NDX Liu

Hydrocarbon Migration and Accumulation Models Revisited from a Reservoir Engineering Perspective*
Keyu Liu1, Xuan Tang2, Abdul Rashid1, and Xiaofang Wei3
Search and Discovery Article #41096 (2012)**

Posted December 10, 2012
*Adapted from oral presentation at AAPG International Conference and Exhibition, Singapore, September 16-19, 2012
**AAPG 2012 Serial rights given by author. For all other rights contact author directly.
1
Earth Science and Resource Engineering, CSIRO, Beijing, WA, Australia (keyu.liu@csiro.au)
2
China University of Geosciences, Beijing, China
3
State Laboratory of Enhanced Oil Recovery, Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, Beijing, China
Abstract
Conventional petroleum migration and hydrocarbon accumulation has been investigated in the laboratory and field, principally by
considering the interaction between the capillary and buoyancy force within carrier beds and under seals. The best oil migration pathways
are generally believed to be the highly porous and permeable beds within a petroleum system. The best seals are considered to be the low
permeable rocks. Oil migration and accumulation in rock formations of low porosity and permeability (e.g. tight sandstone) would require an
unusually large driving force or oil column height and is thus rarely considered. Apart from the pore-throat size, oil-water interfacial tension
and reservoir wettability can also play important roles in controlling the capillary force. The latter two parameters are often not considered.
In reality, oil migration pathways and seals may have a range of wettabilities, from strongly water-wet through mixed-wet to strongly oil-
wet. The reservoir fluid compositions and properties (e.g. viscosity, density and interfacial tension) are dynamic (varying with P/T) and
change within a petroleum system.
We investigated the hydrocarbon migration and accumulation mechanisms using a petroleum engineering approach by evaluating various
factors affecting hydrocarbon migration and accumulation using glass bead columns, rock and fluid characterization techniques under
subsurface conditions and core flooding experiments. The key parameters investigated include: (1) viscosity changes, (2) wettability
alteration, and (3) interfacial tension variations with P/T conditions. Other petroleum engineering aspects examined include (1) relative
permeability, (2) imbibitions, (3) Capillary Numbers, and (5) mobility ratios. The experiments have shown that these factors can
significantly affect hydrocarbon migration and accumulation. For example, oil was found preferably migrating through and/or accumulating
in relatively tight regions with a favorable wettability. Therefore these petroleum engineering factors should be included in the conventional
petroleum migration and accumulation models, especially when investigating the unconventional petroleum system (e.g. tight sandstone oil).
References
Berg, R.R., 1975, Capillary pressures in stratigraphic traps: AAPG Bulletin, v. 59/6, p. 939-956.
Catalan, L., F. Xiaowen, I. Chatzis, and F.A.L. Dullien, 1992, An experimental study of secondary oil migration: AAPG Bulletin, v. 76/5, p.
638-650.
Dembicki, H., Jr., and M.J. Anderson, 1989, Secondary migration of oil; experiments supporting efficient movement of separate, buoyant oil
phase along limited conduits: AAPG Bulletin, v. 73/8, p. 1018-1021.
England, W.A., and A.S. Mackenzie, 1988, Some aspects of the geochemistry of petroleum fluids, in Evolution of sedimentary basins:
Geologische Rundschau, Special Volume, v. 78/1, p. 291-303.
Lenormand, R., E. Touboul, and C. Zarcone, 1988, Numerical models and experiments on immiscible displacements in porous media:
Journal of Fluid Mechanics, v. 189, p. 165-187.
Luo, X., F. Zhang, S. Miao, W. Wang, D. Loggia, and G. Vasseur, 2003, Migration pathway patterns and residual loss: AAPG Annual
Meeting Abstracts, v. 12, p. 109.
Schowalter, T.T., 1979, Mechanics of secondary hydrocarbon migration and entrapment: AAPG Bulletin, v. 63/5, p. 723-760.
Teige, G.M.G., M. Iding, and C. Hermanrud, 2009, Differences between flow of injected CO2 and hydrocarbon migration: 7 th Geological
Society of London, Petroleum Geology Conference, p. 27.
Thomas, M.M., and J.A. Clouse, 1995, Scaled physical model of secondary oil migration: AAPG Bulletin, v. 79/1, p. 19-29.
Tokunaga, T., K. Mogi, O. Matsubara, H. Tosaka, and K. Kojima, 2000, Buoyancy and interfacial force effects on two-phase displacement
patterns; an experimental study: AAPG Bulletin, v. 84/1, p. 65-74.
Hydrocarbon Migration and Accumulation
Models Revisited from a Reservoir Engineering
Perspective
Keyu Liu1,3, Xuan Tang2, Abdul Rashid1 and Xiaofang Wei3

