir Performance
F.B. THOMAS
Hycal Energy Research Laboratories Ltd.
G. ANDERSEN
Chevron/Texaco
D.B. BENNION
Hycal Energy Research Laboratories Ltd.
Abstract
Gas condensate reservoirs exhibit complex coupling between
phase behaviour, interfacial tension, velocity and pore size dis-
tribution. Appropriate characterization of the in situ fluids and
relevant flow testing can provide valuable insight into gas con-
densate reservoir forecasting. The following insights were ob-
tained during the course of this testing:
1. The importance of path dependence was shown to be sig-
nificant when creating equilibrium phases below saturation
pressure for use in quantifying phase interference. Differ-
ences, due to compositional path, in API gravity of liquids
in solution were quantified to be as much as 10 degrees,
with molecular weight differences over 110 daltons.
2. End-point saturations, such as trapped gas and residual con-
densate saturation, are sensitive to the level of interfacial
tension (IFT). Critical condensate saturation was less sensi-
tive to IFT (pressure).
3. The two-phase injection approach and the protocol whereby
explicit measurement of relative permeability is performed
provide a very thorough gas-condensate reservoir data set,
which are amenable for use in simulation and reservoir pro-
duction forecasting.
Background
This paper discusses performance of gas condensate reservoirs.
These reservoirs have a reservoir temperature located between the
critical point and the cricondentherm on the reservoir fluids pres-
sure-temperature diagram. This is the only unique and accurate
means of identifying gas condensate reservoirs; any other defini-
tion [condensate-gas ratio, C7+ molecular weight (MW) or C7+
API gravity] is specious and ersatz.
In these reservoirs, as the pressure drops, vapour and liquid
phases result. Capillary pressure causes phase interference which
usually reduces gas productivity. A cross-section of interesting
topics that show the complexities of gas-condensate reservoir pro-
duction have been reported in the literature(1-7). All of the relevant
parameters, if well understood, will lead to more accurate evalu-
ation of the amount of hydrocarbon in place, the rate at which the
resource can be produced and the optimization strategies as the
reservoir matures.
Introduction
In this paper, retrograde condensate characterization and proper-
ties measurement, explicit relative permeability and two-phase dy-
namic steady-state measurements are discussed. Notwithstanding
Peer Reviewed Paper (Review and Publication Process can be found on our Website)
18 Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology
the very specific nature of this paper in quantifying phase behav-
iour-fluid flow coupling in the laboratory, it was considered impor-
tant to provide a short commentary on sampling of gas condensate
fluids that form the foundation on which experimental gas conden-
sate testing is built. Extensive treatment of this theme was beyond
the scope of the current paper.
Retrograde Condensate Sampling
The bottomhole flowing pressure (PBHF) must be lower than res-
ervoir pressure to induce flow. If the PBHF is less than dew point
pressure then liquids drop out in the porous media around the pro-
duction well. The gas is much more mobile than the condensate
and, therefore, the gas-condensate ratios (GCR) exhibited at sur-
face are commonly higher than that of the reservoir fluid.
A further complication of this problem is that the composition of
the surface liquid also changes. When the PBHF is above dew point,
the MW of the surface liquid is the highest. Figure 1 shows the
change in composition incident to decreasing bottomhole pressure.
The heaviest components are the first to leave the vapour phase;
this may occur at pressures just below the dew point pressure. The
consequence of the compositional change is that the lower the MW
of the surface liquid used in the recombination, the lower the ap-
parent dew point pressure. Relative to the reservoir pressure, this
trend can indicate an increasing degree of under-saturation. How-
ever, this is commonly offset by the high GCR mentioned above.
For these reasons, multi-rate sampling helps to identify trends in
surface-separator fluid properties as a function of changes in PBHF
and, therefore, approaches representative reservoir fluid properties
by appropriate recombination techniques.
The ideal time to sample is before the PBHF has fallen below
the dew point. In this case, slow flow bottomhole sampling (BHS)
will capture a representative fluid. The experience of the authors
0.02
0.018
0.016
Mole Fraction
0.014
0.012
0.01 2 Months 4 Months 7 Months
0.008
0.006
0.004
0.002
0
C12 C13 C14 C15 C16 C17 C18 C19 C20 C21 C22 C23
Component
FIGURE 1: Heavy-end compositional changes.
Table 1: Sample validation compositional analysis of recombined fluid.

