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Nature of Well Testing

I am not the specialist in well test interpretation. However; I have been the user of
well test interpretation results for over a quarter of a century. However well test
interpretation results are definitely a recognized part of data provided to reservoir
simulation. Reservoir and production teams engineering are other users of well testing
results.
Well, testing is considered as basic proof for the existence of hydrocarbon, without
which commerciality of the resource is not proved. Well-tests are conducted for the
variety of objectives. This could be a simple production test to prove hydrocarbon
flow; conduction of PLT tests to understand the contribution of different reservoir
layers to the production; conduction of isochronal and transient pressure tests to
estimate reservoir characteristics; or else.
Regardless of the type of the test, there is always data to be generated for use in
reservoir studies. The most widely used are transient pressure tests for estimation of
reservoir permeability, well damage, or improvement, flow dependent pressure drop,
well drainage radius, average reservoir pressure, and the pressure at the reservoir
boundaries, barriers or change in flow integrity.
When it comes to application, everything is going to be relative and hence comparison
between two different tests in the same reservoir or even in the same well gets
difficult. Consider the following:
 Interpretation by different people with different objectives, views, or knowledge
 Possibility of selecting different flow regimes for similar data sets; or sometimes to the
same set of data
 Using different software; different methodologies and formulations
 Selecting different flow and buildup periods as representative
 Assuming different reservoir thickness feeding the well
 Adopting different type curves
 Different degrees of data smoothing
 Different reservoir fluid properties
 Selecting different averaging techniques for reservoir rock properties
 Using petrophysical data from different sources or interpretations for the well
 Have rock data from different measurement era; geophysics, geological appraisals,
layered reservoir, heterogeneity of rock and more

In order to apply well test interpretation results of different wells to reservoir model,
the data must share the same analysis concept, the same methodology in selecting
interpretation techniques, and governing-equations (software formulation) and the like.
This needs careful attention on the subject and to consider a clear methodology and
procedure to conduct interpretation of different wells when putting in the same
reservoir model.
During relatively long time working in reservoir simulation, when came to use well
test results; I encountered difficulties with the consistency of different interpretation
conclusions and diagnoses adapted to different wells in the same reservoir.
When one opens almost any well-testing subject either textbooks, papers or tutorials,
the discussion goes on how to conduct well test interpretation or what the governing
equations for the well testing are doing, or how to diagnose flow regimes or type
curves to better estimate reservoir properties and well production potential. In well
testing publications finding documents concerned about the nature of well-tests and
highlighting non-uniqueness of diagnosed models and framing such diagnoses into the
characteristics of the reservoir where the well is located; is rare. Or material on
tutoring how to prepare representative input data for interpretation, or how to manage
 and preserve well test data including measured test data, auxiliary and supplementary
reservoir data and the result of the interpretation cannot be found in abundance.
Putting discussions of this sort into the picture is the subject of this article and other
articles on the same pace. In this present Article, I am going to get a little deep into the
‘Nature of well testing”; which I believe is not very much elaborated in reservoir
engineering literature. In this article, the following headlines will be elaborated in
simplicity and brevity.
1. Well Testing Definition & Basics
2. Well Testing; an Inverse Problem
3. Inherent Complexity of Well Test Interpretation
4. Interpretation Models
5. Non-uniqueness of Well Test Interpretation
6. Need for Re-interpretation of Well Tests
Getting in depth to the above subjects; having well testing results as non-unique, well
test interpretations as complex, and need re-interpretation, in frequent occasions, may
trigger opening more discussions on the subject.

1. Well-Testing Definition & Basics

Well-testing may be defined as Tests conducted on a well to learn about the reservoir
conditions, estimate the wells production/injection potential, and quantify the overall
resource[1].
Well-testing is covering a broad range of well measurements. This could be a simple
production test to prove flow of the hydrocarbon; conduction of PLT tests to
understand the contribution of different reservoir layers to the production; conduction
of isochronal and transient pressure tests to estimate reservoir properties and flow
regime; or else. Depending on the type of the test, specific objectives may be
expected. However; the most sophisticated type could be transient pressure well
testing. In this type of testing the nearby area to the well, ‘radius of drainage’, is
examined and hence information from reservoir properties of the area could be
gathered.
During a well test, a transient pressure response is created by a temporary change in
production rate as demonstrated in the following Figure 1:

The well response is usually monitored during a relatively short period of time
compared to the life of the reservoir, depending upon the test objectives.
For well evaluation, tests are frequently achieved in less than two days. In the case of
reservoir limit testing, several months of pressure data may be needed[1].
2. Well Testing; an Inverse Problem
Since the type of response of the disturbed area is characteristics of the reservoir
properties, it is possible to infer reservoir properties from the response. Well-test
interpretation is, therefore, an inverse problem where model parameters are inferred by
analyzing the model response to a given change.
The reservoir response that is measured is the pressure response. Hence, in many cases
well test analysis is synonymous with pressure transient analysis. The pressure
transient is due to changes in production or injection of fluids, hence, we treat the flow
rate transient as input and the pressure transient as output. This is demonstrated in the
following Figure 2:

Assuming the same rate for the model and in the field; one may infer that the model
parameters and the reservoir parameters are the same if the model pressure output is
the same as the measured reservoir pressure output; as demonstrated in the
following Figure 3:
 Clearly, there can be major difficulties involved in this process, since the model may
act like the actual reservoir even though the physical assumptions are entirely invalid.
This ambiguity is inherent in all inverse problems, including many others used in
reservoir engineering[2]. However, misconception may be diminished by careful
specification of the reservoir parameters in such a way that the response to be the most
characteristic of the reservoir parameters under investigation. This is a key point to
limit the degree of freedom of the concluding model to be as close, to the real model,
as possible.