1 CSIRO Earth Science and Resource Engineering,
2 China University of Geosciences, 3 RIPED, PetroChina
Oil Migration and Accumulation Models Revisited CUG, Beijing, June 2010
Existing Oil Migration & Accumulation
Model
Permeability and porosity controlled only (Pc [r] vs Pb)
Static
Gas
Cap
Oil
Entrapment Water Seal
Seal Rock
Rock
Reservo
Reservoir
Rock
Rock
Reservoir fluid density, viscosity, interfacial tension, wettability and
gas-oil ratios are P/T and composition dependent, and should be
100s of metres
considered when deal with petroleum systems with 100s of metres
Migration
vertical migration, especially for tight oil and gas plays
120
50C F
Source
Pc=2COS/R; Nc=v/
Rock
175C
350 F
Generation
from2480
AAPG
Oil Migration and and
Oil Migration Accumulation Model
Accumulation Revisited
Models Revisited AAPG 2012
CUG, ICE, Singapore,
Beijing, June 2010 Sept 15-19
Presentation Outline
Factors affecting hydrocarbon migration & accumulation

Rocks
Fluids
Fluid-fluid and fluid-rock interaction
Secondary Migration Laboratory Experiments

Glass bead experiments
Core flooding experiments
Field application examples

Tight oil and gas reservoirs in the Tarim Basin
Basin floor lenticular reservoirs in the Bohai Bay Basin
Summary

Oil accumulation process vs (enhanced)
oil recovery
Waterflooding Saturated
Oil accumulation processes are the

inversePolymer
of that
flooding
of the oil recovery
Medium pores
Surfactant flooding Large pores
Pc=2COS/R; Nc=v/
Petroleum engineering approach to
investigate oil migration & accumulation
Core flooding experiment:

Physical simulation and
numerical modelling
Petroleum engineering approach can be

used to investigate HC accumulation
Pore Reservoir
scale scale

Reservoir compositional heterogeneities at
pore scale: the Rock factor
quartz
Albite
quartz
te
Apart from ori
te
illite hlori
c hl
quartz
c
Albite
/K factors, Albite
Albite quartz
te
rtz
orit
illi
qua
different
chl
quartz
minerals have K-feldspar

lo
do te
mi
Albite kerogen
different
quartz Albite Albite
illite
affinities to quartz dolomite
ill it e
chlorite
reservoir
i te
Albite
illite
om
dol
quartz quartz
quartz
fluids Albite
quartz quartz
quartz quartz
K-feldspar
Subsurface reservoir oil vs surface (dead)
crude oil : the fluid factor
Dead
Petroleum
oil at surface
reservoir
conditions
fluids
Classical petroleum reservoir fluids Multicomponent mixture consisting primarily of
methane (>30-90 mol%)
Gas
(mol %)
Separator
100
90
Dry Gas
80
70 Condensate
1
60
5
9
Volatile oil Stock tank
13 50
17 40 Light oil oil
21
25
29
30 Black oil Reservoir
Carbon 33 20
number
37
41 10 Ultra heavy oil fluid
45 0 Crude oil
+ inorganic gas Density of water at 15C

CO2, H2S, N2, SO2, H2 API = ( 141.5 x ) -131.5
Density of crude

Viscosity is dependent of temperatures
70
Equivalent to a reduction of Sample2
an order of magnitude in 40 C
60
Blank
50
Viscosity (cp)
40
30
20
10
20 30 40 50 60
Temperature (C)
Factors affecting interfacial tension:
fluid-fluid interaction
Oil compositions Oil-Water