Boiling Point Component Chemical Mole Mass

(F) Name Symbol Fraction Fraction Calculated Properties
-320.4 Nitrogen N2 0.0024 0.0026 Total Sample
-109.3 Carbon Dioxide CO2 0.0201 0.0334
-76.6 Hydrogen Sulphide H2S 0.0000 0.0000 Molecular Weight 26.48
-259.1 Methane C1 0.8243 0.4997
-128.0 Ethane C2 0.0509 0.0578
-44.0 Propane C3 0.0346 0.0576 C6+ Fraction
10.9 i-Butane i-C4 0.0067 0.0146
30.9 n-Butane n-C4 0.0106 0.0234 Molecular Weight 176.28
82.0 i-Pentane i-C5 0.0036 0.0098 Mole Fraction 0.0442
97.0 n-Pentane n-C5 0.0025 0.0069 Density (g/cc) 0.8303
97 - 156 Hexanes C6 0.0016 0.0053
156 - 208.9 Heptanes C7 0.0022 0.0084 C7+ Fraction
208.9 - 258.1 Octanes C8 0.0058 0.0248
258.1 - 303.1 Nonanes C9 0.0036 0.0175 Molecular Weight 172.08
303.1 - 345 Decanes C10 0.0027 0.0146 Mole Fraction 0.0423
345 - 385 Undecanes C11 0.0024 0.0132 Density (g/cc) 0.8338
385 - 419 Dodecanes C12 0.0019 0.0116
419 - 455 Tridecanes C13 0.0022 0.0148 C12+ Fraction
455 - 486 Tetradecanes C14 0.0023 0.0162
486 - 519.1 Pentadecanes C15 0.0015 0.0116 Molecular Weight 270.68
519.1 - 550 Hexadecanes C16 0.0013 0.0109 Mole Fraction 0.0179
550 - 557 Heptadecanes C17 0.0011 0.0097 Density (g/cc) 0.8746
557 - 603 Octadecanes C18 0.0010 0.0093
603 - 626 Nonadecanes C19 0.0006 0.0064 C30+ Fraction
626 - 651.9 Eicosanes C20 0.0006 0.0061
651.9 - 675 Heneicosanes C21 0.0005 0.0050 Molecular Weight 554.15
675 - 696.9 Docosanes C22 0.0004 0.0050 Mole Fraction 0.0020
696.9 - 716 Tricosanes C23 0.0004 0.0044 Density (g/cc) 0.9807
716 - 736 Tetracosanes C24 0.0004 0.0044
736 - 755.1 Pentacosanes C25 0.0004 0.0047
755.1 - 774 Hexacosanes C26 0.0003 0.0043 Recombination Parameters
774.1 - 792 Heptacosanes C27 0.0003 0.0045
792.1 - 809.1 Octacosanes C28 0.0004 0.0053 Gas-Oil Ratio (cc/cc) 2324.56
809.1 - 826 Nonacosanes C29 0.0004 0.0060 Dead Oil Density (g/cc) 0.8265
Above 826 Tricontanes Plus C30+ 0.0020 0.0428 Dead Oil MW (g/mol) 167.84

NAPHTHENES
120.0 Cyclopentane C5H10 0.0003 0.0007 0.90

162.0 Methylcyclopentane C6H12 0.0012 0.0039 0.80

178.0 Cyclohexane C6H12 0.0015 0.0048 0.70
214.0 Methylcyclohexane C7H14 0.0022 0.0082 0.60

0.50
AROMATICS 0.40

176.0 Benzene C6H6 0.0015 0.0045 0.30

231.1 Toluene C7H8 0.0001 0.0003 0.20

277 - 282 Ethylbenzene & p,m-Xylene C8H10 0.0006 0.0024 0.10

291.9 o-Xylene C8H10 0.0002 0.0009 0.00

336.0 1, 2, 4-Trimethylbenzene C9H12 0.0004 0.0017

C30+
N2
CO2
H2S
C1
C2
C3
C4
C5
C6
C7
C8
C9
C10
C11
C12
C13
C14
C15
C16
C17
C18
C19
C20
C21
C22
C23
C24
C25
C26
C27
C28
C29
Total 1.0000 1.0000

Note: Physical properties are calculated based on GPA 2145-00 physical constants. ID.: 433-174

