b*^''"o}

It
th

v*

G...
ii-)'r

I-ntrq4u

ciion

and

cglI

Kr*
'"'t'r)i

-)i-

.cf-g.g".'S.rg-g1-I *!rg-Lne

Now gentlemen, :\rou

er:lrg

are already introducea/i:rducted i:rto the

exploration of oil and gas bsss6 cn petroleum geologSr teclur:iQuesr

geophysical techniques

in

r^rell,s and

based. on geologi.cal and geqphysical

surface, followed by drilling

methods.

lnle

are entering

into s new braneh which ljnks exploraticxi(ar:iffing) r^rith production

(exproitation) of otl/gas fields and reservoi-rs" This branch is
cafled Resewoir &rgineering

r^rtrich came

into

vogue

in the

United

States j:r the bei:jrn-ing of the nj-neteenth century. It is usefu/

essential to be acquainted" with this branch of Reservoir

segineeri:rg for scientifj-c producticn cf oil and gas fierds wh:ich

in turn reflects on every activity of oi1

snd gas edploraticnr and

expl.citation.

lpgt !s

Res_e-rvoir fieEincSrirLE?

Resewoir &egineering is that phsse of engineering scieree

which deals r'rith the tra,rsfer
and water

o1'

f'J-uids, cru{e oii, natural

to, fron:, or within natr-rral

ltrcl s3gy6unfl res

gas

ervo:irs in

producticn pri-marily and also secondarily to the producticn of

more oi]-.

Svrry

engi-n

erirs/geoscientist/s ci mti st ccncemed with oi1

and gas busj-ness

in exploration

snd

exploitation activities

be fanr-iliar with reserwc,ir engineering

must

for applicaticn in their

respective jobs.
The concepts

of

res

ervoir

c.nginc-;erini,; bega:r developlng as

soon as oi]. was comn'rercj-alJ;- nrocr:.ced. But the cqrcepts

rdere

fi
*{
2

recorlised arxl organis.<1 rn-ihin thc past

fifiy

years,

IQe!-is e-L-erypig
A pc.troleum ressls/c{r contains roch fo::mations

or portions of

rock fomiat:i-o.rs withj-n thc, earth wherqin hydroearLrcrrs

have been
accumm;fated or stored ]-ocslg, jn sufficient
quantities to be of
commcircial productive value.

reser.rolr engineering ideas ean be listed/sunmranized

qualitative 1r8il,', , as foJ-lows lThe

1,

Enh petrolei:m reserwoir

iu

coirtrol

r,ru.s-b

j-:r1

individual un:it and must be treated

as such in its analysis and q)eretim;
Z. The well sSrsNem is a part of thc reservoirr and both
reseToi"
and r,rerr- co.rtror

urr.

be considered together;

3.

natural r:nricrground p\ysi cnl_ ,state of reservoir r.ocks

and
reserwoir fl.dds is diff crent from that observed
on t!c. _syrfaee
when they are taken fron the rcs errrcdl;

&.

oil, uater,

The

5. Petroleurn

and gas coexist

lntimately in nost reservoirsy

is not produccd from thc containing rock withoirt

som di-splacing

cncrs/, such as eneoachring rrater: or ocpand.ing

8as or by other agencies such qs cliomical and thcrmal
sc condaril_y;

6.

reservoirs arc gcne t:a]-]-y heterogeneous i:r rock

propertj-cs, fluid. proper.ties, or energy available for
Fetrol-eum

dis_

placinffiroducing oil.
7. All,reserrroir controL. is dcn; S, control of fluid tra.nsfer
to,
from, qr within the res crvor-r.

IL

h
t

e p re:J e gu$-i!-e

In ord'er to applJ

g,

-fu

rl

a -Les e r":

girlC a:cpand

the

q:J-e-ng$

-"s.g!Jr

our I

e?

abovq seven main reseffoLr

engineeringideasintowoi'kil'LEii-:'r':'-"lq-iorcrc'sigrandtoolsfor
gas producticre from the reserpredicting and estimerting oi1 ancl
concents and variables i*hich
voirs/fields, the specific Ph:"sical
gas
within r+hich pctrolcum and natural

apply to thc ffLvironircrlb

r:e considercd' Thr:s' the pre-requisi-te
o*"**oi* ccclcist should
baclcqrourd of gcology'
for rcs-rvoir cnginccrin5 courJc is a
chcrnistrX and mathematics and
ud-neul-og/, geophysics, ph'sics'

allofyouwhohavecomcfr,:thctrainingprograilInesalGequipped
subjccts'
with one or morc of these back"il'o-und'
se.Illoir

&slresld

Thgsubjectmatterofreservoircngi:rccringcanbeclassified'

into 4 or 5 d:istirirct cetegorics' such asi

(l-11 mcl water) and eas l-lq.'-rid
r) nature of gases, liquids
natural rcge woir fluids;
systems as directed tor'mrds
rrcli systons;
the na,ture of porous rcsr.."r'crr
systems bchaviour' based
3) thc basic concepts of rock-fluid
behe'v-iolr or fluid
on fluid-fl-ou proces'scs' capillary

2)

displaccmcnt.

