Course content

The course provides a toolbox with analytical methods for analysis of the influence of natural and added driving forces on recovery of oil and gas from the various types of reservoirs and for setting up a field development strategy.

Topic overview:

• Oil, gas systems; field development phases, drainage strategies
• microscopic and macroscopic displacement efficiency;
• natural driving mechanisms; material balance calculations
• injection of water and gas; analytical methods for calculating displacement in reservoirs. (Buckley-Leverett, Dietz stability, DykstraParson model)
• flow equations; inflow performance, well patterns

Learning outcome

The course should provide in-depth knowledge of physical conditions, principles and methods related to the recovery of oil and gas from reservoirs.

Competences

The student shall be able to

• understand basic physical principles and explain physical conditions, principles and methods related to the recovery of oil and gas from reservoirs.
• select and use analytical analysis methods to study field exploitation.
• describe natural and added energy sources, and analytically analyze their impact on the field development for different types of reservoirs.
• contribute with analytical models to create functional reservoir models, used for field development planning.

Skills

After completing the course, the student should be able to:

• Describe oil field development phases, EOR methods and drainage strategies.
• Select and use common methods and tools related to analytical analysis of oil and gas reservoirs and well performance for different production phases of reservoir production.
• Determine analytically the natural driving mechanisms and explain natural dynamic reservoir behavior during oil and gas production.
• Use analytical methods to determine a drainage strategy.
• Analyze volumetrically liquid/gas quantities in the reservoir and complementary with material balance calculations using reservoir pressure and production dates, possible applying commercially available software e.g. Excel / Python, MBal.
• Use key parameters, equations and methods for calculating microscopic and macroscopic recovery rates of hydrocarbons or storage quantities.
• Analytically compare different injection strategies (water, EOR) and assess efficiency using Buckley-Leverett and/or Dykstra Parson models.

Learning methods and activities

Lectures and obligatory exercises. The lectures are in English. The course is evaluated by a reference group.

Compulsory assignments

• Exercises

Recommended previous knowledge

TPG4112 Geomechanics and Flow in Porous Media and TPG4116 Description and Characterization of Porous Media and Flow by Laboratory Analysis (or TPG4115 Reservoir Property Determination by Core Analysis and Well Testing), or similar.

Course materials

Given at the beginning of the semester.

Credit reductions