is that this scenario (PBHF > PDEW) is unusual, however. Typically,
sufficient production to induce two-phase near-wellbore flow is
encountered before sampling is considered; the earlier the sam-
pling occurs, and the lower the drawdown during the sampling,
the better.
When some bottomhole samplers are opened, particularly in
low-permeability rock, two-phase separation can be induced, de-
pending on the degree of under-saturation. Bottomhole sampling
is not a panacea for problematic fluid characterization. The one
reason for which the authors always recommend BHS along with
multi-rate surface sampling however, is due to the fact that there
may be solid-liquid separation (waxes). Inclusion of these com-
ponents in the characterization can impact the dew point pressure
significantly. The authors often see differences in the plus fraction
comparing bottomhole samples and surface liquids due to solid
separation on the trip up the wellbore. A recent example showed
a flashed liquid-phase MW at the separator of 206 and the flashed
liquid MW from a BHS at 216 (a 4.6% difference).
July 2009, Volume 48, No. 7 19
Properties Measurements and
Equilibrium Fluid Characterization
Once the fluids have been sampled and appropriately charac-
terized, then fluid properties need to be measured. Standard vis-
cosity and density measurements need to be done along with liquid
separation characteristics. Oft times more specialized parameters
also need to be measured, including interfacial tension (IFT) and
plus-fraction properties. Moreover, if phase interference tests are
to be performed, quantities of the fluids large enough to run core
floods are required; depending upon the nature of the fluids this
can present serious challenges.
This section reports some parameters that were measured on a
high-pressure high-temperature (HPHT) reservoir where the sur-
face liquid possessed an API gravity of 39.7 degrees. Reservoir
pressure was 82,909 kPa at 119C (12,025 psi at a temperature
of 246F). The composition of the fluid is shown in Table 1 and
Figure 2 presents the liquid drop-out characteristics of the fluid at
119C (246F).
 16
Retrograde Liquid
Accumulation (%)
14
12
10
8 API Gravity
6 150
4
2 R2 = 0.996099
0 50
0 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000 70,000 80,000 90,000
Pressure (kPa)
FIGURE 2: Constant composition expansion at 119C.
300 259.7 228.08
250 199.13
200
MW
150 113.3
100 82.2 74.0
50
0
61.4 40.7 20
Fluid Type (Equilibrium Pressure)
FIGURE 3: Summary of lower phases.
Two discrete levels of pressure were used in subsequent flow
quantification (61,363 and 19,995 kPa 8,900 and 2,900 psi) and,
consequently, enough of each phase had to be produced at these
pressures for measurement. With retrograde condensation of 2.2
volume% at 61,363 kPa, it was difficult to create sufficient liquid
volume for analysis. The high pressures required to reach dew
point (73,084 kPa) necessitated the use of smaller HPHT cylin-
ders, and yet 2.2% drop-out yielded only about 13 cc of live liquid
at 61,363 kPa from the 700 cc HPHT recombination cylinder. Mul-
tiple recombinations had to be done to yield sufficient liquid at
61,363 kPa for analysis.
For HPHT fluids, it is usually not possible to synthesize the
equilibrium liquid phase directly. Figure 3 shows the MW data
of the liquid that is vapourized in the gas phase (after flashing to
STP) as a function of pressure at reservoir temperature, as well as
the overall MW of the lower phase.
The MW of the equilibrium liquid at the highest pressure can
be approximated by the trend line in Figure 4. The linear trend in-
dicates that, at a pressure just below the dew point pressure (73
MPa), the liquid that would first leave the vapour phase would
have an MW of 279.1 an MW very close to that of C20.
The correlation of API gravity indicates that the API of the first
liquids to drop out of the vapour phase, just below dew point pres-
sure, would be 28.9 degrees (density of 0.882 g/cc). Remember
that the API of the flashed separator liquid was about 40 degrees. It
is therefore impossible to create representative equilibrium lower
phase, at the higher pressures, simply by using the separator liquid
and synthetic gases for direct recombination. The amount of liquid
that would drop out of solution with this character would be less
than 0.10 volume%. To measure the properties and flow charac-
