PAPER 2009-149

Advanced Gas Material Balance, in Simplified Format

S. MOGHADAM, O. JEJE, L. MATTAR
Fekete Associates Inc.

This  paper  is  accepted  for  the  Proceedings  of  the  Canadian  International  Petroleum  Conference  (CIPC)  2009,  Calgary, 
Alberta,  Canada,  16‐18  June  2009.    This  paper  will  be  considered  for  publication  in  Petroleum  Society  journals. 
Publication rights are reserved. This is a pre‐print and subject to correction. 

Abstract
Material balance has long been used in reservoir
engineering practice as a simple yet powerful tool to determine
the Original-Gas-In-Place (G). The conventional format of the
gas material balance equation is the simple straight line plot of
p/Z versus cumulative gas production (Gp) which can be
extrapolated to zero p/Z to obtain G. The graphical simplicity of
this method makes it very popular. The method was developed
for a “volumetric” gas reservoir. It assumes a constant pore
volume of gas and accounts for the energy of gas expansion, but
it ignores other sources of energy such as the effects of
formation compressibility, residual fluids expansion and aquifer
support. It also does not include other sources of gas storage
such as connected reservoirs or adsorption in coal/shale. In the
past, researchers have introduced modified gas material
balance equations to account for these other sources of energy.
However, the simplicity of the p/Z straight line is lost in the
resulting complexity of these equations.
In this paper, a new format of the gas material balance
equation is presented which recaptures the simplicity of the
straight line while accounting for all the drive mechanisms. It
uses a p/Z** instead of p/Z. The effect of each of the mentioned
drive mechanisms appears as an effective compressibility term
in the new gas material balance equation. Also, the physical
meaning of the effective compressibilities are explained and
compared with the concept of drive indices. Furthermore, the
gas material balance is used to derive a generalized rigorous
total compressibility in the presence of all the above-mentioned
drive mechanisms, which is very important in calculating the
pseudo-time used in rate transient analysis of production data.
Introduction
It has been of great interest to find the original-gas-in-place
by using material balance. The conventional gas material
balance equation was developed for a “volumetric” gas
reservoir. Therefore, the p/Z versus cumulative gas production
plot may give misleading results in some situations e.g. when
the formation compressibility is of the same order of magnitude
as gas compressibility (overpressured reservoirs) or where
desorption plays a role (CBM/shale). Figure 1 shows p/Z versus
Gp for several scenarios with the same original-gas-in-place (G).
It can be seen from this figure that except for the volumetric
reservoir, the plot is not a straight line, because gas expansion is
not the only drive mechanism. In fact, water encroachment in
water-drive reservoirs, formation and residual fluid expansion
in overpressured reservoirs and gas desorption in coalbed
methane (CBM) or shale reservoirs can have a significant role
as a driving force in these cases. In these situations, where the
gas expansion is not the dominant driving force, modified
material balance equations have been developed by several
researchers. Among them, Ramagost and Farshad [1] modified
the conventional material balance equation to account for pore
volume shrinkage due to formation and residual fluid expansion
and introduced a new plotting function that keeps the material
balance as a straight line. So that the modified material balance
equation can be used for overpressured reservoirs. Later,
Rahman et al. [2] introduced a rigorous form of material
balance equation that considers the effect of the formation and
residual fluid expansion.
The attempt to find a material balance equation for
unconventional gas reservoirs started when these resources
become more popular. Jensen and Smith [3] proposed a