Formation water compositions Interface
Densities
Pressure and temperature
Emulsion
Oil-water Oil-water+40 ppm

biosurfactant
10.2 dynes/cm 4.1 dynes/cm

Factors affecting wettability : Fluid-rock
interaction
Mineral types Pc=2COS/R

Fluid compositions
Temperature
55 C
Contact Angle (degree)
100
60 C
80
60
40
29 C
20
0
20 30 40 50 60 70 80
T (C)
Preferential water leakage through seal:
Fluid-rock interaction
Black image: oil
WATER
Colour image: water
Porous membrane Oil-saturated

sandstone
WATEREarly stage Late stage

(Ref: Teige et al., 2009)
Relative permeability on oil migration
and accumulation: Multiphase flow
Reference
Modelled Measured
krw fixed Modelled
1
Relative permeability (kr)
Fixed 1
krw
Relative permeability (kr)

kro
0.75 krw
kro
Reference 0.75
(SPE20183)
0.5
0.5 Reference
(SPE20183)
(SPE201
0.25
Modeled 0.25
Modeled
0
0 0.25 0.5 0.75 1 0
Water saturation (Sw) 0 0.25 0.5 0.75 1
Water saturation (Sw)
So=10%
Schowalter (1979); England (1988) So=10%
Laboratory investigation on secondary
oil migration
Lenormand et al. (1988)

Dembicki & Anderson (1989)
Catalan et al. (1992)
Thomas and Clouse (1995)
Tokunaga et al. (2000)
Luo et al. (2003)
Investigate the effects of

Viscosity
IFT
Wettability

Water and oils used in the experiments
Oil Density Viscosity Interfacial Tension

(g/cm3) (cp) (dynes/cm)
Shell 15 0.85 23.7 (20C)
36.2
Decane 0.73 0.92 (20C) 52 (decane/water)@24C

23.5 (oil/air)
Brine used: 1.124g/cm3

Dodecane 0.75 1.34 (25C) 50.6 (oil/brine)
Models Revisited 30.34
AAPG (dodecane/brine)
2012
Glass bead grainsizes used (m):
Permeability effect
90-150* (=135)
150-250 25 100
20
90-150 80
250-425 Low /K
% by Volume Passing size

% by Volume in interval
15 60
425-600
10 40
24 100
600-850 5
150-250 20
(=45)
19 80
High /K
% by Volume Passing size

% by Volume in interval
0 0
10 100 1000
14 60
Size (m )
9 40
4 20
1mm -1
100
0
1000
Size (m )

Wettability of glass beads used in the
experiments
90-150 150-250
Oil wet Water wet

Predicted vs measured oil column heights:
Wettability effect
1 1
2 ( ) Pc=2COS/R
rt Rb
hmin
g
1
Rb ( )(0.414 D )
2
1
rt ( )(0.154 D )
2 from Berg (1975)
(m)
Glass beads ( Theoretical Minimum Minimum height
Height (cm) measured (cm)
1 90~150* 134.7224.4
134.7 <0.5
2 150~250 80.8134.7
80.8 37.8
3 250~425 47.580.8
47.5
4 425~600 33.747.5
33.7 13.5
5 600 850 23 8 33 7
Presenters notes: And then we found Berg has brought forward a equation to predict minimum height for migration in closet packing and rhoromber . here is
interfacial tension between two immiscible fluid. D is glass beads diameter, Rb maximum pore throat, rt minimum pore throat. is density difference. G is
gravity acceleration.
Here, the minimum height calculated by this methods provide some beneficial guide.
But in fact, in our experiments, the measured minimum height is much lower than theoretic value. So there is must something ignored in this equation. That is the
wettability.
17
Wettability strongly affects oil migration
and accumulation
13cm
Dodecne
1mm
25cm
600550
Oil
150250 Cotton
15cm
90150 1mm Nylon
Experiment 33 Experiment 10

