Correlations between Petroleum Reservoir Fluid Properties and Amount of Evolved and Dissolved Natural Gas: Case Study of Transgressive–Regressive-Sequence Sedimentary Rocks

Abstract

It is well recognized that PVT data are essential in oil and gas production facilities as well as in the determination of the reservoir fluid composition in reservoir engineering calculations. In the current work, the studied borehole is located in Tawke oilfield in the High Folded Zone. The structural geology and lithological facies of rocks are studied and found to comprise fine crystalline dolomite and anhydrite interbedded with claystone and dolomite. In addition, the practical PVT data of black oil from Tawke oilfield, Zakho, from reservoirs to transgressive–regressive cycles, are studied. The PVT data are investigated to derive the empirical models that rule and correlate the properties of the reservoir fluids in terms of the amount of natural gas (methane, ethane, and propane) dissolved in reservoir fluids and evolving from the wells. The characteristics of the reservoir fluid, including °API, viscosity at reservoir pressure and bubble-point pressure, reservoir pressure and temperature, gas–oil ratio (GOR), coefficient of compressibility at reservoir pressure, gross heating value, and sample depth, are correlated. The lithological part reveals that the carbonate and some clastic rock facies are conducive to enhancing natural gas adsorption. The reservoir fluid properties show adverse effects on the amount of natural gas constituents evolving from the wells, while it shows positive effects on the dissolved reservoir fluids. The estimated empirical correlations can help indicate the quantity of natural gas that is dissolved in reservoir fluids and liberated from the wells depending on the characteristics of the reservoir. In addition, they can be used in numerical simulators to predict oil well performance.