Encyclopedia of Chemical Processing and Design

Volume 22 - Fire Extinguishing Chemicals to Fluid Flow: Slurry Systems and Pipelines

John J. McKetta Jr

• Publisher: CRC Press
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN: 9780824724726
• eBook ISBN: 9781000447040
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Materials Science
• Index: Technology & Engineering

"Written by engineers for engineers (with over 150 International Editorial Advisory Board members), this highly lauded resource provides up-to-the-minute information on the chemical processes, methods, practices, products, and standards in the chemical, and related, industries. "

Fluid Flow, Porous Media

DOI: 10.1201/9781003209812-20

This article is a primer on the flow of fluids in petroleum reservoirs. It contains the principles needed for solving elementary fluid flow problems in these naturally occurring porous media. These principles are part of the basic tools used by reservoir engineers in the engineering analysis of petroleum reservoirs.

In the petroleum industry, reservoir engineers have the responsibility for developing a plan of producing a reservoir that optimizes both profit and recovery of hydrocarbon. This responsibility begins with the discovery of a reservoir and continues throughout its life-a period lasting many decades. With a new discovery, the reservoir engineer has to devise the initial development plan for the field. Since data on a new reservoir are very limited, this plan has to be flexible enough to be easily modified or completely changed as the reservoir is produced and more extensive data become available. Thereafter, he or she has to monitor on a continuing basis not only the performance of the whole reservoir but also of each well in it-always asking the question, “Is performance optimum?” If the answer is “no,” the reservoir engineer either modifies the existing production plan or develops an entirely new one. Discharging this responsibility is neither simple nor easy, but it is exciting!

Enough basic material is covered in this article to allow someone with no prior knowledge of the field to handle single-phase and simple two-phase flow problems. This article will also serve as useful background for those desiring to delve into more advanced aspects of reservoir fluid flow and reservoir engineering. This material is covered in four sections. Section I introduces Darcy’s law, the fundamental equation for flow in reservoir rock. Section II treats steady-state and unsteady-state single-phase flow. Section III contains a limited treatment of two-phase water-oil flow, including explanation of effective permeability, relative permeability, and capillary pressure. Section IV introduces the important subject of wettability, the affinity of reservoir rock for water and/or oil.

The nomenclature^* used in this article conforms to the standards of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) of the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers (AIME). For those desiring more information, this should facilitate transition to the wealth of published literature in this field.

* A Symbols Section appears at the end of the text of this article.

The references are divided into three groups. References 1–4 are the SPE standards; Refs. 5–18 are a sampling of general works on reservoir fluid flow, reservoir engineering principles, and recovery processes; and Refs. 19–45 on are additional specific technical books or papers cited in this article. The general works may be further categorized as follows:

• References 4 and 5 are introductory reservoir engineering textbooks.
• References 7–9 present advanced reservoir engineering concepts (plus some introductory material).
• References 10–16 contain in-depth treatments of specialized reservoir engineering methods and petroleum recovery processes.
• References 17 and 18 are two classic books by Morris Muskat upon which many of the principles of modern reservoir engineering are based.
• References 5–18 are annotated to guide those wishing to consult these works.

The technical literature dealing with the flow of fluids in reservoirs is vast; it is impossible to list all sources of this information here. A pared-down list would include the following publications:

• Journal of Petroleum Technology, published by the SPE of the AIME.
• Society of Petroleum Engineers Journal, published by the SPE of the AIME.
• Transactions of the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers (Trans. AIME), published yearly by the SPE of the AIME. This series ha...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contributors to Volume 22
• Contents of Volume 22
• Conversion to SI Units
• Fire Extinguishing Chemicals
• Fire Safety Design
• Fired Heaters
• First Aid
• Fischer—Tropsch Synthesis
• Flammability of Gases and Vapors
• Flanges
• Flares and Flare System Design
• Flares and Flare Systems, Costs
• Flash Point and Lower Explosive Limit Estimation
• Flavors and Spices
• Flocculation
• Flue Gas Cleaning: Particulate Removal
• Fluid Catalytic Cracking, Predicting Yield
• Fluid Flow
• Fluid Flow, Crude Oils
• Fluid Flow, Gas Flow Pressure Drop
• Fluid Flow, Measurement
• Fluid Flow, Natural Gas
• Fluid Flow, Porous Media
• Fluid Flow, Slurry Systems, Nomograph
• Fluid Flow, Slurry Systems and Pipelines