Presenters notes: When we employ oil wet media, there is total different story. Oil is quite easy to migrate along them to the top of glass tube. The glass beads
with grain size of 90-150 micron are oil-wet, whose contact angle is 130~140. The cotton bread are cluster of fibers, which are oil wet and porous media, as contrast,
nylon is water wet and non porous media. in experiment 10, we deploy nylon and cotton bread parallel to the glass tube. oil only go up along the cotton bread.
18
Viscosity affects migration efficiency for
the 600-850 m glass beads
Dodecane Shell
(1.34 cp) Ondina 15
(23.7 cp)
56.9%
oil area
3.3%
oil area
Presenters notes: Same glass beads(600-850 microns), same volume of oil injected(15cm height oil column), with different viscosity(1.34, 23.7cp).
The bigger the viscosity of oil, The more the residual oil in pathway, less the hydrocarbon migration efficiency is. Most hydrocarbon are assumed to migrate in
light oil with lower viscosity in underground. The heavy oil reservoir are mostly produced by post-accumulation physical-chemical process.
19
Viscosity affects oil migration rates
Slit Glass Filling Oil Rate

width beads Mode (mm/
m m min
4
12 200- 150- slurry Dodecane 2.5

210 250
3
13 200- 150- slurry Shell 0.65
5 210 250 Ondina 15
4 EXPERIMENT 26
2 Migration rate:
3 14 200- 150- slurry Decane 4.72
2 1220 mm/min
210 250
1 1mm
Presenters notes: Fracture, of course, will consist of the high way for oil migration. Under the fractures made same way, in same glass beads and same filling,
different oil has different migration rate: decane and dodecane has same migrate rate, which is one order higher than shell 15
While the migration rate can be higher in smooth fractures made by two glace slices sticked together. So we think the roughness degree of fracture surface actually
can effect migration rate a lot.
20
Summary of OMP and coreflooding
experiments
Although permeability (glass bead size) can exert

some influence on the oil migration
Reservoir wettability and fluid viscosity can greatly
affect
oil migration initiation,
efficiency
rate
residual oil along oil migration pathways
Core flooding experiments under reservoir PT

conditions also show that IFT, water viscosity,
wettability and injection rates can exert great effects
on EOR and thus hydrocarbon accumulations
Pc=2COS/R; Nc=v/
Tight oil and gas accumulations
Petroliferous Basins in Western China
Tia Junggar
nsh
an
W Turpan-hami
Ku Tarim Basin Qi
nl lia Jiuquan
un un n Ordos
K unl Qaidam Sh
E an
Sichuan

Tight oil and gas reservoirs in northern
Tarim Basin
2x2x2mm
Gas condensate
/
Bitumen Cretaceous
>6000 m
<5%
Calcite
K<1 mD
Dolomite
Pores filled with bitumen from an early hydrocarbon charge prior to

reservoir cementation act as later HC transport conduits
Bitumen network in tight sandstone reservoir
2x2x2mm
Formed interconnected oil-wet bitumen network in the
tight sandstone reservoir
Lenticular basin floor turbidte subtle
traps: Jiyang Basin, Eastern China
Oil generated from Es4 migrated 100s of metres through an

immature source rock (Es3) to reach the 4-way closure traps
Wettability may have played an important role in the
postulated oil migration through organic network
(Li et al., 2008; Pang et al., 2008)

Source rock heterogeneity at various scales:
Kerogen network as oil migration conduits

An holistic approach to petroleum
system analysis (modified from USGS chart)
Earth System Basin Evolution Petroleum System
Source
Average
Global
Sea Level
Geologic Time Scale Curve
Oil Migration and Accumulation
Rocks
% of worlds total
petroleum reserves
generated by source
Temperature
Modified from Frakes
et al. (1992) and
Modified from Golonka and Kiessling,
(2002) and Hardenbol and others
From Gradstein and others (2004)
Barrett (2003) (1998).
Reservoir Heterogeneity
Modified from
Ulmishek and
Klemme (1990)
Petrophysics & Geomechanics

Also showing:
Oceanic Anoxic Events 15o 20oC 200 100 0m
Fluid properties Pleistocene

Pliocene
M
E
Ge lasian
Piacenzian
Zanclean
Messinian
Fluid-fluid, -rock interaction Miocene

