Basic Reservoir-Engineering concepts: Understanding basic reservoir-engineering concepts for

modeling flow problems in porous media is very important. This section includes discussions of
fluid-flow potential, Darcy’ law. And steady and unsteady state phenomena. Capillary pressure
and relative permeability and the law of mass conversation are presented in context of their
application to single and multiphase fluid flow in porous media.
Fluid Potential: In earth sciences other than petroleum engineering (for example, geology or
hydrology), fluid potential at a point is defined as the work required by a frictionless process to
transport a unit mass of fluid from a state of atmospheric pressure and zero elevation (absolute
datum) to the point in question. Defined this way, fluid potential expressed mathematically as the
fluid head (ℎ𝑓 ) for an incompressible fluid is
𝑝
ℎ𝑓 = +𝐷 ……….(2.1)
𝛾

Where D is positive in the vertical upward direction and

𝛾 = 𝛾𝑐 𝜌𝑔
Is the fluid density in terms of pressure per distance (usually called fluid gravity). In the previous
equation 𝛾𝑐 = gravity conversion factor (Table 2.1 gives unit definitions). Multiplying both sides
of equation 2.1 by 𝛾 gives

𝛾ℎ𝑓 = 𝑝 + 𝛾𝐷………(2.3)
The term (𝛾ℎ𝑓 ) has pressure units and is frequently referred to as the datum pressure, In reservoir
simulation and petroleum engineering, this term is referred to as a fluid potential, 𝜙, so

𝜙 = 𝑝 + 𝛾𝐷………..(2.4)
In reservoir engineering, an arbitrary and convenient datum (other than the absolute datum) is
used as a reference for all reservoir pressure. This arbitrary datum can be sea level or the middle,
top or base of the reservoir. The level of this new datum is not important because flow rate
depends on potential gradient rather than absolute potentials.
Darcy’s Law: Darcy’s law is an empirical relationship between fluid flow rate through a porous
medium and potential gradient. For single-phase, one dimensional (1D) flow, this law can be
expressed in a differential form as
𝑞 𝑘𝑥 𝑑𝜙
= 𝑢𝑥 = −𝛽𝑐
𝐴𝑥 𝜇 𝑑𝑥
Where 𝛽𝑐 = unit conversion factor for the transmissibility coefficient, k = absolute rock
permeability in the direction of flow, µ = fluid viscosity, 𝜙 = fluid potential, and u = fluid flow
rate per unit cross-sectional area perpendicular to the flow direction (superficial velocity).
For three dimensional (3D) flow the differential form of Darcy’s law is