Petroleum Engineering

Series Linear Flow-Harmonic Average Consider linear flow for flow units in series as shown in the diagram below: Flow going through flow units in series can be treated as resistors in series, where flow rate () represents current (), pressure () represents voltage (), and flow resistance () represents resistance (). For resistors in series, the following rules …

Average Permeability of Flow Units in Parallel and in Series (Linear Flow) Read More »

Understanding the permeability distribution in the reservoir is critical to forecasting the depletion process and predicting the estimated ultimate recovery from a well. In many cases, the reservoir is heterogeneous and contains distinct layers with different permeabilities. One method of understanding the permeability distribution is through core analysis. It is common to compute an average …

Average Permeability of Flow Units in Parallel and in Series Read More »

Darcy’s law can be applied to model reservoir flow systems. The simplest is steady-state radial flow (steady-state just means that the flow rate and pressure does not vary with time). Consider the figure below: In vertical wells, we often assume a cylindrial drainage area as depicted in the figure above. The flow is directed from …

Application of Darcy’s Law Read More »

Darcy’s law is the MOST important fundamental equation in petroleum engineering. If you don’t know it, well you have come to the right place. The Origin of Darcy’s Law Way back in 1856, a French engineer by the name of Henry Darcy set up an experiment to investigate the flow of water through sand filter …

What is Darcy’s Law?? Read More »