Tortonian
Serravallian
Langhian
PVT factors Burdigalian

Aquitanian
20
Chattian
Oligocene
Rupelian
Priabonian
Bartonian
40
Eocene Lutetian
Ypresian
Thanetian
Paleocene Selandian 60
Danian
Maastrichtian
Campanian
80
Late
Santonian
Coniacian
Turonian
Cenomanian
100
Albian
Aptian
120
Early
Barremian

Models Revisited Hauterivian AAPG 2012
Summary
The traditional permeability-control model is
inadequate
Hydrocarbon migration and accumulation is a
dynamic process from source kitchen to
reservoirs as compositions and PVT conditions
are changing
P/T conditions
Variations of formation fluid properties (density and viscosity)
Compositions of formation fluids (e.g. formation water,
hydrocarbon fractionation, GOR)
Fluid-fluid interaction: IFT
Fluid-rock interaction: Wettability
Hydrocarbon migration and accumulation model
should consider all the above parameters
Pc=2COS/R; Nc=v/
Acknowledgements
Dr Peter McCabe (UQ), Dr Ben Clennell, Dr Peter Eadington,

Dr Richard Kempton and Dr Julien Bourdet of CSIRO Earth
Science and Resource Engineering
CSIRO Wealth from Ocean Flagship MEOR Team
Australian National Low Emission Commission (ANLEC) CO2
geosequestration program
Vahab Honara, Bashirual Haq, Taschfeen Sayem, Hamid
Ghafram Al Shahri of University of Western Australia
Prof. Pang Xiogqi, Li Sumei, Jiang Zhenxue and Chen
Dongxia of China University of Petroleum
Dr Shaobo Liu, Mengjun Zhao and Shihu Fang of RIPED,
PetroChina

Dr Keyu Liu
Fluid History Analysis & EOR
CSIRO Earth Science and Resource
Engineering
Thank you
Phone +61 8 6436 8500

Email Keyu.Liu@csiro.au
Web www.csiro.au

NDX Liu

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

NDX Liu

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Hydrocarbon Migration and Accumulation Models Revisited from a Reservoir Engineering Perspective*

Keyu Liu1, Xuan Tang2, Abdul Rashid1, and Xiaofang Wei3

Search and Discovery Article #41096 (2012)**

Keyu Liu1,3, Xuan Tang2, Abdul Rashid1 and Xiaofang Wei3

Factors affecting hydrocarbon migration & accumulation

Secondary Migration Laboratory Experiments

Field application examples

Oil Migration and and

Oil accumulation processes are the

Surfactant flooding Large pores

Core flooding experiment:

Petroleum engineering approach can be

Oil Migration and and

minerals have K-feldspar

affinities to quartz dolomite

+ inorganic gas Density of water at 15C

Oil Migration and and

Oil compositions Oil-Water

Oil-water Oil-water+40 ppm

10.2 dynes/cm 4.1 dynes/cm

Mineral types Pc=2COS/R

Porous membrane Oil-saturated

WATEREarly stage Late stage

Relative permeability (kr)

Lenormand et al. (1988)

Investigate the effects of

Oil Migration and and

Oil Density Viscosity Interfacial Tension

Shell 15 0.85 23.7 (20C)

Decane 0.73 0.92 (20C) 52 (decane/water)@24C

Brine used: 1.124g/cm3

% by Volume Passing size

% by Volume Passing size

Oil Migration and and

Oil Migration and and

90150 1mm Nylon

Oil Migration and and

Slit Glass Filling Oil Rate

12 200- 150- slurry Dodecane 2.5

Although permeability (glass bead size) can exert

Core flooding experiments under reservoir PT

Oil Migration and and

Pores filled with bitumen from an early hydrocarbon charge prior to

Oil generated from Es4 migrated 100s of metres through an

(Li et al., 2008; Pang et al., 2008)

Oil Migration and and

Barrett (2003) (1998).

Petrophysics & Geomechanics

Fluid properties Pleistocene

Fluid-fluid, -rock interaction Miocene

PVT factors Burdigalian

Oil Migration and and

Dr Peter McCabe (UQ), Dr Ben Clennell, Dr Peter Eadington,

Oil Migration and and

Phone +61 8 6436 8500

You might also like