BACHELORS OF APPLIED SCIENCE

PETROLEUM ENGINEERING

PROJECT
GROUP 2

GROUP MEMBERS:
RENE RAMDIAL- 55038
ROSELLE THOMAS-60297
JONATHAN JOSEPH-53024
MIKHAIL RICHARDSON-52449
JOSHUA RAGOONANAN50521

COURSE NAME: WELL TESTING

COURSE CODE: FMEV 4001

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction. 3
Executive Summary.. 4
Theory 5
Perforation Programme... 9
Well Testing Programme 13
Well Testing Equipment. 17
Possible Problems and Mitigation Measures.. 20
Discussion 22
Conclusion 24
References... 25

INTRODUCTION
2

A well test is done to aid in the understanding of hydrocarbon properties and

characteristics of the subsurface reservoirs and its trapped hydrocarbons. Data acquired
from a well test is used to determine the reservoirs capacity to produce hydrocarbons
from well test data such as volumetric flow rate and pressure is received from well test.
A pressure drawdown test is a series of bottom hole pressure measurements made
during a period of flow at constant production rate. During this test the well is closed for
a period of time to allow pressure to stabilize throughout the formation and then opened
to flow. The data received from this test is usually noisy, moving up and down as flow
fluid flows past a gauge leading to variation in the flow rate. For pressure buildup the
fluid in the wellbore usually reaches a quiescent state in which bottom hole pressure
rises smoothly and is easily measured. This test is preferred over the drawdown test to
determine a wells capacity, permeability thickness, skin effect and other information.
An onshore well is to be tested in the interval 4525 4650. The well is to be tested into
production equipment already existing in the field. A drawdown test is to be conducted
with smoothly varying flow rates expected. A pressure build up test is to be done after
shutting in the well and the wells expected production rate is 500bopd.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The main reason for testing an exploration well is to take a fluid sample. Further reasons
are to measure the initial pressure, estimate a minimum reservoir volume, evaluate the
well permeability and skin effect, and identify heterogeneities and boundaries. Testing
producing wells aims at verifying permeability and skin effect, identifying fluid behavior,
estimating the average reservoir pressure, confirming heterogeneities and boundaries,
and assessing hydraulic connectivity.
This project entails the designing of a well test programme for a given onshore well
where a drawn-down test and pressure build up test is to be conducted. Wells are tested
creating a step change in ratefor instance, by closing a flowing well or an injection well
(buildup or falloff, respectively); by opening a well previously shut in (drawdown) This
rate change creates a change in pressure in the same producing well. Many problems
can occur during these well tests, but by designing and implementing the proper well
testing program and equipment need for each test can help alleviate these problems.

THEORY

Well testing has been a core technology in the oil industry for decades because it
provides in-situ measurements of dynamic well and reservoir data. Well testing is the
technique and method for the evaluation of well conditions and reservoir characteristics.
It involves producing a well at a constant rate or series of rates, some of which may be
zero (well shut in), while simultaneously taking a continuous recording of the changing
pressure in the well bore using some form of pressure recording device. We test wells to
determine the following parameters:

Initial pressure (p)

Production potential (PI)
Average pressure within the drainage boundary (p)
Boundaries/faults (distance and shape)
Heterogeneities (fractures, layering, change of Prop.)
Permeability thickness product(kh) and permeability(k)
Conductivity (kh)
Mechanical skin factor (S)
Area drained (A)
Dietz shape factor (CA)
For completion interval

There are two main Types of Well Tests:

Productivity Well Test:
These tests are where the well is produced at several flow rates. These tests are used to
Identify produced fluids, measure reservoir pressure and temperature, obtain samples
for PVT analysis, evaluate completion efficiency, evaluate workover or stimulation
treatments.
Descriptive/Reservoir Test:
These tests involve introducing abrupt changes in production and disturbances
penetrate more than near-wellbore. These tests are mainly used to Evaluate Reservoir
parameters (Skin, Flow Efficiency, Productivity index, Permeability, Reservoir pressure),
Characterize reservoir heterogeneity and geometry.
Types of Well Tests:

Pressure Drawdown:
The measurement and analysis of pressure data taken after a well is put on
production, either initially or following an extended shut-in period. The well is shut

in till pressure reaches static level & then flowing the well at a constant rate, q &
measuring Pwf.

Figure showing a pressure drawdown

Pressure Buildup:
The measurement and analysis of (usually) bottomhole pressure data acquired
after a producing well is shut in. Buildup tests are the preferred means to
determine well flow capacity, permeability thickness, skin effect and other
information. Soon after a well is shut in, the fluid in the wellbore usually reaches
a somewhat quiescent state in which bottomhole pressure rises smoothly and is
easily measured. This allows interpretable test results.