1
simplified material balance equation for unconventional gas
reservoirs by assuming that the stored free gas is negligible and
consequently omitting the effect of water saturation completely.
However, King [4] derived a comprehensive material balance
equation for unconventional gas reservoirs that accounts for the
free and adsorbed gas, water encroachment/production and
water and formation compressibility. Seidel [5] suggested that
the water saturation change does not have a significant effect on
material balance and substituted constant water saturation in
King’s material balance.
This study presents an advanced, rigorous, gas material
balance equation and its plotting function that unifies all the
above-mentioned modifications in one equation. The new gas
material balance equation has the same format as traditional
material balance and can be plotted as a straight line with pi/Zi
as y-intercept and G as x-intercept. A significant advantage of
this material balance equation is that it can be used to define the
total compressibility of the system so that the pseudo-time
calculated with this total compressibility honors material
balance in all situations.
Volumetric Reservoir
The conventional gas material balance was derived based
on the fact that the remaining gas in the reservoir at any
pressure expands to fill the reservoir volume which was initially
occupied by the original-gas-in-place (G) at the initial pressure
(Figure 2a). In other words, the reservoir volume occupied by
gas stays constant. In this situation, gas compressibility is the
only production mechanism.
( )
GBgi = G − Gp Bg , (1)
where
Bgi = initial gas formation volume factor
Bg = gas formation volume factor at pressure p
G = original-gas-in-place
Gp = cumulative gas produced
Substituting for Bg from the real gas law, at constant
B
temperature, results in:
p pi ⎛ Gp ⎞ 1 − Sw
= ⎜⎜ 1 - ⎟⎟ . (2)
Z Zi ⎝ G ⎠ volume change by integrating the compressibility equation for
The above equation is the well-known conventional gas
material balance equation.
Generalized Equation
In this paper, we derive the advanced gas material equation
to account for water encroachment in water-drive reservoirs,
expansion of formation and of residual liquids in overpressured
reservoirs, and gas desorption in coalbed methane (CBM) and
shale gas reservoirs in the same simple format of Equation 2.
However, the modification needs to be started from Equation 1.
Each of the above-mentioned effects can be added to the
right-hand side of Equation 1 as a volume change term.
GBgi = (G − Gp ) Bg + ΔVwip + ΔVep + ΔVd (3)
2
The explanation of each of the volume change terms is
provided in the following sections.
Water Influx and Production
In a water-drive reservoir, the aquifer provides pressure
support for the reservoir by encroachment of water into the gas
reservoir. The encroached water (We) decreases the pore volume
available for the remaining gas (Figure 2b). The reservoir
volume change due to the net encroached water ( ΔVwip ) can
be calculated from [6]:
(
ΔVwip = 5.615 We − Wp Bw , ) (4)
where
We = water encroachment into the gas reservoir
Wp = water produced at surface
Bw = water formation volume factor
(5.615 is a constant used only in oilfield units)
Overpressured Reservoir
Formation and residual fluids compressibilities are usually
very small in comparison with the gas compressibility.
Therefore, in general, ignoring the formation and the residual
fluids expansion does not affect the gas material balance
significantly. However, at high pressures the gas
compressibility is of the same order of magnitude as that of the
formation and residual liquids. Overpressured reservoirs are the
most common example of this situation, where ignoring the
effect of formation and residual fluids expansion may result in
serious overprediction of G. In overpressured reservoirs, the p/Z
versus Gp plot yields two distinct slopes. The first slope
(shallow) is in the pressure range where formation and residual
fluids expansion play a significant role, while the second slope
(steep) reflects the region where gas expansion is the dominant
production mechanism [1]. Ramagost and Farshad [1]
considered the effect of formation and residual fluid expansion
GBgi ( S w cw + cf )
by a volume change equal to ( pi − p ) .
Later, Rahman et al. [2] introduced a rigorous form of this
any of the substances in the reservoir. The total effect of
formation and the residual fluids compressibility can be added
together as [2]:
⎡ pi pi pi
⎤
− ∫ f ∫ w ∫ co dp ⎥
Bgi G ⎢
c dp c dp
ΔVep = ⎢(1− e p )+S wi (e p −1)+Soi (e p −1)⎥
Sgi ⎢ ⎥
⎢ ⎥
⎣ ⎦
(5)
When matrix shrinkage occurs during coalbed methane
production, the (fracture) porosity containing the free gas
increases. In that situation, cf has a negative value and is a
complex function of pressure.
If cf, cw and co are constant values, a simplified form of
Equation 5 can be written as:
 Bgi G ⎡ c (p − p ) Gf Bgi VL pi V p
ΔVep = (1 − e − cf (pi − p ) )+S wi (e w i − 1)+ ΔVd = ρ B Bg ( − L ). (8)
S ⎢
⎣ Sgiφ pL + pi pL + p
gi (6)
co (pi − p )
Soi (e − 1) ⎤
⎦

The approximate form of Equation 6 can be found considering Advanced Material Balance Equation
e x ≈ 1 + x as, The advanced material balance equation with consideration
of water encroachment/ production, formation and residual
fluids expansions and gas desorption, can be derived by
Bgi G
ΔVep = (cf + S wi cw + Soi co )( pi − p) (7) substituting ΔVwip , ΔVep and ΔVd from Equations 4, 7 and 8
Sgi into Equation 3:

