Oilphase

RESERVOIR FLUID SAMPLING Introduction

Introduction

Sampling Objectives
Ideally, the aim of reservoir fluid sampling is to provide the PVT laboratories with small
volumes of fluids under pressure which would, either directly or after recombination, lead
to a sample which is representative of the overall hydrocarbon fluid that fills the pores of
the formation. Coring and logging programs can normally continue throughout the
development of a reservoir because data obtained from the last well is often of equal
value to that obtained from the first. Unfortunately, this is not the case for reservoir fluids.
Due to the change in phase behaviour that occurs once the pressure in the formation
reaches the saturation pressure, sampling should be performed at the very earliest stage
of the field’s production history and preferably before the downhole average pressure
falls below its initial value Pi. This condition has best chance of being satisfied while
testing exploration and appraisal wells, which by definition, are the first wells to
penetrate hydrocarbon deposits and are normally only produced for a limited period of
time.

Experience from the Beryl field, a giant field in the North Sea, underlines the importance
of a thorough evaluation of PVT properties. In that case, initial plans to construct a
platform and the associated production facilities were based on the fluid properties of
samples recovered from the first two wells. These plans had to be changed, at
considerable cost, when further evidence showed that the reservoir oil was much more
1
volatile than originally anticipated .

Since erroneous reservoir fluid data can be so costly to the operator it is clear that both
the sampling and analysis must be conducted with the utmost care. Sampling is probably
the most delicate of field operations since it requires not only solid experience in
openhole logging or well testing, but a also a thorough understanding of reservoir
engineering, and well behaviour problems.

Factors affecting Representative Sampling

Reservoir effects

In designing a sampling procedure, we must consider the effect that the producing
conditions will have had on the reservoir fluids we are sampling. When the well is put to
flow, the expansion of the flowing fluid in the vicinity of the wellbore causes a pressure
drop which propagates throughout the formation causing, in its turn, the expansion of
the fluid further out. When the pressure in an oil reservoir drops below the bubble point,
gas comes out of solution and forms a separate phase. Similarly, when the pressure in a
gas condensate reservoir drops below the dew point, liquid begins to condense in the
reservoir.

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RESERVOIR FLUID SAMPLING Introduction
In either case, the minor phase must build up to a critical saturation and develop
sufficient phase continuity before it begins to flow. A gas bubble or a liquid droplet
needs to develop a certain size in order that the pressure drop applied across it, due to
flow in the wellbore, manages to overcome the capillary pressure difference as in the
following diagram. In the meantime, the composition of the produced fluid is altered by
the selective loss of light or heavy hydrocarbons.

Displacement Direction

r2 r1

Water Oil Water

L
Small pc Large pc
Large radius Small radius

∆Pflow > ∆Pcapillary

δP
∆Pflow = *L
δL
1 1
∆Pcapillary = 2σ cosθ ( − )
r1 r2

Conditions for liberating trapped bubbles/droplets due to capillary entrapment

Typical values of the critical saturation for the flow to occur, vary between 10-20% for
the oil phase and 5-10% for the gas phase. The position of the reservoir temperature
isotherm with respect to the fluid’s phase envelope determines how quickly, in terms of
time-dependent pressure drop, the second phase will attain its critical saturation. It can
vary from a few psi for a near critical oil to a few hundred psi for a black oil system. In
the PVT laboratory, a 0-60% change in gas saturation has been observed for a pressure
drop of the order of 5 psi. The critical phase saturations are also referred as “end point
saturations” in the two-phase relative permeability curve plots.

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RESERVOIR FLUID SAMPLING Introduction
1.0

Imbition

krg

kro

0 1.0
Sgc Sgmax
Residual Gas (=1-Swi)
Saturation

Gas Oil relative permeability curves

In a simple single well reservoir model (Figure a) cylindrical flow dictates a pressure
distribution out from the wellbore which can be divided in two sectors:

Liquid phase of
varying
compositions
Gas phase
b ub b les
p>>pb p>>pb

Vicinity
of wellb ore Reservoir

Phase distribution and mobility during flow (a)

1. A sector near the wellbore where pressure gradients due to flow are high.

2. A sector in the reservoir beyond the first where pressure gradients due to flow are
low.

As long as the fluid remains monophasic, everywhere in the zone the composition is the
same and identical to the original one.

