Buildup Testing And The Diagnostic Plot 1

Buildup Testing And The

Diagnostic Plot

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 Buildup Testing And The Diagnostic Plot 2

Buildup Testing And The

Diagnostic Plot
Time Plotting Functions
Shutin Time
Horner Pseudoproducing Time
Multirate Equivalent Time
Superposition Time Function
Approach To Stabilization
Radial Systems
Linear Systems
Volumetric Systems

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 Buildup Testing And The Diagnostic Plot 3

Variable Rate History

q

q2

q1 qn-1

qn

t1 t2 tn-2 tn-1 t t
t

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 Buildup Testing And The Diagnostic Plot 4

Horner Pseudoproducing Time

24 N p
tp =
qn 1

n 1
24 [q (t
j =1
j j t j 1 )]
tp =
qn 1

Horner defined the pseudoproducing time as the cumulative production divided by

the last flow rate before shutin for a buildup test.
This pseudoproducing time is then used to calculate the Horner time ratio (or the
Agarwal equivalent time).
The Horner approximation gives good results as long as the duration of the last
constant rate flow period (tn-1 - tn-2) is at least 10 times the maximum shutin time
analyzed during the buildup test.
If the Horner approximation is used even though this rule is violated, the resulting
pressure response may appear to be affected by boundaries, even for an infinite-
acting system!

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 Buildup Testing And The Diagnostic Plot 5

Multirate Equivalent Time

q j q j 1

n 1 tn 1 t j 1 qn1 q n
te
j =1

t + t n 1 t


j 1
t

Agarwal defined the multirate equivalent time as shown on this slide.

Multirate equivalent time may also be defined for linear, bilinear, or spherical flow.

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 Buildup Testing And The Diagnostic Plot 6

Superposition Time Function

n 1
{( ) ( )}
+ ln (t )
1
STF q q ln t + tn 1 t j 1
(qn qn 1 ) j =1 j j 1

Bourdet, Ayoub, and Pirard defined the superposition time function as shown on the
equation on this slide.
They recommended calculating the pressure derivative for buildup tests as the
derivative of the pressure with respect to the superposition time function, and
plotting the result vs. the shutin time.

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 Buildup Testing And The Diagnostic Plot 7

Superposition Time Function

n 1 q q
STF j j 1
(
ln t + tn 1 t j 1 ) + ln (t )
j =1 qn qn 1

q j q j 1
n 1 n1 n

q q

STF = ln 1 t
t + tn 1 t j 1
j =1

We can rearrange the superposition time function as shown in the first equation.
Then using the properties of the natural logarithm, we obtain the result shown in the
second equation.
Comparing the second equation with the definition for the Agarwal multirate
equivalent time, we have...

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 Buildup Testing And The Diagnostic Plot 8

Superposition Time Function

q j q j 1
n 1



q n1 q n



STF = ln te
1
tn 1 t j 1
j =1

STF = ln (C ) + ln (te )

...this interesting result. The superposition time function is simply the logarithm of
the multirate equivalent time plus a constant.

Derivatives with respect to the logarithm of the multirate equivalent time will have
exactly the same numerical value as derivatives with respect to the superposition
time function. The only difference is that Bourdet et al recommend plotting the
resulting derivative vs. shutin time, whereas the most intuitive application of the
multirate equivalent time would suggest that the result be plotted against the
equivalent time rather than the shutin time.

Both the multirate equivalent time and the superposition time function are subject to
the same limitations - viz., the system is assumed to be in infinite-acting radial flow
at all time scales of interest.

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 Buildup Testing And The Diagnostic Plot 9

Radial Flow

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 Buildup Testing And The Diagnostic Plot 10

Stabilization In Radial System

100

Drawdown
10
Buildup
pD

Drawdown

0.1

Buildup, tpD=105

0.01
1E+02 1E+03 1E+04 1E+05 1E+06 1E+07 1E+08
tD

When t << tp, the buildup derivative response plotted with respect to shutin time
has a slope of 0. When t >> tp, the buildup derivative response plotted with
respect to shutin time has a slope of -1.
Notice that the buildup derivative begins to depart from the drawdown derivative at
a dimensionless time of about 104, that is, about an order of magnitude earlier than
the dimensionless producing time of 105. This is the origin of the 10x rule for the
Horner pseudoproducing time. This also validates the use of the shutin time for
analysis of buildup tests using drawdown type curves, as long as the producing time
is at least 10x the maximum shutin time observed during the test.
The drawdown derivative response for a well near a linear constant pressure
boundary also has a slope of -1. If the producing time is very short, and this is not
taken into account during flow regime identification, the buildup response for
infinite-acting radial flow may be mistakenly identified as a linear constant pressure
boundary.

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 Buildup Testing And The Diagnostic Plot 11

Linear Flow

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 Buildup Testing And The Diagnostic Plot 12

Stabilization In Linear System

1000

Drawdown
100
pD

10

tpD=103

0.1
1E+00 1E+01 1E+02 1E+03 1E+04 1E+05 1E+06
tD

When t << tp, the buildup derivative response plotted with respect to shutin time
has a slope of 1/2. When t >> tp, the buildup derivative response plotted with
respect to shutin time has a slope of -1/2.
Unlike the case of radial flow, the buildup derivative for the linear flow case departs
from the drawdown derivative at a dimensionless time of 101, about 100x earlier
than the dimensionless producing time of 103. This suggests that the use of the
correct linear equivalent time or buildup type curves is more import for systems
exhibiting linear flow than for radial flow systems.
Spherical flow also has a slope of -1/2. If a buildup test is run in a linear reservoir
with a very short producing time, the buildup response may appear to be spherical
flow if the short producing time is not considered during the analysis.

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 Buildup Testing And The Diagnostic Plot 13

Volumetric Behavior

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 Buildup Testing And The Diagnostic Plot 14

Stabilization In Volumetric System

100
Dimensionless pressure

10

Drawdown

tpD=106
0.1

0.01
1E+03 1E+04 1E+05 1E+06 1E+07 1E+08 1E+09
Dimensionless shutin time

Surprisingly enough, the buildup pressure response in a closed circular reservoir

feels the boundary significantly earlier than the drawdown pressure response in
the same reservoir.
The pressure response during drawdown for a reservoir with a circular constant
pressure boundary is almost exactly the same as the shutin pressure response for a
closed reservoir, when plotted against shutin time. If the analyst is not careful, he
may incorrectly choose a reservoir model with a circular constant pressure boundary
instead of the correct model, which is a finite circular reservoir with a closed outer
boundary.

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 Buildup Testing And The Diagnostic Plot 15

References
Bourdet, D., Ayoub, J. A., and Pirard, Y.M.: Use of Pressure Derivative in
Well-Test Interpretation, SPEFE (June 1989) 293-302.
Ehlig-Economides, C.: Use of the Pressure Derivative for Diagnosing
Pressure Transient Behavior, JPT (Oct. 1988) 1280-1282.
Agarwal, R. A.: A New Method to Account For Producing Time Effects When
Drawdown Type Curves Are Used To Analyze Pressure Buildup and Other
Test Data, paper SPE 9289 presented at the 1980 SPE Annual Technical
Conference and Exhibition, Dallas, September 21-24.
Streltsova, T. D., and McKinley, R. M.: Effect of Flow Time Duration on
Buildup Pattern for Reservoirs With Heterogeneous Properties,SPEJ (June
1984) 294-306.
Swift, S.C.: Application of Equivalent Drawdown Time in Well Testing,
paper SPE 17547 presented at the 1988 SPE Rocky Mountain Regional
Meeting, Casper, WY, May 11-13.

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