Equation 7 is the format used by Ramagost and Farshad [1]. Gf Bgi = (Gf − Gp )Bg + (We − Wp Bw ) +
Because of its simplicity, it is the format that is used in this
paper, but for a more rigorous calculation, ΔVep from Equation Gf Bgi
(cf + cw S wi + co Soi )( pi − p) + (9)
5 should be used. The effect of formation and residual liquids Sgi
expansions, ΔVep , is depicted in Figure 2(c). Gf Bgi VL pi V p
ρ B Bg ( − L )
Sgiφ pL + pi pL + p
CBM/Shale Gas Desorption
Gf Bgi
The gas storage mechanism in a CBM (or shale gas) If both sides of the above equation are divided by
reservoir is unlike that of a conventional gas reservoir. In a Sgi
typical gas reservoir, gas is stored in the pores by compression. (reservoir pore volume), it can be reduced to:
In a CBM/shale reservoir, in addition to the free gas (Gf) stored
in the fracture network, gas is stored within the coal/shale
matrix by adsorption. As the reservoir pressure is reduced, gas p p Gp
is desorbed from the surface of the matrix. The amount of gas
( Sgi − cwip − cep − cd ) = i (1 − ) Sgi , (10)
Z Zi Gf
stored by adsorption can exceed the gas stored by compression.
Desorption of gas is commonly described by the Langmuir
Isotherm as: where cwip , cep and cd are defined as,
cwip: the change in pore volume due to the water
VL p encroachment/production relative to the reservoir pore volume,
Specific gas content = ,
pL + p
ΔVwip 5.615(We − Wp Bw )
cwip = = .
VL : Langmuir volume parameter Gf Bgi Sgi Gf Bgi Sgi
pL : Langmuir pressure parameter
Specific gas content: the volume of gas per unit mass of cep: the relative change of the pore volume due to the formation
coal. and residual fluid expansion (approximate form),
Therefore, the total amount of gas adsorbed can be calculated
from:
ΔVep
cep = = (cf + cw S wi + co Soi )( pi − p ) .
V p Gf Bgi Sgi
Adsorbed gas= Ga = ρ BVB L ,
pL + p
cd: the relative change of the pore volume due to gas desorption,
where ρB and VB are the density and volume of the coal,
ρ B Bg VL pi
B B

respectively, and VL is on a “dry, ash-free” basis. ΔVd V p

cd = = ( − L ).
The material balance equation is based on the reservoir Gf Bgi Sgi φ pL + pi pL + p
volume that the free gas occupies at the initial pressure. For
CBM, this is equal to GfBgi. In a conventional gas reservoir,
G=Gf , but for a CBM reservoir, the total OGIP (G) includes the Note that the variables cwip, cep, and cd are not
free gas (Gf) and the adsorbed gas (Ga). The red dashed box in compressibilities (as implied by their symbol), but they
Figure 2d shows the volume of “desorbed” gas at reservoir represent the relative change in the pore volume caused by the
pressure p which is added to the “free” gas. The desorbed gas specific mechanism.
volume which needs to be added to the right-hand-side of
Equation 1, can be calculated from (for Sgi>0),