Once the second phase starts to drop out, the composition of the produced and of the
remaining fluids in the reservoir are altered by the selective distribution of the individual
components in the two streams. As the downhole flowing pressure drops slightly below
the saturation point (Figure b), small bubbles (droplets for gas condensates) of the minor

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RESERVOIR FLUID SAMPLING Introduction
phase are released but remain rather isolated from each other inside the network of the
porous media.

Liquid phase of
varying
compositions
Gas phase
b ub b les
p pb p>pb

Vicinity Reservoir
of wellb ore

Phase distribution and mobility during flow (b)

As they have not obtained saturation values high enough to allow them to flow, they
remain in the formation whereas the mobile phase composition is now poorer (richer for
gas condensates) in light and intermediate fractions. This phenomenon explains the slight
reduction in the producing GOR that is often reported during production from oil
reservoirs and which lasts for a short period of time before it starts picking-up again.

While the condensed phase in a gas condensate may never attain its critical saturation
to flow, the gas saturation in an oil reservoir will almost certainly reach a point where
gas flow will occur. Once this critical saturation has been attained (Figure c), the flow of
the gas phase will increase rapidly because of its relatively low viscosity and thereby
increase its contribution to the total production.

Liquid phase of
varying
compositions
Gas phase
p<pb b ub b les
p<pb

Vicinity Reservoir
of wellb ore

Phase distribution and mobility during flow (c)

The GOR will typically rise and will attain a maximum value before, after a long
producing time, it will follow a soft declining trend once the remaining in-situ fluid has

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RESERVOIR FLUID SAMPLING Introduction
been stripped from its light end. Nevertheless, Serra et al7 could not verify in their work
that in all cases of oils with bubble points close to the flowing pressure the GOR started
increasing when the gas saturation around the wellbore obtained values higher than its
critical one.
pi

Pb Producing
GOR

Pressure
Decline

Water Cut (%)

Rsi
Time

Typical patterns of the GOR and pressure evolution during production from an oil reservoir

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RESERVOIR FLUID SAMPLING Introduction

Near Wellbore Effects

Even if these phenomena are not reservoir-wide, the pressure drawdown associated with
flow will often be sufficient to drop the pressure of the fluid in the immediate vicinity of
the wellbore below its bubble point or dew point pressure and into the two-phase region,
as illustrated below.

Pressure and phase distribution

A sample of such fluid will not be representative of the original reservoir fluid existing
farther out in the reservoir and thus it will not be suitable for sampling and PVT analysis.

Steps must be taken to determine the reservoir pressure, temperature, and the general
category of the reservoir fluid. If the relationship between reservoir pressure and bubble
point or dew point pressure can be estimated, steps can be taken to ensure that the
sampled fluid is representative.

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Variation of original fluid properties within the reservoir

Another concern in obtaining a representative sample is the degree of variation in the

original reservoir fluid throughout the reservoir. Reservoirs having thick vertical
hydrocarbon columns, high dip angle and adequate vertical permeability can show
significant variations of the oil composition with depth. It is known that under special
conditions gravity forces can induce variations in composition along the hydrocarbon
column. Variations such as these cannot be ac-counted for in one specific sample. A
pattern must be established from several samples or producing characteristics, from
various wells, completed at different intervals.

Typical examples of this type of behaviour reported in the literature are the Birba Field,
in South Oman, and Anschutz Ranch East Field, located in the western Overthrust Belt
2,18
along the Wyoming/Utah border . In the former, PVT analysis of a sample recovered
from a well at the lower part of the crest showed a bubble point pressure of 6900 psia
and the presence of a C7+ fraction with a relatively high molecular weight. A second
sample that was taken from another well 212m shallower gave a gas condensate
although reservoir pressures indicated that this gas was in communication with the oil. In
the latter, the discovery well tested four different sets of perforations, which produced
gas condensate fluids with different compositions, GORs and saturation pressures.