teristics at high pressure would require a minimum of 30 ml of
equilibrium liquid. With 0.10% liquid drop-out and the HPHT dew
point condition, it could require as many as 43 sequential recombi-
nations in a 700 cc HPHT cylinder and would necessitate as much
as 4,300 cc of separator liquid in the recombinations. The path fol-
lowed to prepare the representative lower phase includes recom-
bining 100 cc of separator liquid with the corresponding gas phase
volume, equilibrating at or above dew point pressure and reser-
voir temperature and then subsequent equilibration at a pressure
below dew point, followed by collection of the lower phase. The
separator liquid is vapourized and then the equilibration step below
dew point causes the heavier compounds to condense; the heaviest
components can not exist as a vapour at pressures just below the
dew point. This is the path that must be followed to create the rep-
resentative liquid phase. If phase interference testing were to be
performed then the fluid volumes would have to be at least 10
20 Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology
MW API Gravity Linear (API Gravity) Linear (MW)
45
300
40
250
35
V/Vtot V/Vdp
Liquid MW
200 30
MOLECULAR MASS 25
y = -0.0001477x + 39.6578907
R2 = 0.9932095 20
100 y = 0.001573x + 164.171257 15
10
5
0 0
0 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000 70,000
Pressure (kPa)
FIGURE 4: Lower phase MW and API gravity.
MW low Flashed
Table 2: Properties of fluids measured.
163.61 165.01
Liquid Gas
Pressure
Viscosity Viscosity IFT
48.6 57.8
Psia kPa (mPas) (mPas) (mN/m)
Syn 40.7 Sep Liq
2,900 19,995 0.620 0.031 3.40
5,900 40,679 0.400 0.050 0.95
8,900 61,363 0.350 0.066 0.25
10,600 73,084 0.076 0.076 0.00
12,000 82,737 0.083
13,000 89,632 0.087
times this volume or, in other words, 430 sequential recombina-
tions of 700 cc and 43 l of separator liquid would be required.
As seen from Figure 3, the separator liquid possesses an MW
of 165 and, as shown, simply adding gas to the separator con-
densate in order to increase the bubblepoint of the condensate
phase to 40,679 kPa results in a MW of 164 instead of 228; essen-
tially no significant selection has occurred in the components that
drop out. If one approaches the creation of the equilibrium lower
phase by trying to synthesize directly from the separator liquid
without complete vapourization and selective condensation, then
the lower phase will not be representative. The synthetic liquid at
40,679 kPa and 119C exhibited an IFT 25% lower than the actual
value, and the synthetic liquid had a GOR of 491 m3/m3 instead of
249 m3/m3.
Table 2 reports the properties that were measured for the phases
generated from the appropriate recombination and subsequent de-
pletion path.
Gas Condensate Relative Permeability
Testing
Is retrograde condensation going to severely impact gas produc-
tion? To answer this question, experimental testing was done using
two separate core stacks, each comprised of four core plugs of 3.81
cm in diameter. The properties of the stacks are shown in Table 3.
The stacks were prepared with the relevant water saturations
and then a baseline permeability to humidified methane was mea-
sured. The methane permeabilities for the two stacks at Swi were
122.1 and 28.4 mD, respectively, at a pore pressure of 62,053 kPag
at 119C (9,000 psi at 246F). Compared to the single-phase gas
permeabilities of 136.1 and 36.0 mD, this decrease in gas permea-
bility in the presence of water would be expected since it is thought
that most of the water would be associated with the smaller pores
which contribute little to the overall permeability of the samples.
The core stack was then mounted in an oven at reservoir tempera-
ture with two pressure control valves (PCV): one on the injection
end and one on the production end. With the PCV in place, the
pressure of the injection fluid could be maintained above dew point
pressure and the pore pressure of the core could be maintained at
specific pressures in the two-phase region. Thus, single phase
fluid would enter the first valve, flash into two phases and then
liquid and gas flow into the stack. The liquid drop-out characteris-
tics were previously measured, and a pore pressure corresponding
to 5.9% liquid drop-out of 20,684 kPag (3,000 psi) was chosen;
condensate saturation is dictated by the volume of dew point fluid
Table 3: Routine permeability and porosity results.