3
Plotting Function of Advanced Gas Also, Z** is related to King’s Z* by the following
relationship:
Material Balance
Equation 10 is an easy formulation for a general material ⎛ Z ⎞
balance equation and can be plotted as (p/Z)(Sgi–cwip–cep–cd) Z ** = Z * ⎜ i ⎟ .
versus Gp to give a straight line. However, it is derived based on ⎝ Z *i ⎠
the pore volume of the free gas. Therefore, the straight line
crosses the abscissa at Gf (free gas volume) not G (total gas-in- Equation 12 is the general material balance equation for all
place). This is an inconvenience, and is a disadvantage of this gas reservoirs (conventional, overpressured, CBM/shale). When
plotting format (see Figure 3) when compared to the plotted as p/Z** versus Gp it yields a straight line, which like
conventional material balance (Figure 1), where the abscissa is the conventional p/Z plot, starts from the conventional pi/Zi and
G (total gas-in-place). It is worth mentioning that G can be extrapolates to the total gas-in-place, G.
Gf Bgi ρ B Bg VL pi
found easily if Gf is known, G = Gf + .
Sgi φ pL + pi
Drive Indices
Note also, that Equation 10 must be solved iteratively in the
case of water encroachment/production because Gf appears in Drive indices were defined to indicate the relative
the cwip term. contribution of different drive mechanisms in oil recovery [8].
In his work on CBM material balance, King [4] introduced The same concept can also be applied for gas reservoirs [7]. The
Z* as: drive indices are defined relative to the produced gas volume:
Gas (Compressibility) Drive Index:
Z
Z* =
We −Wp Bw ρB Bg φ (
G Bg − Bgi )= ΔVG
( )
Sgi − c f +cw Swi ( pi − p)− +
G f Ggi Sgi VL p ( pL + p)
GDI =
Gp Bg Gp Bg
and reformatted Equation 1 as below:
Formation and Residual Liquids Saturation Compressibility
p ⎛ Gp ⎞ pi Drive Index:
= ⎜1 − ⎟ . (11)
Z* ⎝ G ⎠ Zi * ΔVep
CDI =
This equation has the same format as the conventional gas Gp Bg
material balance equation, and can be plotted as a straight line
of p/Z* versus Gp which extrapolates to G, as can be seen in Water-Drive Index
Figure 4. This format has a clear advantage over that of Figure 3
in that it extrapolates to the more practical value of total gas-in-
place (G) rather than the free gas (Gf). Whereas this format is ΔVwip
theoretically applicable to gas reservoirs other than CBM, the WDI =
Gp Bg
fact that the p/Z* values bear little resemblance to the
conventional p/Z values detracts from its utility.
In an effort to generalize the gas material balance equation Desorption Drive Index can be added to the above mentioned
for all reservoirs (conventional, overpressured, CBM/shale), we indices as:
have developed a Z** variable to replace King’s Z* and have
re-written the gas material balance equation, Equation 10, as: ΔVd
DDI =
Gp Bg
p ⎛ Gp ⎞ pi
= ⎜1 − ⎟ , (12)
Z ** ⎝ G ⎠ Z i ** Theoretically, the sum of the drive indices should equal 1.
This is identical to Gp Bg = ΔVG + ΔVwip + ΔVep + ΔVd , as is
The advantage of the Z** format is that the p/Z** values are shown schematically in the right-hand-side of Figure 2e.
similar in magnitude to the conventional p/Z values. As shown The variables cwip, cep, and cd defined in Equation 10 are
in Figure 5, p/Z** versus Gp is a straight line that starts from the related to the drive indices. The denominator in those variables
conventional pi/Zi and extrapolates to G. This formulation and is the reservoir pore volume, whereas the denominator in the
presentation has simplified the applicability of the general
material balance equation. The definition of Z** was derived drive indices is the produced gas volume at pressure p, Gp Bg .
from Equations 10 and 12 as: It is worth noting that in a conventional gas reservoir, the
gas compressibility drive, GDI is the dominant drive
p mechanism, whereas in an unconventional gas reservoir like a
Z ** = . CBM or shale gas reservoir, GDI can be fairly small (or even
⎡ 1 p p ⎛G ⎞⎤ G negligible) in comparison with the desorption drive index, DDI.
⎢ ( Sgi − cwip − cep − cd ) + i ⎜ − 1⎟ ⎥ f
⎢⎣ Sgi Z Z i ⎝ Gf ⎠ ⎥⎦ G

4
Total Compressibility and Pseudo-Time NOMENCLATURE
In fluid flow and pressure transient analysis of gas Bg gas formation volume factor at time t ft3/scf, m3/m3
reservoirs, pseudo variables (pseudo-time and pseudo-pressure) Bgi initial gas formation volume factor ft3/scf, m3/m3
are used to linearize the diffusivity equation. Pseudo- time is Bw water formation volume factor bbl/stb, m3/m3
defined as: c compressibility 1/psia, 1/Pa
t
dt c in Appendix A - the summation of cwip,
ta = ∫ , cep and cd
0 μ ct cd relative volume change due to CBM gas
where μ is the viscosity of the gas and ct is the total ΔVd
desorption, Sgi
compressibility of the system. The conventional definition of ct GBgi
is [9]:
cep relative volume change due to residual
ΔVep
ct = cf + Soi co + S wi cw + Sgi cg . fluid and formation, Sgi
GBgi