Figure showing a pressure build up test

Injection/Falloff:
It is Identical to the drawdown test except flow is into the well rather than out of it.
It is the testing of wells in which fluid is being injected into the reservoir. The most
common type of test is a falloff test, in which injection is halted and the pressure
decline is measured as a function of time. The most common situation is a

waterflood. In many reservoirs, the formation pressure is high enough to maintain

a full column of fluid in the wellbore and the pressure can be monitored at the
surface. The bottomhole pressure is then calculated by adding the weight of the
fluid column to the surface pressure.

Figure showing a injection-well test

Interference:
The pressure variation with time recorded in observation wells resulting from
changes in rates in production or injection wells. In commercially viable
reservoirs, it usually takes considerable time for production at one well to
measurably affect the pressure at an adjacent well. Consequently, interference
testing has been uncommon because of the cost and the difficulty in maintaining
fixed flow rates over an extended time period. With the increasing number of
permanent gauge installations, interference testing may become more common
than in the past.

Drill Stem Test (DST):

These are commonly used on newly drilled wells while the rig is still on the well.
This is where well tests conducted with the drillstring still in the hole. Often
referred to as DST, these tests are usually conducted with a downhole shut-in
tool that allows the well to be opened and closed at the bottom of the hole with a
surface-actuated valve. One or more pressure gauges are customarily mounted
into the DST tool and are read and interpreted after the test is completed.

Drill stem tests are typically performed on exploration wells, and are often the key
to determining whether a well has found a commercial hydrocarbon reservoir.
The formation often is not cased prior to these tests, and the contents of the
reservoir are frequently unknown at this point, so obtaining fluid samples is
usually a major consideration. The most common test sequence consists of a
short flow period, perhaps five or ten minutes, followed by a buildup period of
about an hour that is used to determine initial reservoir pressure. This is followed
by a flow period of 4 to 24 hours to establish stable flow to the surface, if
possible, and followed by the final shut-in or buildup test that is used to
determine permeability thickness and flow potential

PERFORATION PROGRAMME

Perforation:
Perforation or Perforating of oil wells refers to a hole punched in the casing or liner of an
oil well to connect it to the reservoir. After this connection is made fluids are then flowed
into the casing and up either the casing or tubing and goes to surface. There are 3 main
types of perforating.
1. Casing Gun Perforating

2. Through tubing perforating

3. Tubing Conveyed Perforating (TCP)

For the case of this project the TCP was selected. This was so because this is the only
perforation where all shots are done underbalanced (the hydrostatic head is less than
the reservoir pressure). This result in gun debris being flowed back immediately upon
perforating as the wellhead sees an immediate pressure and the well can be produced
and cleaned up immediately. This way means that the well could be put on the
drawdown test immediately. After the well is shut in later on a build up test will be done
also.

Perforation Checklist:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Are there any large commercial transmitters nearby?

Are all electric welding machines electric isolated?
Are all personnel aware of no welding?
Is logging unit grounded to wellhead?
Has potential difference between rig and logging unit been checked?
Have road signs been installed 500ft from location warning of radio silence in

progress?
7. Have signs been installed around the work area warning of hazardous operation?
8. Are all non essential personnel instructed to keep clear of explosives?
9. Is weather suitable ie, no electric / dust storms?
10. Has a safety meeting been held?
11. If perforating under drawdown, is all production equipment tested and
operational?
12. If H2S is expected, have all precautions been taken?
13. Is kill fluid available and ready for pumping?
14. Is firefighting equipment ready?
15. Is the arming key held by the Logging Engineer?
16. Has a hot work permit been completed and are all precautions adhered to?
17. All radio transmitters turned off?
18. Radio room locked and key held by Drilling Supervisor?
19. All hand held transmitters off and locked away?
20. All vehicle radios off and doors locked?
21. Have other locations been advised of impending radio silence and its duration?

Perforating Program:
1. MU flow head assembly and pressure (which ever pressure specified)
a. From bottom up against bottom master valve.
b. From bottom up against swap and fail safe valve.
c. From bottom up through open fail safe valve against low torque valves of
kill and flow line.
d. From top down against kelly cock.
Once the pressure test is successful, do not break the pressure connection until
the entire perforation is completed.
2. MU TCP string with all its parts
a. Bull plug.
b. Charges & phasing).
c. Safety spacer.
d. Mechanical Firing Head.
e. EU Tubing
f. Radial Shock Absorber.
g. Vertical Shock Absorber.
h. Ported Sub.

10

i.
j.
k.
l.
m.
n.
o.
p.
q.

3.
4.
5.
6.

RTTS Bottom Straddle Packer.