3. Inherent Complexity of Well Test Interpretation

Reservoir volume exposed to perturbations occurred in wells, could be small
compared to the whole reservoir; but it is large to the extent of the well property
definition. In fact the average rock properties are measured through petrophysical
logging of the well in a radius of few feet at most. The perturbations in the well can
travel several hundreds of feet inside its drainage radius. However; well testing is used
to estimate the reservoir rock properties and production potential of the well inside the
‘drainage radius’.
As a matter of fact; on one side there is a resultant value of rock properties estimated
for a big area and on the other side there is an exactly measured pressure versus time
as an intensive property. Interpretation of the measured pressure to find the reservoir
properties is; what well test interpretation does; which inherently is a complex inverse
problem. The participating factors in such interpretation may be listed as follows:
 Permeability (horizontal and vertical)
 Reservoir heterogeneities (natural fractures, layering, change of characteristics)
 Boundaries (distance and shape)
 Pressure (initial and average)
 Production potential (productivity index, skin factor)
 Well geometry (vertical, slanted, horizontal, multilateral, etc.)
The objective of well test analysis is to describe an unknown system (well + reservoir)
by indirect measurements (pressure response to the change of rate). In WT equations,
the rate is assumed to be constant and stabilized, but practically it is difficult to make
the well flow at the constant rate, even after it has almost been stabilized. The well
condition may not initially be either static or stable, especially if it was recently drilled
or tested previously.

4. Interpretation Models
The models used in well test interpretation can be described as a transfer function;
they only define the behavior (homogeneous or heterogeneous, bounded or infinite).
Well-test interpretation models are often different from the geological or log models,
due to the averaging of the reservoir properties. Layered reservoirs for example
frequently show a homogeneous behavior during tests. Interpretation models are made
of several components, which are relatively independent, and exhibit different
characteristics at the different time of the response. Once all components have been
identified, the interpretation model is defined. Analytical solutions or numerical
models are used to generate pressure responses to the specific production rate history
of the well, and the model parameters are adjusted so that the model behavior to
be identical to well/reservoir behavior. In the case of complex reservoir behavior,
several models are frequently applicable to describe the test pressure response[1].
 5. Non-uniqueness of Well Test Interpretation
In the process of testing a well, we provide an input impulse (usually a change in flow
rate) and measure the response (usually a change in pressure). The reservoir response
is governed by parameters such as permeability, skin effect, storage coefficient,
distance to boundaries, fracture properties, dual porosity coefficients, etc. Based on an
understanding of the reservoir physics, we develop a mathematical model of the
dependence of the response on these reservoir parameters[2].
Well Test Interpretation Governing Equation is known as diffusivity Equation as
shown on the following:

Defining parameter packages as dimensionless variables the equation looks simpler as

follows:

The Dimensionless Variables:

 Dimensionless Distance:

 Dimensionless Time:
 Dimensionless Pressure:

The above variables and parameters are parts of a well test interpretation governing
equation (model). The value of any of them is dependent on properties which could
vary while keeping the parameter value the same. For example; dimensionless
pressure is dependent on reservoir permeability, thickness, rate, and oil viscosity and
FVF. One may change such reservoir properties while keeping the value of
dimensionless pressure the same. Such characteristic is the sources of non-uniqueness
interpretation of well-test.

6. Need for Re-interpretation of Well Tests in New Studies

Considering non-uniqueness in well test interpretation in one hand; and ever-growing
enhancements and development of new software packages on the other hand; reservoir
engineers tend to interpret the same tests over in new reservoir studies. In addition, to
that, the well tests need to be interpreted again sometimes when one or a group of
wells need specific attention such as interference, production problems or need work-
over operations. In such new interpretations normally one may need to have attention
on other possible interpretation models which were overlooked in the past and could
explain the encountered problem.
The main reason for making re-interpretation of well test is because in any
interpretation; one may concentrate on existing situations. When situations change; by
running the well under production or injection; other sides of the well characteristics
outcrop. As such there may be many instances where one needs to re-interpret a well
test again. On the following some of such instances are outlined:
 Conduction of new reservoir study
 Seeking alternative explanations for well performance
 Development of New Software Packages
 New Development in WTI Techniques
 Study of the well or groups of wells to explain well performance
 Investigating remedial actions for production problems
 Preparing for new well test design
 Preparing for well work-over
 New findings for reservoir layer contribution; by PLT tests for example
 New petrophysical evaluation
 New geological studies and reservoir layering
 Rejection of previous interpretation conclusions
 Incompatibility with conclusions by other wells especially with nearby wells
 Well interference studies
 Well modeling
Appreciable portion of the time and workforce in each interpretation is devoted to
preparation and quality control of the input data. While the main objective remains to
be trying new points of views in the new interpretation. Problem arises especially
when the original test data is not well preserved or prepared in inappropriate formats.
Moreover; preparing the supplementary data such as fluid and reservoir properties still
needs new efforts to start the new analysis.

References
1. BOURDET, D., Well Test Analysis: The use of Advanced Analysis. 2002.
2. R.N.Horne, Modern Well Test Analysis. 2003.
Footnote: [1] http://www.geothermal.is/geothermal-well-testing-and-evaluation