The problem with the traditional definition of the total cf formation compressibility 1/psia, 1/Pa
compressibility is that it does not always honor the material cg gas compressibility 1/psia, 1/Pa
balance equation. Therefore, the computed pseudo-time may co oil compressibility 1/psia, 1/Pa
contain a considerable error. Rahman et al. [10] introduced a cs CBM sorption compressibility
rigorous pseudo-time definition which is defined by (Appendix A)
manipulating the material balance equation. Their major ct total compressibility 1/psia, 1/Pa
assumption is that gas was the only mobile phase in a cw water compressibility 1/psia, 1/Pa
conventional gas reservoir. In this paper, a more generalized cwip relative volume change due to water
form of gas material balance equation is used which considers ΔVwip
influx and production, Sgi
water production and is not limited to conventional gas GBgi
reservoirs. Therefore, it can be used for water-drive and also
unconventional gas reservoirs (e.g. CBM/shale gas reservoirs). G original-gas-in-place Bcf, m3
The detailed derivation of this pseudo-time is given in Ga adsorbed-gas-in-place Bcf, m3
Appendix A. The total compressibility is defined as: Gf free-gas-in-place Bcf, m3
Gp cumulative gas produced to time t Bcf, m3
k permeability md, m2
⎛ ∂cwip ∂cep ∂cd ⎞ kr permeability md, m2
ct = ⎜⎜ cg ⎡⎣ Sgi − cwip − cep − cd ⎤⎦ − − − ⎟,
⎝ ∂p ∂p ∂p ⎟⎠ p pressure psia, Pa
PL Langmuir pressure psia, Pa
psc standard conditions reservoir pressure psia, Pa
where cwip, cep, cd and their derivatives are defined in the Table q flow rate MMscfd, m3/s
1. Sg gas saturation %
Sgi initial gas saturation %
So oil saturation %
Conclusion Soi initial oil saturation %
Sw water saturation %
1. An advanced gas material balance equation has been Swi initial water saturation %
presented, and the corresponding plotting function T reservoir temperature o
F, K
introduced, so that the material balance equation can be t time hours, s
plotted as a straight line with pi/Zi as y-intercept, and G as ta pseudo-time hours, s
x-intercept. Tsc standard conditions temperature o
F, K
2. The similarity of the recommended plotting procedure, VB B bulk volume ft3, m3
pi/Z** versus Gp , to the more commonly used p/Z format is Vi initial volume ft3, m3
a great practical advantage. It allows the use of a rigorous VL Langmuir volume scf/ton, m3/kg
material balance formulation for complex and We Water encroachment into formation bbl, m3
unconventional gas reservoirs, while retaining the simplicity Wp cumulative water produced Bbl, m3
and familiarity of the commonly used p/Z format. Z Gas compressibility factor no units
3. The advanced gas material balance equation is used to Zi initial gas compressibility factor no units
derive a rigorous definition for total compressibility that can 5.615 Conversion constant in oilfield units ft3/bbl 3
be used for analyzing fluid flow in unconventional gas
reservoirs, or when gas is not the only mobile phase. Greek Symbols
φ porosity %
ψ pseudo-pressure psia2/cp, Pa/s
μ viscosity cp, Pa.s
Acknowledgements ρB B bulk density lb/ ft3, kg/m3
The authors acknowledge the contribution of Dr. N.M. ΔV change in volume scf, m3
Anisur Rahman to this development. ΔVd change in volume due to CBM gas ft3, m3
desorption

5
ΔVep change in volume due to formation and ft , m
3 3
Appendix A: Total compressibility and
the residual fluids expansion
ΔVwip change in volume due to water bbl, m3 pseudo-time
encroachment /production The purpose of this appendix is to define ct, for any
Subscripts reservoir type, in a general form that honors material balance.
The gas material balance in Equation 10 can be written as:
a adsorbed
B bulk
p Gf − Gp ( )
d
e
desorption
encroachment
p
Z
(
Sgi − c = i
Zi
) Gf
Sgi (A-1)
ep expansion
f free
g gas where:
i initial p = reservoir pressure at time t
L Langmuir Z = compressibility factor
o oil Sgi = initial gas saturation
p production c = the summation of cwip, cep and cd
r relative pi = initial reservoir pressure
s sorption Zi = initial compressibility factor
sc standard conditions Gf = Original-free-gas-in-place
t total Gp = gas produced to time t
w water
wip water influx and production Equation A-1 is rearranged to:

