Simultaneous Determination of Reservoir Pressure and Initial Fluid-in-Place from Production Data and Flowing Bottom Hole Pressure -- Theory

Abstract

Abstract One frequently encountered difficulty in material balance calculation is lack of shut-in reservoir pressure. This work presents a new method that can be applied under pseudo steady-state conditions to simultaneously determine the average reservoir pressure and initial fluid in place using only surface production data and flowing bottom hole pressure. This new method is derived from a combination of a generalized material balance formulation and pseudo steady state theory and is applicable to both oil and gas reservoirs for single-phase flow with no water influx. This method does not rely on pressure build-up tests, knowledge of drainage area or permeability, but it requires flowing bottom hole pressure. For constant flowing bottom-hole pressure or variable production rate, this work presents an algorithm to convert fluctuating or constant flowing bottom hole pressure into corrected flowing bottom-hole pressure with a decline rate essentially identical to that of average reservoir pressure. Methods for analyzing transient flow are also discussed in this work. This new method is useful in analyzing surface production data and flowing bottom hole pressures for reservoirs significantly lacking data.