Reservoir Fluid Geodynamics: The Chemistry and Physics of Oilfield Reservoir Fluids after Trap Filling

Abstract

Oilfield reservoirs exhibit a wide array of complexities that have great impact on the efficiency of oil production. Major challenges include delineating overall reservoir architecture and the distributions of the contained fluids. Reservoir crude oils consist of dissolved gases, liquids, and dissolved solids (the asphaltenes); the corresponding compositional variations and phase transitions within reservoirs greatly impact production strategies and economic value. Standard workflows for understanding reservoir (rock) architecture are subsumed in the discipline “geodynamics”, which incorporates the initial rock depositional setting and subsequent alterations through geologic time to yield the present-day reservoir. However, reservoir fluids are not generally treated in such a systematic manner. Petroleum system modeling provides the timing, type, and volume of hydrocarbon fluids that charge into reservoirs. However, there is little treatment regarding how these fluids change after filling the reservoir. A...