p p (Gf − Gp )
= i Sgi (A-2)
REFERENCES Z Zi Gf ⎡ Sgi − c ⎤
⎣ ⎦
[1] Ramagost, B.P., Farshad, F.F., P/Z Abnormally
Pressured Gas Reservoirs, SPE 10125 (1981). Next, Equation A-2 is differentiated with respect to time
∂ ∂c ∂c ∂p
( )
[2] Rahman, N.M.A., Anderson, D.M., Mattar, L., New,
Rigorous Material Balance Equation for Gas Flow in a considering Gp = q and = , where q
Compressible Formation, SPE 100563 (2006).
∂t ∂t ∂p ∂t
[3] Jensen, D., Smith, L.K., A Practical Approach to Coalbed represents the rate at time t.
Methane Reserve Prediction Using A Modified Material This results in the following equation,
Balance Technique, paper 9765, Proceedings of the 1997
International Coalbed Methane Symposium, The ⎛ ⎛ ∂c ∂p ⎞ ⎞
University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, p. 105-113 ⎜ (Gf − Gp ) ⎜ − ⎟⎟
(1997). ∂ ⎛ p ⎞ pi Sgi ⎜ − q
= − ⎝ ∂p ∂t ⎠ ⎟ . (A-3)
[4] King, G.R., Material-Balance Techniques for Coal-Seam ∂t ⎜⎝ Z ⎟⎠ Zi G ⎜ ⎡ Sgi − c ⎤ ⎡ Sgi − c ⎤
2 ⎟
and Devonian Shale Gas Reservoirs with Limited Water ⎜⎜ ⎣ ⎦ ⎣ ⎦ ⎟⎟
Influx, SPERE (1993) 8, 67–72. ⎝ ⎠
[5] Seidle, J.P., Long-Term Gas Deliverability of a
Dewatered Coalbed, SPE 21488 (1993). The chain rule can be applied to the right-hand-side of Equation
[6] Dake, L.P., Fundamentals of Reservoir Engineering, A-3 as,
Elsevier Science B. V., The Netherlands (1978).
[7] Pletcher, J.L., Improvements to Reservoir Material
Balance Methods, SPE 62882 (2000). ∂ ⎛ p ⎞ ∂ ⎛ p ⎞ ∂p ⎛ 1 p ∂Z ⎞ ∂p
= =⎜ − ⎟
∂t ⎜⎝ Z ⎟⎠ ∂p ⎜⎝ Z ⎟⎠ ∂t ⎝ Z Z 2 ∂p ⎠ ∂t
.
[8] Craft, B.C., Hawkins, M.F., revised by Terry R.E.,
Applied Petroleum Reservoir Engineering, Printece-Hall,
Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ (1991).
[9] Ramey Jr., H.J., Rapid Methods for Estimating Reservoir 1 1 ∂Z
Also, remembering that cg = − , and then multiplying
Compressibilities, JPT (1964) 16, 447–454. p Z ∂p
[10] Rahman, N.M.A., Mattar, L., Zaoral, K., a new method for
computing pseudo-time for real gas flow using the p
by , results in:
material balance equation, JCPT (2006) 45, 36–44. Z
[11] Bumb, A.C., McKee, C.R., Gas Well Testing in the
Presence of Desorption for Coalbed Methane and
∂ ⎛ p ⎞ p ∂p
Devonian Shale, SPE Formation Evaluation (1988). = cg
∂t ⎝⎜ Z ⎠⎟ Z ∂t
(A-4)

Substitute (A-4) into (A-3),

6
 ⎛ ∂c ∂p ⎞ ∂ψ 2 pi qkr Sgi
(Gf − G p ) ⎜ − c⎟ =− . (A-9)
p Z G ∂p
cg i f =
−q
− ⎝ ∂p ∂t ⎠ (A-5) ∂ta GZi
Z pi Sgi ∂t ⎡ Sgi − c ⎤ ⎡ Sgi − c ⎤
2
⎣ ⎦ ⎣ ⎦ Therefore, A-8 and A-9 together results in,