Stack 1
Provided After Cleaning Target Swi Length
Plug# , % K, mD , % K, mD (%) (cm) Order*
203A 18.4 151 18.9 169 15.0 6.31 2
209A 17.9 101 18.6 116 15.0 6.33 1
210AH 18.5 120 19.4 118 15.0 6.50 4
212AH 18.5 166 19.2 157 15.0 6.44 3
Khavg
25.58 136.06
Stack 2
Provided After Cleaning Target Swi Length
Plug# , % K, mD , % K, mD (%) (cm) Order*
216A 17.3 32.2 18.0 39.9 25.0 6.49 3
224B 17.0 25.0 17.6 34.4 25.0 6.23 4
225 17.1 31.0 17.8 40.7 25.0 6.34 1
225AH 16.3 25.3 17.7 32.7 25.0 6.35 2
Khavg
25.41 36.63
* Huppler Ordering - 1 at injection and 4 at production end.

injected into the core. The pressure of 20,684 kPag (3,000 psi)
was thought to be conservative from a bottomhole flowing pres-
sure over the first years of the field project. It was also thought
that phase interference effects would not be expected to be this se-
rious for many years [reservoir pressure of 82,909 kPag (12,025
psi)]. Although there would be an initial distribution of condensate
along the stack, eventually the condensate would reach a critical
saturation above which it would start to flow. It was considered
that, due to the relatively homogeneous stack, the average critical
condensate saturation (CCS) measured would be representative of
the overall stack. Once the specific volume of dew point fluid was
injected, with its corresponding volume of condensate, equilibrium
gas was injected and the end-point permeability to equilibrium gas
was measured. Figure 5 shows the relative permeability relation-
ship for the second stack. It shows a critical condensate saturation
of about 19% at which point the gas permeability had decreased to
17% of its original value. This Scc was considered high, but some
porous media has been reported with Scc values well in excess of
this(1).
Once the Scc had been attained, the stack was then flooded
with equilibrium condensate at 3,000 psi and the displacement
history-matched with a two-phase compressible relative permea-
bility model. The trapped gas saturation was 12.6% of the pore
volume or 16.6% of the initial hydrocarbon in place. Following
the condensate saturation the equilibrium gas was then injected at
increasing rates up to a rate corresponding to field rates of 1274
E3M3 STP [45 MMscfD; wellbore of 21.6 cm (8.5 inches) and a
completion interval of 61 m (200 feet) 309 m3/ m2-day (1,013
scf/ft2-day)]. The residual condensate saturation to this high rate
was 43.3% of the trapped gas end-point condensate saturation. The
high-rate gas permeability was Forchheimer corrected to provide
a value of 24.8 mD or a regain permeability of 87.5% of the ini-
tial Kg value. Figure 6 shows the same relationship, but at 62,053
Gas Permeability 1-Swi
kPag (9,000 psi). Very little change was observed from the per-
spective of gas permeability reduction. For the higher pressure
regime, however, with only 2.2% liquid drop out, insufficient sep-
arator liquid was available and so a synthetic liquid was prepared.
It had properties that were not representative (GOR too high, IFT
too low). This synthetic liquid resulted, when flooded into the core
stack, in a high mass transfer displacement and was not deemed as
representative of hydrocarbon liquid imbibition.
Similar testing was done for the higher permeability stack. The
results from this testing are summarized as follows:
1. The high and low permeability stacks exhibited Scc values
of 14 and 19% respectively. Critical condensate saturation
changed very little as a function of IFT change from 3.4 to
0.25 mN/m (20,684 and 62,053 kPag 3,000 and 9,000 psi).
This is not unexpected since the larger porous features are
thought to govern the first condensate mobilized and is not
expected to be a strong function of IFT. Residual conden-
sate saturation is considered to be a strong function of IFT,
although the data measured herein were insufficient to judge
conclusively (lack of available low IFT condensate phase).
2. The gas phase permeability at critical condensate saturation
(Scc) decreased by 60 and 84% for the high and low perme-
ability stacks, respectively.
3. Trapped gas saturations were 13.5% PV for the high perme-
ability stack at 20,684 kPag (3,000 psi) and 12.6% PV for the
low permeability stack. This may appear to be counterintui-
tive, but if the condensate phase is more wetting than the gas,
then the smaller porous features might exhibit a degree of
spontaneous imbibition that could reduce trapped gas more
than a more permeable core. The higher pressure trapped
gas saturations were not measured since the synthetic liquid
Gas Permeability 1-Swi Liq. Perm Hyst. Kg
40
Hysteresis Gas Liquid Perm
Gas Permeability (mD)

35
40
Gas Permeability (mD)

35 30
30 25
Scr
25
20
20
15
15 Scc = 19.3%
Scc = 19.4% 10
10
5 5
0 0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
Gas Saturation Gas Saturation

FIGURE 5: Results of condensate interference testing; Stack #2 - FIGURE 6: Results of condensate interference testing; Stack #2 -
Temperature = 246F and Pressure = 20,684 kPa. Temperature = 246F and Pressure = 62,053 kPa.

July 2009, Volume 48, No. 7 21

 Effective Permeability (mD)
250 7
2000 cc/hr at
10,400 psi 6
200
Delta P (psi) 150 300 cc/hr at
5
10,400 psi
4
100 160 cc/hr at
10,400 psi
3
50 y = 0.7541711Ln(x) +
refill pump 2 12.0105453
0 R2 = 0.5342982
0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 1

Time (s) 0
0.00E+00 1.00E-05 2.00E-05 3.00E-05 4.00E-05 5.00E-05

FIGURE 7: Differential pressure history - injection at 10,400 psi Capillary Number