Thenatureofresg11roilroc}rsandf}uid'sisbasicinformation
operations involved in producing
r,rhich d"ocs not varx'' i'+ith the
rcservoir' O'] the otiier handr tho
pe,troleum or controlling thc
s;ltstcms r-+il-L valy as the
natr.re and behavicr--i of rock"-fluid
operatiorrsofpctrolcunproductionandreservoj-rcontrolareveiried.

It is thcref orc inpo:tant' to

r'xarri-ne

the naturq of reserworr

rodis, fluid.s!
but also at
necessary

ancl

rock*fluici systcrns .ro'u ',;nfy at surf ace condltions,

su-bsurfsce pressurcs and tempei'artures; and

to

exanr,ine

it is also

ihu bchaviour of rock-fluid systcms under

changlng operating variabtrcs

llhat

funqtions o{:thc &eservoj-r &rEineer?

The rcservoir enginet:r, 'in pursuing his job ohould reaoh
asc-Fhr:

the f ollowing tr,ro obje ctir cs,

1.

the greatest anounts of the

r'oit' fluids ;

To prrlduc-res

2.

narnel;r;

To prod-ucc thesc

flluids at

th,,.

nost sppropriate

ratc':-:

In

J-ayi-ng

out a prcgrr'mnic for the above objectives, the

rese1.1roir cngincer should makc usc

of obserrratio-rs crr the reservoir

drillccl into.thc rcserrroir. Thesc observaticns may

also be useful to piovc the cc:'rcctness of the progremmc d.esigned
as it dcvelcps. The rcserv oir engincer must bc fanriliar wj-th the

through wel-ls

lnoj-vidual wells and wcll s--ct,^nr rnd thc type of data he

procure from thcse i.rclls, and rvith propor coL-l-ation

ticn of daia juogcforccast the

perfo:rmrncc

errd"

can

interpreta-

of reservoi-rs,

Iqtrodustion and Scopc of Producticn &rginr:ering

gentl-enen: Xou are alrcady

Srgincering which f orms thc: basic

well er'posed to Roservoir

and-

scicntific

bsckgrcund of

petrolcum production engincenng. This deal-s vrith the

exploitatlon of oil and ilas fields scienfificaLly.

What

is

Pr

odr-r

cti-pg.-&"g].9-artJe?

Frod.ubtion Erp;ini-cr":ng

is that

ph:;se

of engineering

which

-a

*
5

clcels -,.'j-tn thu

trrnsfcr of cruuc oil_

ancl ot-,slas fr.on

thc

bottcrn

of th'r rrcrr- thr:out4r thc tr&ing to thc suu'f,,cc l/cr-l h:::ad christma.s

fit'ri-r-

cnd thc+r th'orrEh ;,ip-L',,r,s i,o a

Lo.irrnon

eir corrgcting

Station or Tcrxrinil- through a battery of siprrrators.

Thc eonccpts ancl tcchrology of

'r:^cd'cticn

eng-inccr:ing have

their roots iit -"cscl-rci:' r;rr-incr.ri:rg principlos and applicatiars

to ecientific prrC.uc-b1on of oil sind gas froni oil and gas field.s.
Sss,r4s!js-!Ae.-egbjss!_$g:LrThe subject nia.tc,r

of Froducticn &egin:ering deafs i,rith the

following:-

lietural gqr transportaticn through rripetines aftor

lreLerlng,
pnoccssing

(i. c. clcl5idretiqr

ancl swccicnir ,).

,-turhg- samplirrc :f c-::j -,1- irci lr-reit rE-.a'tank cars rnd

'rr.ou:h
. PiPcLin:s.
of
o:-1 (tr) Artiriciai lift nethods
,g/
-cn-r.dc
t I .SJ:""e:.
err er I'f oocling and i*at c:: in j c cti or1.
?he proCuetrcn englncering brer,ch can b,_, dii4idd
into b phases,
naue:r-y; (r) Liftin': from t.ro wcrl; (e) iictering
at thc wel.r-;
(s) s..:p..retLon; (4) proccsrirrg end (s) Trp.nsiror-t3tion
of oir.
t")) Tra,nspi:r,c.ti_on of ,_tl
i"/

3q1 e

.pf

Pry) &r c!r*oJ::,

Thc

&r:i 4 i.qe.iis, .irl. Ht apd. Gag .Ri a14s

rclc of prodr:ctjo-r

the greates'b

amounts

to pursue th.sc

tr,,'o

ei:?inecld-ng

of oi,L, g.s .it

objccti'cs, thc

is to, (1) proauce

optinr-r-;r:

ratcs. rn trying

producti.a-r engineer shCIuld

r-j

f-

hi
6

rnake

uso of rc.scrrroir enginccring

observiticns on th.

dai.:. (pressure

i-,

-.1 r:irlancc) dosign

daia and ccnditi-cns of' thc cquipments, urrits, involved.
',r.

Thus, it nri;' bc :u::uflud up that producticrn

e.nd

rcserrioii" cnginc;ering pla;r a rrital role in scientific

production of

oj,-l- xnd gas from

thc ficlds.