Linear and Radial

Liquid Phase Flow

RESR 412 – Module6
 Learning Outcome and Objectives
Apply Concept of Permeability and Single Phase Flow
to Solve Fluid Flow Problems for
Homogeneous Petroleum Reservoirs Using Darcy’s Law
Review Darcy’s Law for Single Phase Flow in Porous Medium.

Calculate Flow Rate and Pressure Drawdown for Single

Phase Incompressible Fluid using Darcy’s Linear Flow Eqn.

Calculate Flow Rate and Pressure Drawdown for Single

Phase Incompressible Fluid using Darcy’s Radial Flow Eqn.

Calculate Average Permeability of Multi-Zone Formations.

Calculate Capacity and Zonal Flow Rate in Multi-Zone

(Stratified) Formations.

2
Objective One

Darcy’s Law
for
Single Phase Flow
in
Porous Medium

3
Objective One

Oil and Water are Incompressible Fluids.

Volume of incompressible fluids are not changed with pressure ( ).

100% Single & Incompressible Phase in porous medium

Porous medium contains 100% oil or water with no compressible free gas.

Horizontal Flow
No gravity effect.

Laminar Flow
Fluid layers move parallely and slowly enough without any turbulence or vortices.

Steady State Flow

Flow rates do not change with time.

Fluid does not react with Porous Medium 4

 Objective One

Darcy’s Experiment
He found a proportionality relationship between fluid flow rate (Q), fluid
property, and sand filter (porous medium) property.

He observed the following proportionality:

Volumetric Flow
Rate (Q)

5
Objective One

Darcy’s Experiment
Proportionality
Relationship

k unit is Darcy
(It was in cm2 in
Original Darcy Eqn) Darcy’s Equation

A medium with a permeability of 1 darcy permits a flow of 1 cm³/s of a fluid with

viscosity 1 cp under a pressure gradient of 1 atm/cm acting across an area of 1 cm².
6
 Objective One

Darcy’s Equation
Darcy’s Equation for
Linear Single Phase
Incompressible Fluid Flow

Permeability can be calculated from

Absolute Permeability Single Phase Fluid

(kabs or k) Flow in Porous Medium

Mathematically, k is proportional constant to make equation in Darcy’s law.

Physically, k is ability of rock to allow fluid flow through pores under a certain 𝑷
7
Objective Two

Calculate
Flow Rate & Pressure Drawdown
for
Single Phase Incompressible Fluid
using
Darcy’s Linear Flow Equation

8
Objective Two

Recall one of earlier Assumptions

Horizontal Fluid flow in formation

Two Horizontal Flow Patterns in reservoirs

Linear Flow
Radial Flow

9
Objective Two

Linear Flow
Linear flow is a stream flowing along a line.
Example: Flow near or through a fracture or channel.

10
 Objective Two

Single Phase, Steady State, Horizontal Linear Flow

To derive Darcy Eqn for 1-D linear flow
Considering small element of linear rock with constant properties.

Volumetric Flow Darcy Eqn for small

Rate in Reservoir element
(rm3/day)
Q = qB - Sign indicates flow in
direction of dropping
pressure gradient

k and  are constant

for homogeneous
reservoir
11
Objective Two

Flow Rate in Standard Volume/time

Pressure Drawdown is driving force for the linear flow

Darcy units

12
Objective Two

Flow Rate

Absolute Permeability

Pressure Drawdown

13
Objective Two

Flow Rate

Absolute Permeability

Pressure Drawdown

14
Objective Two

15
Objective Two

q=

16
Objective One

P =

17
Objective Three

Calculate
Flow Rate & Pressure Drawdown
for
Single Phase Incompressible Fluid
using
Darcy’s Radial Flow Equation

18
Objective Three

Radial Flow
Standard case of horizontal flow toward vertical well with constant
reservoir thickness, h.
Top view shows area available for flow becomes smaller near wellbore
compared to further away in the reservoir.

