Diagnostic plots

The diagnostic plot is a log-log plot of the pressure change and pressure derivative
(vertical axis) from a pressure transient test vs. elapsed time (horizontal axis).
Fig. 1 shows an example of a diagnostic plot. The diagnostic plot can be divided into three time
regions: early, middle, and late. At the earliest times on a plot (the early-time region), wellbore and
near-wellbore effects dominate. These effects include wellbore storage, formation damage, partial
penetration, phase redistribution, and stimulation (hydraulic fractures or acidization). At
intermediate times (the middle-time region), a reservoir will ordinarily be infinite acting. For a
homogeneous reservoir, the pressure derivative will be horizontal during this time region. Data in this
region lead to the most accurate estimates of formation permeability. At the latest times in a test
(the late-time region), boundary effects dominate curve shapes. The types of boundaries that may
affect the pressure response include sealing faults, closed reservoirs, and gas/water, gas/oil, and
oil/water contacts. Several common flow regimes and the diagnostic plots associated with these flow
regimes are discussed here.

Fig. 1 – Diagnostic plot showing time regions.

 Volumetric behaviour
• Volumetric behaviour is defined as that pressure response time dominated by the wellbore, reservoir, or part
of the reservoir acting like a uniform-pressure "tank" with fluid entering or leaving the tank. The most
common example of volumetric behaviour is wellbore storage, which dominates during the early-time region.
The "tank" is the wellbore, in which the pressure is uniform. Fluid either leaves this tank (earliest times in a
flow test, before the reservoir begins to respond) or enters the tank (earliest times in a buildup test). Another
example is pseudo steady-state (boundary-dominated) flow in a closed reservoir during constant-rate
production. In this case, the reservoir is the tank; pressure is changing at the same rate throughout (although
it is not the same at all points), and fluid is leaving the reservoir through the producing well. As a final
example, in a test the reservoir may behave like a tank with recharge (fluid influx) entering from a secondary
source of pressure support, such as a large supply of hydrocarbons in a lower-permeability medium in
pressure communication with the reservoir being tested.
The equation modeling wellbore storage (derived from a mass balance on the wellbore) is

....................(1)
The equation modeling pseudosteady-state flow in a cylindrical drainage area is

....................(2)

The general form is

The derivative of the general form is

....................(4)
The implication is that the derivative plot will have unit slope
(up one log cycle as it moves over one log cycle) on log-log
coordinates, and the pressure change plot will approach unity
at long times when b v is not equal to zero (Fig. 2). In wellbore
storage, bv is zero, and the derivative and pressure change plots
will lie on top of one another. During pseudo steady-state flow
or recharge, the pressure change and pressure derivative plots
will not coincide.
Fig. 2 – Volumetric flow produces derivative with unit slope.
Radial flow
Infinite-acting radial flow is common in reservoirs, and data in the radial flow regime can be used to estimate formation permeability and skin
factor. Common situations in which radial flow occurs include flow into vertical wells after wellbore storage distortion has ceased and before
boundary effects, hydraulically fractured wells after the transient has moved well beyond the tips of the fracture, horizontal wells before the
transient has reached the top and bottom of the productive interval, and horizontal wells after the transient has moved beyond the ends of
the wellbore.
The equation used to model radial flow for a well producing at
....................(5)
constant rate is the familiar logarithmic approximation to the
Equations modeling radial flow have the general line-source solution,
form
....................(6)
with derivative

....................(7)
On the diagnostic plot (Fig. 3), radial flow is indicated by a horizontal
derivative.

Fig. 3 – Radial flow appears as a horizontal derivative on the diagnostic plot.

Linear flow
Linear flow is also common and occurs in channel reservoirs, hydraulically fractured wells, and horizontal wells. Data
from linear flow regimes can be used to estimate channel width or fracture half-length if an estimate of permeability
is available. In horizontal wells, an estimate of permeability perpendicular to the well can be made if the productive
well length open to flow is known.

An equation that models linear flow in a channel reservoir of

width w is

....................(8)

For a hydraulically fractured well with fracture half-length Lf,

....................(9)
The general form is
....................(10) Fig. 4 – Linear flow derivative follows a half-slope line on a diagnostic plot.

The derivative is

....................(11)
Bilinear flow
Bilinear flow occurs primarily in wells with low-conductivity hydraulic fractures. Flow is linear within the fracture to the well, and also linear
(normal to fracture flow) from the formation into the fracture. Estimates of fracture conductivity, wfkf, can be made with data from this flow
regime when estimates of formation permeability are available.

For a hydraulically fractured well, an equation that models bilinear flow is

....................(12)
The general form is

....................(13)

The derivative is

....................(14)

Fig. 5 – Bilinear flow derivative follows a quarter-slope line on the diagnostic plot.
Spherical flow
The flow pattern is spherical when the pressure transient can propagate freely in three dimensions and converge into a "point." This can
occur for wells that penetrate only a short distance into the formation (actually hemispherical flow), wells that have only a limited number
of perforations open to flow, horizontal wells with inflow over only short intervals, and during wireline formation tests. Data in the
spherical-flow regime can be used to estimate the mean permeability,

....................(15)

An equation that models spherical flow is

....................(16)

where

....................(17)
and rsp is the radius of the sphere into which flow converges. The general form is

....................(18)
and the derivative is

....................(19)
 Application of the diagnostic plot in Buildup Test
• A major application of the diagnostic plot is the potential that it provides in identifying the flow regimes that
appear in a logical sequence during a buildup or flow test. For example, consider Fig. 7. At early times, the unit
slope line on both derivative and pressure change, indicating wellbore storage. Later, a derivative with a slope
of −1/2, indicating possible spherical flow, followed by a horizontal derivative, indicating infinite-acting radial
flow. Boundary effects, including a unit-slope line, follow, indicating possible recharge of the reservoir pressure.

Boundary conditions

Skin
Fig. 7 – Well test diagnostic plot indicating several flow regimes.
Radial flow
Infinite-acting radial flow is common in reservoirs, and data in the radial flow regime can be used to estimate formation permeability and skin
factor. Common situations in which radial flow occurs include flow into vertical wells after wellbore storage distortion has ceased and before
boundary effects, hydraulically fractured wells after the transient has moved well beyond the tips of the fracture, horizontal wells before the
transient has reached the top and bottom of the productive interval, and horizontal wells after the transient has moved beyond the ends of
the wellbore.
The equation used to model radial flow for a well producing at
....................(5)
constant rate is the familiar logarithmic approximation to the
Equations modeling radial flow have the general line-source solution,
form
....................(6)
P’(stab) ∝ 𝑀𝑜𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦 = 𝜇/𝑘ℎ
with derivative

....................(7)
On the diagnostic plot (Fig. 3), radial flow is indicated by a horizontal
derivative.

Fig. 3 – Radial flow appears as a horizontal derivative on the diagnostic plot.