Rock and Fluid Properties

At the end of this course, the students should be able to: 1. explain that reservoir rocks are porous and thus be able to make the connection as to how Darcy’s law can then be used to discuss the concept of permeability and relative permeability or reservoir rock; 2. describe the effect of surface tension and wettability on the phenomenon of capillarity movement of fluid through the pores of reservoir rock; and 3. explain thermodynamic behaviour, phase equilibria and reservoir rock fluids.

Composition and porosity of reservoir rock. Darcy’s law and the concept of permeability and relative permeability; capillary phenomena, surface tension forces, wettability, compressibility and static distribution of fluids. Electric conductivity; chemical, physical and thermodynamic properties of underground fluid. Gas laws, behavior of liquid, phase equilibrium, Viscosities of hydrocarbons, uses of fluid properties in reservoir engineering, rock and fluid property correlation. Laboratory The laboratory section is based on materials covered in this course, including coring and core analysis, determination of petrophysical properties, such as porosity, permeability, water saturation and gas formation volume factor. 300 Level