Introduction to Technique for Estimating Oil Reserves: ABSTRACT

Abstract

The volume of oil ultimately recoverable from reservoirs is a function of a number of variables, the more pertinent of which may be listed as follows: (1) types of porous media, (2) sources of pressure, (3) reservoir volume factors, (4) connate water contents, (5) porosities and pay thicknesses, (6) permeabilities and permeability distributions, (7) selective location and selective completion of wells, (8) rates of recovery, (9) total or partial pressure maintenances, (10) secondary recovery methods, (11) crude prices and (12) economic limits. The volume of oil ultimately recoverable from individual properties is also a function of the listed variables but in addition it depends on migration of oil away from or into the said properties. A method of estimating oil reserves from 19 different combinations of porous media and chief sources of pressure is presented in terms of pay thickness, porosity, connate water, reservoir-volume factors, permeability ratios, and operating methods relative to current oil prices and economic limits. An outline of the method is included as a part of a paper entitled Introduction to Optimum Spacing of Oil Wells which was presented before the American Petroleum Institute, Southwestern District, Division of Production, February 27 or 28, at Shreveport, La. End_of_Article - Last_Page 944------------