Reservoir temperature

Attention should be paid to the accurate determination of the bottom hole temperature
when sampling reservoir fluids that are suspected to be near-critical fluids. An error of
even a few degrees Fahrenheit could be enough to cross the phase envelope from gas
condensate to volatile oil during the subsequent PVT study. This could have serious
implications on the viability of a project which often depend on the classification of the
reservoir fluid for fiscal or OPEC quota purposes.

Timing

Timing is an important consideration in obtaining a representative sample of the original

reservoir fluid. Obviously, it makes sense to sample as early in a reservoir’s producing
life as possible. Once production creates significant volumes of free gas on a reservoir-
wide basis, obtaining a sample of the original fluid may be impossible. Often, a
reservoir fluid sample will be taken as part of a well testing procedure that immediately
follows the completion of the first well in a reservoir. An example would be a newly
discovered field where development plans may rely on the early determination of
expected reserves and production rates. In such cases, it is important that the new well
be cleaned up before sampling to remove all traces of drilling fluid from the well and the
near wellbore.

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Selecting a Sampling Method

In general, one has a choice of taking monophasic samples close to the formation with
bottomhole sampling tools or sampling the separated streams of oil and gas at the
surface and recombining them later in the laboratory to obtain a representative reservoir
fluid sample. The choice of sampling technique is influenced by:

• The volume of sample required for analysis.

• The type of reservoir fluid to be sampled.

• The degree of reservoir depletion.

• The surface process and well completion design.

Bottomhole Sampling
Bottomhole sampling is the trapping of a volume of fluid at reservoir conditions in a
pressure vessel run in the well close to the productive interval, either suspended on
wireline or in the DST string. This sampling method is used exclusively during openhole
logging and is the most effective technique during cased hole operations such as
exploration well testing or production testing, when reservoir flowing conditions permit.
Bottomhole sampling applies when:

• the flowing bottom hole pressure is believed to be greater than the

reservoir fluid saturation pressure.

• the subsurface equipment or nature of the fluid (e.g. API<10) will not
prevent the sampler from reaching the appropriate depth or make its
retrieval difficult.

• relatively small volumes of fluid are required for analysis.

• an asphaltene study is required.

Surface Sampling
During exploration well testing and production testing it is possible to obtain
representative surface samples from various locations such as the wellhead, choke
manifold or test separator depending on the fluid properties and flow conditions. Surface
sampling upstream of the separator requires the wellhead pressure be above saturation
pressure using conventional sampling techniques or at least homogeneous for specialised
techniques such as Isokinetic sampling.

By far the most common surface sampling technique is separator recombination

sampling. This involves taking simultaneous samples of separator oil and gas, along with
accurate measurements of their relative production, and reconstructing a representative
sample in the PVT laboratory.

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Surface sampling is routinely used as a back-up to a good quality bottomhole sample but
may be the primary source of samples when:

• a large volume of both pressurised oil and gas are required for analysis
(e.g. EOR study)

• bottomhole flowing conditions are less than saturation pressure or there is a

high water cut such that the fluid in the hole may not be representative.

The main challenge in separator recombination sampling is ensuring the accuracy of the
separator flow measurements and stability of separation conditions before and during
sampling. The separator liquid and gas are in dynamic equilibrium. Any drop in
pressure or increase in temperature of the separator liquid, which is at its bubble point,
will result in the formation of gas. For the separator gas, which is at its dew point, any
increase in pressure or decrease in temperature will result in the condensation of heavy
components.

Generally, a bottomhole sample is preferred, if gas and oil surface measurement

capabilities are in question. However, if they are reliable, the surface sampling
technique can give a statistically valid value of GOR measured over a long period of
time.

Isokinetic gas sampling at the separator gas outlet line is occasionally performed to
determine the amount of liquid carryover in the separator during high flowrate gas
condensate testing. This liquid, which would otherwise go unmeasured, can be a very
significant proportion of the total liquid in a lean gas condensate.

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