(Gf − Gp ) p Zi G 2kr Sgi pi

Equation A-1 can be rearranged to = . ( −q ) ⎛ ⎞
⎡ Sgi − c ⎤
⎣ ⎦
Z pi Sgi ∂ta ∂ta ∂ψ μ Gf Zi Gf Zi
= = ⎜− ⎟
∂t ∂ψ ∂t ∂c ⎜ 2 pi qkr Sgi ⎟
Therefore Equation A-5 becomes, cg ⎡⎣ Sgi − c ⎤⎦ − ⎝ ⎠
∂p
⎛ ⎛ ∂c ⎞⎞
⎜ ZG ⎜ ⎟ ⎟ ∂p
⎜ p ∂p −q
i f ⎜c −
g ⎟⎟ = . ∂ta 1
⎜ Z pi Sgi ⎜ ⎡ Sgi − c ⎤ ⎟ ⎟ ∂t ⎡ Sgi − c ⎤ = (A-10)
⎜ ⎜ ⎣ ⎦ ⎟⎟ ⎣ ⎦ ∂t ⎛ ∂c ⎞
⎝ ⎝ ⎠⎠ μ ⎜ cg ⎣⎡ Sgi − c ⎦⎤ − ⎟
⎝ ∂p ⎠
∂p
The above equation can be solved for : t
∂t Also, pseudo-time is defined as ta = ∫
dt
, which
0 μ ct
qSgi pi Z ∂ta 1
− gives, = . Therefore,
∂p Gf Zi p ∂t μ ct
= (A-6)
∂t ⎛ ∂c ⎞
cg ⎣⎡ Sgi − c ⎦⎤ − ⎜ ⎟
⎝ ∂p ⎠ ⎛ ∂c ⎞
ct = ⎜ cg ⎡⎣ Sgi − c ⎤⎦ − ⎟ (A-11)
⎝ ∂p ⎠
The next step is involving pseudo-pressure,
p Depending on what kinds of assumptions are used for
⎛ kr p ⎞
ψ =2 ⎜ ∫ ⎝ μz ⎠
⎟ dp . Therefore, reservoir type, the above equation changes to match the
reservoir. The most general form of the total compressibility
po
equation is:
⎛ ∂cwip ∂cep ∂cd ⎞
∂ψ 2kr p ct = ⎜⎜ cg ⎡⎣ Sgi − cwip − cep − cd ⎤⎦ − − − ⎟.
= (A-7)
⎝ ∂p ∂p ∂p ⎟⎠
∂p μz
∂c
For CBM reservoirs, cg ( −cd ) − d can be further simplified
Combining Equations A-6 and A-7 together results in, ∂p
to:
− qSgi pi Z ∂cd ρ B BgVL ⎛ pL ⎞
cg ( −cd ) − = ⎜ ⎟.
∂ψ ∂ψ ∂P 2 k p Gf Zi p ∂p φ ⎜ ( p + p )2 ⎟
= = r , ⎝ L ⎠
∂t ∂p ∂t μ Z c ⎡ S − c ⎤ − ∂c
g ⎣ gi ⎦ ∂p The above formulation removes the dependence of the CBM
terms on initial pressure. It is defined as the sorption
compressibility, cs, [11].
which expands to: This changes the form of the total compressibility equation to
the following:

2kr ⎛⎜ −qSgi pi ⎞⎟
pi 2kr Sgi
∂ψ ∂ψ ∂P μ ⎜ Gf Zi ⎟Z
( −q )
μ Gf
⎛
ct = ⎜⎜ cg ⎡⎣ Sgi − cwip − cep ⎤⎦ −
∂cwip ∂cep
−
⎞
+ cs ⎟⎟ .
= = ⎝ ⎠ = i (A-8)
∂t ∂p ∂t c ⎡ S − c ⎤ − ∂c c ⎡ S − c ⎤ − ∂c ⎝ ∂p ∂p ⎠
g ⎣⎢ gi ⎦⎥ ∂p g ⎣⎢ gi ⎦⎥ ∂p

There is a relationship between pseudo-pressure and pseudo-

time [10] as,

7
Summary of Equations

p ⎛ Gp ⎞
p
Z
(
Sgi − cwip − cep − cd = i ⎜⎜1 −
Zi ⎝ Gf
) ⎟⎟ Sgi
⎠

p pi ⎛ Gp ⎞ p
= ⎜1 − ⎟⎟ Z ** =
Z ** Zi ** ⎜⎝ G ⎠ ⎡ 1 p p ⎛G ⎞⎤ G
⎢ ( Sgi − cwip − cep − cd ) + i ⎜ − 1⎟ ⎥ f
⎢⎣ Sgi Z Z i ⎝ Gf ⎠ ⎥⎦ G