19
 Objective Three

Single Phase, Steady State, Horizontal Radial Flow

To derive Darcy Eqn for radial flow
Considering small ring (dr) with constant properties.

Volumetric Flow Darcy Eqn for small

Rate (sm3/day) ring

fluid & rock

properties are
constant in
homogeneous
reservoir
20
Objective Three

Flow Rate in Standard Volume/time

Pressure Drawdown is driving force for the radial flow from Pe

to Pw

const. is
Conversion
Factors

21
Objective Three

Flow Rate

r e, r w
Absolute Permeability
h

Pressure Drawdown

22
Objective Three

Flow Rate

Absolute Permeability r e, r w
h

Pressure Drawdown

23
Objective Three

24
Objective Five

25
Objective Five

k=

26
 Objective Three

Average Reservoir Pressure is used because Pe @ re is not

easily measured.

Average Reservoir Pressure is not P @ re anymore.

Average Reservoir Pressure is rather @ radial distance of

47.2% of external radial distance re.
Darcy Radial Flow
with
Average Reservoir 𝒓 = 𝟒𝟕. 𝟐% 𝒐𝒇 𝒓𝒆
Pressure
𝑷𝑹 @ 𝟎. 𝟒𝟕𝟐𝒓𝒆

Pressure
DrawDown

Metric Units: constant = 5.358 x 10-4

Imperial Units: constant = 7.08 x 10-3 27
Objective Three

Drainage Radius or External Radius or Effective Radius (re)

It is the boundary of the region where fluid flows to a well.
It can be calculated as half of the distance between two consecutive wells.

Drainage Area
It is the area inside the
Drainage Radius of the well.

Well Spacing (Aw)

It is the ratio of the total area
of the field to the number of
producing wells.
Aw is usually reported in
acres or hectares per well.
28
Objective Three

Drainage Radius can be calculated from Well Spacing using Circle

inside Square Method.

Drainage Radius of a well is assumed to be radius of circle that is

fitted inside Actual Drainage Area as a Square.

29
Objective Three

30
Objective Three

Assume 80-acre well spacing. Calculate drainage radius using

circle inside the square method.

31
Objective Four

Calculate
Average Permeability
for
Multi-Zone (Multi-Layer)
Formations

32
Objective Four

Linear Flow

Linear Flow in Series

Parallel Linear Flow
Radial Flow

Radial Flow in Series

Parallel Radial Flow 33
 Objective Four

Different L & k
in Series

Same Flow Rate

Total (Overall)
Pressure Drop

Total Pressure Drop

through entire reservoir

34
Objective Four

35
Objective Four

36
 Objective Four

Different A & k
in Parallel
Same Pressure Drop
(same Pinlet & Poutlet)

Total Flow Rate

Total Area
37
Objective Four

Different r & k
in Series
Same Flow Rate

Total Pressure Drop

38
Objective Four

39
Objective Four

40
Objective Four

Different h & k
in Parallel
Same Pressure Drop

Total Flow Rate

41
Objective Five

Calculate
Capacity and Zonal Flow Rate
for
Stratified Formations

42
 Objective Five

Different h & k
in Parallel

Same Pressure Drop

kavg for Parallel Linear

Flow

Same width (y)

Proportion of Total Flow

43
Objective Five

44
Objective Five

45
 Summary
Apply Concept of Permeability and Single Phase Flow
to Solve Fluid Flow Problems for
Homogeneous Petroleum Reservoirs Using Darcy’s Law
 Review Darcy’s Law for Single Phase Flow in Porous Medium.

 Calculate Flow Rate and Pressure Drawdown for Single

Phase Incompressible Fluid using Darcy’s Linear Flow Eqn.

 Calculate Flow Rate and Pressure Drawdown for Single

Phase Incompressible Fluid using Darcy’s Radial Flow Eqn.

 Calculate Average Permeability of Multi-Zone Formations.

 Calculate Capacity and Zonal Flow Rate in Multi-Zone

(Stratified) Formations.

46