and BPR at 6,000 psi.
phase had excessive mass transfer and trapped gas values
were unrealistic (apparent value of 3% was determined).
4. The importance of using representative equilibrium fluids
became paramount since subtle changes in IFT could affect
the displacement efficiency significantly; analogue fluids
that possess the viscosity, density and IFT characteristics of
the true equilibrium phases are very difficult to create.
Two-Phase Steady-State Injection
Some authors(8) have suggested that the high rates experienced
near production wells clean up any condensate that might drop out
contrary to what has been measured here and elsewhere. To simu-
late more directly what might happen in the field, the experimental
protocol was modified so that multiple volumes of dew point fluid
could be injected until a dynamic steady-state was observed. Once
stable differential pressure was attained, the permeability of each
phase was calculated based on the volume fraction condensed, as
measured in the constant composition expansion. Figure 2 showed
the liquid drop-out as a function of pressure below the dew point
and Figure 7 shows an example of the differential pressure history
from fluid injection into the second core stack at different rates.
A number of rates were examined corresponding to a range
of capillary number from 6.99 10-7 to 4.44 10-5. Appendix A
shows the way the authors calculated the capillary number.
Tables 4 and 5 show the results of the two-phase injection and
include the calculated end-point permeabilities, the back pressure,
FIGURE 8: Gas permeability vs. capillary number.
fluid type, differential pressure, and superficial and pore-scale cap-
illary numbers. The superficial capillary numbers were corrected
for porosity and immobile water saturation to reflect pore-scale
velocities; this corresponds to the columns of pore-scale capil-
lary numbers. The viscosities of the phases were reported earlier
in Table 2.
Contrasting the permeabilities for the gas to those measured as
part of the critical condensate experimentation provides corrob-
oration of the different methods. Figure 5 shows the gas-phase
permeability to be approximately 5 mD at the critical condensate
saturation, whereas Table 2 reports gas-phase permeabilities of 1
to 3 mD. The value of 2.9 mD would be expected to occur at about
25% condensate saturation from Figure 5, which may be the equi-
librium saturation at which the accumulation of condensate ceased.
This would be expected since the residual condensate saturation is
always higher than the critical condensate saturation and the re-
sidual condensate saturation will largely dictate the end-point gas
permeability. The two techniques agree very well with each other.
On the basis of flux calculations, the highest capillary number that
was possible to run in the laboratory corresponded to rates of 318
E3m3 (11.25 MMscfD) compared to 1,274 E3m3 (45 MMscfD)
which was contemplated as the expected production rate at which
the operator would produce the well. Figure 8 shows the plot of
permeability as a function of capillary number. This relationship
suggests that, although rate may be increased, the permeability to
gas is already approaching asymptotic and, therefore, the rate used
in the experimentation is thought to yield gas permeabilities that
would be representative.

Table 4: Calculations for two-phase injection at 20,684 kpa (3,000 psi) back pressure.

Pore Level Pore Level

Rate (cc/hr) Kg (mD) Kc (mD) Fluid Type dP (psi) Nca Gas Nca Liquid Nca Gas Nca Liquid

150 1.046709901 Gas 85 6.996E-07 4.910E-06

150 1.515201521 Condensate 85 1.013E-06 7.107E-06
2,000 2.647926833 Gas 448 9.328E-06 6.546E-05
2,000 3.833099087 Condensate 448 1.350E-05 9.476E-05
150 1.482839027 Gas 60 6.996E-07 4.910E-06
150 2.146535489 Condensate 60 1.013E-06 7.107E-06
2,800 2.913648614 Gas 570 1.306E-05 9.165E-05
2,800 4.217753943 Condensate 570 1.891E-05 1.327E-04
1,000 2.118341466 Gas 280 4.664E-06 3.273E-05
1,000 3.06647927 Condensate 280 6.752E-06 4.738E-05
500 1.577488326 Gas 188 2.332E-06 1.637E-05
500 2.283548392 Condensate 188 3.376E-06 2.369E-05
2,000 2.67178203 Gas 444 9.328E-06 6.546E-05
2,000 3.867631511 Condensate 444 1.350E-05 9.476E-05
2,800 2.94987515 Gas 563 1.306E-05 9.165E-05
2,800 4.270194933 Condensate 563 1.891E-05 1.327E-04
1,000 2.118341466 Gas 280 4.664E-06 3.273E-05
1,000 3.06647927 Condensate 280 6.752E-06 4.738E-05
500 1.579168292 Gas 187.8 2.332E-06 1.637E-05
500 2.285980286 Condensate 187.8 3.376E-06 2.369E-05
150 1.034538856 Gas 86 6.996E-07 4.910E-06
150 1.497582899 Condensate 86 1.013E-06 7.107E-06

22 Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology

Table 5: Calculations for two-phase injection at 41368 kpa (6000 psi) back pressure.

Pore Level Pore Level
Rate (cc/hr) Kg (mD) Kc (mD) Fluid Type dP (psi) Nca Gas Nca Liquid Nca Gas Nca Liquid

160 6.076439975 Gas 14.8 2.542E-06 1.784E-05

160 3.498076011 Condensate 14.8 1.464E-06 1.027E-05
300 2.897271638 Gas 58.2 4.767E-06 3.345E-05
300 1.667897067 Condensate 58.2 2.744E-06 1.926E-05
2,000 5.098146918 Gas 220.5 3.178E-05 2.230E-04
2,000 2.934893706 Condensate 220.5 1.830E-05 1.284E-04
2,800 5.245993179 Gas 300 4.449E-05 3.122E-04
2,800 3.020005623 Condensate 300 2.561E-05 1.797E-04
160 2.366613464 Gas 38 2.542E-06 1.784E-05
160 1.362408552 Condensate 38 1.464E-06 1.027E-05
300 2.989737754 Gas 56.4 4.767E-06 3.345E-05
300 1.721127825 Condensate 56.4 2.744E-06 1.926E-05
2,000 5.168466186 Gas 217.5 3.178E-05 2.230E-04
2,000 2.975374998 Condensate 217.5 1.830E-05 1.284E-04
2,800 5.377748005 Gas 292.65 4.449E-05 3.122E-04
2,800 3.095854047 Condensate 292.65 2.561E-05 1.797E-04