⎛ ∂cwip ∂cep ∂cd ⎞

ct = ⎜⎜ cg ⎡⎣ Sgi − cwip − cep − cd ⎤⎦ − − − ⎟
⎝ ∂p ∂p ∂p ⎟⎠

Table 1-Summary of Total Compressibility equations for all reservoir types

Definition Comment
5.615(We − Wp Bw ) Water-drive reservoir
cwip =
Gf Bgi Sgi
∂cwip 5.615 ∂We
=
∂p Gf Bgi Sgi ∂p
cep = (cf + cw S wi + co Soi )( pi − p ) = ce ( pi − p ) co, cw and cf are constant.
cep is approximate form.
∂cep
= − ⎡⎣cf (1 − cf ( pi − p ) ) + S wi cw (1 + cw ( pi − p ) ) + Soi co (1 + co ( pi − p ) ) ⎤⎦
∂p
c w (pi − p ) co, cw and cf are constant.
cep = (1 − e−cf (pi − p ) )+S wi (e − 1)+Soi (eco (pi − p ) − 1) cep is simple form.
∂cep
= − ( Soi co eco ( pi − p ) + S wi cw ecw ( pi − p ) + cf e − cf ( pi − p ) ) )
∂p
pi pi pi co, cw and cf are pressure-sensitive,
− ∫ cf dp ∫ cw dp ∫ co dp without matrix shrinkage.
cep = (1 − e p
)+S wi (e p − 1)+Soi (e p − 1) cep is rigorous form.

⎛ pi pi
⎞ pi

∂cep ⎜ − ∫ cf dp ∫ cw dp ∫ co dp ⎟
= − ⎜ cf e p +S wi cw e p +Soi co e p ⎟
∂p ⎜ ⎟
⎜ ⎟
⎝ ⎠
pi pi co, cw and cf are pressure-sensitive,
∫ cw dp ∫ co dp with matrix shrinkage.
cep = (1 − Fφ (p ))+S wi (e p − 1)+Soi (e p − 1) cep is rigorous form.

⎛ pi
⎞ pi

∂cep ⎜ dF ( p )
φ
∫ cw dp ∫ co dp ⎟
= −⎜− +S wi cw e p +Soi co e p ⎟
∂p ⎜ dp ⎟
⎜ ⎟
⎝ ⎠
ρ B Bg V p V p CBM/Shale gas reservoir
cd = (1 − a − m ) ( L i − L )
φ pL + pi pL + p
⎡ ⎞⎤
∂cd ρ B BgVL ⎛ p p ⎞ ⎜⎛ 1 p
= (1 − a − m ) ⎢⎢−cg ⎜ i − ⎟+ − + ⎟⎥
⎟⎥
∂p φ ⎝ pL + pi pL + p ⎠ ⎜⎝ pL + p ( pL + p )
2
⎣ ⎠⎦

8
 Overpressured Reservoir
p i/Z i W ater-Drive Reservoir
Volumetric Reservoir
CBM Reservoir

p/Z
G

0
0 Gp
Figure 1- Conventional plot: p/Z versus cumulative gas production.

Reservoir @ pi Reservoir @ p Produced

volume @ p

(a)

GBgi = (G–Gp)Bg

(b)

ΔVwip
GBgi = (We–WpBw)+(G–Gp)Bg

(c)

ΔVep
GBgi = (GBgi/Sgi)(cf+cwSwi+coSoi)(pi–p)
+(G–Gp)Bg

(d)

ΔVd
GfBgi = ρBVBVL(pi/(pL+pi)–p/(pL+p))Bg B

+ (Gf–Gp)Bg

(e)

GfBgi (GfBgi/Sgi)(cf+cwSwi+coSoi)(pi–p)
=
+(We–WpBw)
+ρBVBVL(pi/(pL+pi)–p/(pL+p))Bg B

+ (Gf–Gp)Bg

Figure 2-Schematic of reservoir volume at initial pressure and a lower pressure.

9
 6

p i/Z i

p/Z

p /Z

G f not G
(p /Z )(S gi-c w ip -c e p -c d )
0
0 Gp
Figure 3- (p/Z)(1–cwip–cep–cd) and p/Z plots.

p i/Z* i

p /Z *
p/Z

p i/Z i

G
p /Z

0
0 Gp
Figure 4- King’s p/Z* and p/Z plots.

p i/Z i
p/Z

p /Z p /Z **

0
0 Gp
Figure 5- p/Z** and p/Z plots.

10