RTTS Top Straddle Packer.
RTTS Safety joint.
FUL-FLO Hydraulic Circulating valve.
Hydraulic Jar
APR OMNI Circulating valve.
RD APR-TYPE "A" Circulating valve.
Radioactive Tag Sub.
Select charges and phasing

Fill up hole with clean KCL brine to balance reservoir pressures

RIH TCP string
MIRU and Run logs (GR-CCL) and correlate. Perforation intervals (4525 4650)
Space out string such that the flow-head can be installed at an appropriate

working height with the guns at the required depth.

7. Set RTTS Straddle Packer
8. RU kill line to the pump unit and the flow line to the choke manifold.
9. Pressure test the lines & Rig up nitrogen lines and pressure recorder.
10. Close rams, pressure up the annulus to required pressure, and cycle OMNI valve
to circulating position
11. Hold annulus pressure at first cycle for 10 minutes to test packer seat.
12. Pump nitrogen to displace 600 m of brine out of the drill string.
13. Cycle the OMNI valve to well test position
14. Install shot detection equipment.
15. Drop Detonating bar. Detect guns fired.
16. Flow well until brine cushion reaches surface
17. Close the pipe rams and cycle the OMNI valve to circulating position.
18. Reverse circulate with clean brine until the returns are the correct weight.
19. Dump returns until observation of clean brine returns. (Reverse circulate at least
twice the hole volume)
20. Cycle OMNI valve to well test position and observe well, keeping tubing full, for
10 minutes.
21. Open rams and unseat the packer. Observe the annulus.
22. Reverse circulate tubing/conventionally circulate.
23. Observe well.Rig down surface equipment and POOH.

11

WELL TESTING PROGRAMME

Pressure Drawdown Test.

Step 1: Series of bottom-hole pressure measurements during a period of flow at

constant producing rate.
Step 2: Well is then shut-in to allow the pressure to equalize throughout the
formation.
Step 3: Well is then flowed again at constant flow rate
Step 4: Graph of Flow Rate vs Time is then Plot for a series of shut-ins and flow
times.

Main objective

To obtain the average permeability k of the reservoir within the drainage area of
the well.

Sub-objectives

Assess the degree of damage of stimulation induced in the vicinity of the

wellbore through drilling and completion practices.

To determine the pore volume and to detect reservoir heterogeneities within the
drainage area of the well.

12

pwf
p1h
whi
h is

=
r

found on the extension of the straight line at log t (1 hr)

Steps involved in drawdown test analysis:

13

1.

Plot (pi pwf) versus t on a log-log scale.

2.

Determine the time at which the unit slope line ends.

3.

Determine the corresponding time at 1 log cycle, ahead of the observed time in
Step 2. This is the time that marks the end of the wellbore storage effect and the
start of the semi-log straight line.

4.

Estimate the wellbore storage coefficient from: c = qt/24 P

5.

Plot pwf versus t on a semi-log scale

6.

Determine the start of the straight-line portion as suggested in Step 3 and draw
the best line through the points.

7.

Calculate the slope of the straight line and determine the permeability k and skin
factors.

8.

Plot all the recorded pressure data after teia as a function of time on a regular
Cartesian scale. These data should form a straight-line relationship.

9.

Determine the slope of the pseudo steady-state line, i.e., dp/dt (commonly
referred to as m) and use the equation below to solve for the drainage area A,

10.

Estimate the time to the end of the infinite-acting (transient flow) period, i.e., teia,
which marks the beginning of the pseudo steady-state flow.

14

Pressure Buildup Test:

Step 1: Well is flowed at a constant flow rate for a specific time period.
Step 2: The well is then shut in for this same period of time and pressure allowed

to build
Step 3: The well is then flowed again at an increased flow rate for the same time,

t.
Step 3: The well is then shut in again for time, t.
Step 4: Step 3 and Step 4 are repeated for approximately 4 times.
Step 5: At the last increased flow rate the well is allowed to produce for more

than time, t.
Step 6: The graphs below are then generated.

15

WELL TESTING EQUIPMENT

Equipment Needed

Quantity

Well Testing head

500 BBLS Test tank

1000 BBLS Test tank

1

16

Flowlines from Wellhead

1

Pipeline Manifold

Pressure Gauge

17

Bottomhole Pressure Gauge

Table 1 Showing Well Testing Equipment Need for the design

18

POSSIBLE PROBLEMS AND MITIGATION MEASURES

Problems and mitigation associated with a drawdown and buildup test

1. For a drawdown test the problems associated are:
Difficulty achieving a flow at constant/ stabilized rate
Initial well conditions may not be static
2. For a buildup test problems and mitigation includes:
Difficulty to achieve the constant rate prior to the shut in. it may be necessary to
run the pressure tool in the hole.
Production is lost while the well is shut in

Problems and mitigation associated with separators and other equipments

include:

Foaming:
A foam is a substance formed when pockets of gas in a liquid or solid is trapped, it
occurs in separators when tiny bubbles of gas to encase in a thin film of oil when the gas
comes out of solution. It may also form when the viscosity and surface tension of the oil
mechanically lock gas in the oil causing an effect similar to foam. Solid particles such as
sand and sludge and pipeline scale leads to severe foaming. In separators fluids, which
have been injected into the wells mainly, to prevent hydrates and control corrosion are
responsible for foaming. These fluids include: methanol, glycol, filming amines etc.
Foaming leads to reduction of the capacity of the oil/gas separators because a much
longer retention time is required to adequately separate a given quantity of foaming
crude oil.
Mitigation: This problem is remedied by the design of suitable mist extractors, cleaning
of the unit, and careful monitoring of injected fluids and/or injection of antifoam agents.