4.5 Condensate - 3000 PSI Condensate - 6000 PSI 7

Liquid Permeability

4 6

Permeability (mD)
3.5
3 5

2.5 4
2
3
1.5
1 2
0.5 GAS - 3000 PSI LIQUID - 3000 PSI
1
0 GAS - 6000 PSI LIQUID - 6000 PSI
0.000E+00 5.000E-06 1.000E-05 1.500E-05 2.000E-05 2.500E-05 3.000E-05 0
00

06

05

05

05

05

05

05

05

05

05
Capillary Number
E+

E-

E-

E-

E-

E-

E-

E-

E-

E-

E-
00

00

50

00

50

00

50

00

50

00
00

5.

1.

1.

2.

2.

3.

3.

4.

4.

5.
0.

FIGURE 9: Condensate permeability vs. capillary number. Nca

FIGURE 10: Permeability vs. capillary number.

Figure 9 shows the condensate permeability as a function of
capillary number. The values again appear to be approaching as-
ymptotic behaviour at the rates reached in the laboratory. Figure 10 Summary
shows all of the data on the same figure with an R2 value of 0.54.
The results of this work can be summarized as follows:
1. For explicit measurement of relative permeability in retro-
grade condensate reservoirs, the compositional path of the
Discussion flowing fluid in the reservoir must be followed in the prepa-
The values that derive from this plot place the permeabilities ration of fluids for the experiments.
in the range of gas-phase permeabilities that were observed just 2. Retrograde condensate resulted in a very rapid decrease in
above critical condensate saturation in the critical condensate gas permeability 60 and 84% reduction in Krg by the attain-
testing. This seems intuitively consistent and corroborates both ex- ment of critical condensate saturation.
perimental procedures. 3. End-point saturations, such as trapped gas and residual con-
Ultimately, flow in porous media should yield to quantification densate saturation, are sensitive to the level of interfacial ten-
by use of an expression, such as Equation (1). However, the func- sion (therefore, pressure). Critical condensate saturation was
tion K(r) is not known and appears to be relatively specific to each much less sensitive to levels of IFT (pressure).
fluid and rock system. Some simulators use explicit relative per- 4. Two-phase testing as a function of capillary number indicated
meability curves such as those in Figures 5 and 6, whereas others an effective gas permeability very close to that measured by
use permeability as a function of capillary number (Figures 8 the explicit relative permeability measurements at saturations
to 10). just higher than the critical condensate saturation.
5. The condensate and gas permeabilities measured during the
R Max gas-phase hysteresis injection did not agree with those mea-
P
dQ =
L
() ()
K r f r 2 rdr sured during the two-phase injection.
O ............................................................... (1) 6. The two-phase injection approach and the protocol whereby
explicit measurements of relative permeability are performed
The relatively close agreement between the two techniques used provide a very thorough gas-condensate reservoir data set
in this work is pleasing from a forecasting perspective. The explicit which are amenable for use in simulation and reservoir pro-
relative permeability measurements allow for a more complete set duction forecasting.
of data to be measured, including trapped gas, residual conden-
sate and critical condensate saturations, providing that fluids can Nomenclature
be created which represent those experienced in situ. However, the
two-phase continuous flow approach provides empirical evidence GCR = gas condensate ratio (m3 gas/ m3 liquid)
of what permeability reduction may be experienced. The two data GOR = Gas Oil Ratio (m3 gas/ m3 liquid)
sets, when taken together, are conclusive as to what productivity PBHF = bottomhole flowing pressure
challenges will be experienced during pressure depletion. Scc = critical condensate saturation
July 2009, Volume 48, No. 7 23
REFERENCES Authors Biographies
1. Chen, H.L., Wilson, S.D. and Monger-McClure, T.G., De-
termination of Relative Permeability and Recovery for North Sea Brent Thomas is Director of Phase Be-
Gas-Condensate Reservoirs; SPE Reservoir Evaluation & Engi- haviour and EOR Research for Hycal En-
neering, Vol. 2, No. 4, pp. 393-402, August 1999. ergy Research Laboratories Ltd., and a
2. Melean, Y., Bureau, N. and Broseta, D., Interfacial Effects Project Engineer working in the area of nu-
in Gas-Condensate Recovery and Gas-Injection Processes; SPE Res- merical analysis, phase interference in po-