Liquid Surging:
This is the rapid entry of liquid slugs into the separator from the lower portions of the
pipeline.

19

Mitigation: proper selection and design of the unit as well as correct operation of the
gathering system

Corrosion:
Corrosive substances such as hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide and fresh water or brine
are main corroding agents and leads to severe metal loss on the separator walls and
internal parts.
Mitigation: Selection of metals with high resistance to corrosion, application of corrosion
inhibitors

Paraffins:
Deposition of paraffins into the separators may lead to efficiency reduction and left
untreated causes the separator to become inoperable by partially filling the vessel and/or
blocking the mist extractor and fluid passages.
Mitigation: heat or chemical treatment of the fluid upstream of the separator, coating of
all internal surfaces of the separator with a plastic for which paraffin has little or no
affinity.

20

DISCUSSION
As mentioned before, a well test is done to aid in the understanding of hydrocarbon
properties and characteristics of the subsurface reservoirs and its trapped hydrocarbons.
Data acquired from a well test is used to determine the reservoirs capacity to produce
hydrocarbons from well test data such as volumetric flow rate and pressure is received
from well test.
An onshore well was tested between the intervals of 4525 4650 where a drawdown
test was conducted with smoothly varying flow rates as well as a pressure build up test
was done after shutting in the well where the originally expected production rate was
500bopd. In the pressure drawdown the well is shut in till the pressure reaches static
level so that the well can flow at a constant rate Q while measuring Pwf. On the other
hand, a buildup tests are the preferred means to determining well flow capacity,
permeability thickness, skin effect and other information. Nevertheless there are many
problem associated with both of these tests. These include, for a drawdown test there is
usually difficulty achieving a flow at constant/ stabilized rate as well as the initial well
conditions may not be static. However for a buildup test, the problems include, the
difficulty to achieve the constant rate prior to the shut in and it may be necessary to run
the pressure tool in the hole to mitigate this problem also there can be production lost
while the well is shut in.
The proper design and implementation of a well testing programme can help to mitigate
or even eliminate these problems from occurring. The well testing programme for both
the pressure draw down and pressure build-up tests, clearly outlining the step by step
procedure for both tests was written and the equipment that would be needed to
effectively carry out this test are a well testing head with a 500bbls test tank and a 100
bbls bulk tank, flow lines from the wellhead to the tanks, pipeline manifolds, a surface
pressure gauge and a bottom hole pressure gauge.

21

The perforating programme was also written. There are basically three main types of
perforating which can be used these include, Casing Gun Perforating, through tubing
perforating, Tubing Conveyed Perforating (TCP). The type of perforation selected
determines the effectiveness of the perforating job. TCP was selected over the casing
gun and the through tubing perforation because this is the only perforation where all
shots are done underbalanced that is where the hydrostatic head is less than the
reservoir pressure and the benefits of this is that this results in gun debris being flowed
back immediately upon perforating as the wellhead sees an immediate pressure and the
well can be produced and cleaned up immediately. This means that the well could be put
on the drawdown test immediately and after the well is shut in later on, a build up test
will be done also.

22

CONCLUSION
Based on the data given for the design of a well testing programme we can conclude
that TCP was selected because of its advantages over the others also the perforating
programme was successfully written as well as the step by step procedure for a well
testing programme clearly stating the well testing equipments to be used for these tests
to be effectively carried out while outlining the possible problems and mitigation
measures for both the pressure draw down and pressure build-up test.

23

REFERENCES
3. Pressure Build Up Test. Retrieved 7th April 2015. From
http://www.glossary.oilfield.slb.com/en/Terms/b/buildup_test.aspx

4. Well Test. Retrieved 10th April 2015. From

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Well_test_%28oil_and_gas%29

5. Pressure Transient Testing. Retrieved 7th April 2015. From

http://petrowiki.org/Pressure_transient_testing

6. Isochronal
Test.
Retrieved
9th
April
2015.
From
http://www.glossary.oilfield.slb.com/en/Terms.aspx?LookIn=term
%20name&filter=isochronal+test

7. C. Amanat. Oil Well Testing Handbook (2004).

8. R. Horne. Modern Well Test Analysis 2nd Edition. (1991)

24