ervoir Evaluation & Engineering, Vol. 6, No. 4, pp. 244-254, August rous media and gas injection. He received
2003.
3. Mott, R., Engineering Calculations of Gas-Condensate-Well Pro-
his Ph.D. from Washington University in
ductivity; SPE Reservoir Evaluation & Engineering, Vol. 6, No. 5, chemical engineering. Brent has over 25
pp. 298-306, October 2003. years of domestic and international expe-
4. Kokal, S., Al-Dokhi, M. and Sayegh, S., Phase Behavior of rience in the area of numerical simulation,
a Gas-Condensate/Water System; SPE Reservoir Evaluation & Engi- gas injection, phase behaviour, solids pre-
neering, Vol. 6, No. 6, pp. 412-420, December 2003. cipitation and chemical and thermal applications. He has authored/
5. Jessen, K. and Orr, JR., F.M., Gas Cycling and the Development co-authored numerous technical papers and received the 1992
of Miscibility in Condensate Reservoirs; SPE Reservoir Evaluation Best Technical Paper of the Year award from the Petroleum So-
& Engineering, Vol. 7, No. 5, pp. 334-341, October 2004. ciety (Experimental and Theoretical Studies of Solids Precipitation
6. Fevang, O. and Whitson, C.H., Modeling Gas-Condensate Well
Deliverability; SPE Reservoir Engineering, Vol. 11, No. 4, pp. 221-
from Reservoir Fluids). He was selected as a Distinguished Author
230, November 1996. for the Petroleum Society in 1995. Brent was chosen to be a Dis-
7. Saevareid, A., Whitson, C.H. and Fevang, O., An En- tinguished Lecturer for the SPE in the area of gas condensate res-
gineering Approach to Measuring and Modeling Gas Condensate ervoirs in 2003/2004.
Relative Permeabilities; paper SCA 9930 presented at the Interna-
tional Symposium for the Society of Core Analysts, Golden, CO, 1-4 G. Andersen biography and photo not available.
August 1999..
8. Carlson, M.R. and Myer, J.W.G., Reduced Productivity Im- Brant Bennion received his B.Sc. and
pairment for Fracture Stimulated Gas Condensate Wells; Journal of Ph.D. degrees in chemical and petroleum
Canadian Petroleum Technology, Special Edition, Vol. 38, No. 13,
Paper 97-10-19, pp. 1-9, 1999.
engineering from the University of Calgary.
He has served in the Petroleum Society in a
number of capacities over the last two de-
cades, including having been a Director of
Appendix A the Petroleum Society on both the Calgary
Section and National Boards, and holding
Calculation of Capillary Number various positions such as Continuing Educa-
tion Director, Student Affairs Director, Sec-
velocity vis cos ity retary, CIPC Technical Program Chairman,
N CA = CIPC General Co-Chairman and Chairman, Chairman-Elect and
Interfacial Tension
2002 Chairman of the Society. He is the former Chairman of the
Editorial Review Board of the JCPT and currently serves as a
kg member of the Board of Directors of the Petroleum Society Edu-
where units are v = cm/s, = mPa s = 0.001 and =
m s cational Trust Fund. He has served as a Distinguished Lecturer for
kg the Petroleum Society in 2003 and also as a Distinguished Lec-
mN/m = 0.001 . turer for the SPE in 2001-2002. Brant has presented/co-authored/
s2
published over 200 technical papers on a variety of topics related
Using the data from Table 4, Item 1, the following capillary to formation damage, flow in porous media, phase behaviour, over
number is calculated: and underbalanced drilling and enhanced oil recovery over the last
two decades. He received Best JCPT Published Technical Paper
N CA = 150
cc 1 hr 1 1m
(2.253) (0.9322) 0.031 0.001
kg of the Year awards from the Petroleum Society in 1993, 1995 and
hr 36, 005 11.401 cm2 100 cm ms 2001 and also several Best Presented Paper awards from the CIPC.
mN kg N
mN Brant has lectured at the University of Calgary, as well as taught
3.401 0.001
m s2 m courses on a worldwide basis in the petroleum industry in over 40
= 6.9963 10-7 different countries.

ProvenanceProvenanceOriginal Petroleum Society manuscripts,

Gas Condensate Reservoir Performance: Part I Fluid Character-
ization (2006-100) and Gas-Condensate Reservoir Performance: Part
IIFlow Characterization (2006-101), first presented at the 7th Ca-
nadian International Petroleum Conference (the 57th Annual Technical
Meeting of the Petroleum Society), June 13-15, 2006, in Calgary, Alberta.
Abstracts submitted for review December 1, 2005; editorial comments sent
to the author(s) December 17, 2008; revised manuscript received April
21, 2009; paper approved for pre-press April 21, 2009; final approval
June 9, 2009.

24 Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology