Drive Mechanisms

C.D. Adenutsi, Ph.D.

Department of Petroleum Engineering, KNUST
Office: Petroleum Building, PB 318
January, 2021
Introduction
• Each reservoir is composed of a unique combination of geometric
form, geological rock properties, fluid characteristics, and primary
drive mechanism.

• Although no two reservoirs are identical in all aspects, they can be

grouped according to the primary recovery mechanism by which
they produce.

• The overall performance of oil reservoirs is largely determined by

the nature of the energy, i.e., driving mechanism, available for
moving the oil to the wellbore
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Introduction
• It has been observed that each drive mechanism has certain typical
performance characteristics in terms of:

• 1. Ultimate recovery factor

• 2. Pressure decline rate
• 3. Gas-oil ratio
• 4. Water production

3
Primary Recovery Mechanisms
• Primary recovery refers to the production of hydrocarbons from a
reservoir without the use of any process (such as fluid injection) to
supplement the natural energy of the reservoir

• There are basically six driving mechanisms that provide the natural
energy necessary for oil recovery:
• 1. Rock and liquid expansion drive
• 2. Depletion drive
• 3. Gas cap drive
• 4. Water drive
• 5. Gravity drainage drive
• 6. Combination drive 4
 Rock and Liquid Expansion Drive
• An undersaturated reservoir has crude oil, connate water, and rock as
the only materials present. As the reservoir pressure declines, the rock
and fluids expand due to their individual compressibilities.

• The reservoir rock compressibility is the result of two factors:

• 1. Expansion of the individual rock grains
• 2. Formation compaction

• The above two factors are the results of a decrease of fluid pressure
within the pore spaces, and both tend to reduce the pore volume
through the reduction of the porosity
 Rock and Liquid Expansion Drive
• As the expansion of the fluids and reduction in the pore volume occur with
decreasing reservoir pressure, the crude oil will be forced out of the pore
space to the wellbore.

• Because liquids and rocks are only slightly compressible, the reservoir will
experience a rapid pressure decline.

• The oil reservoir under this driving mechanism is characterized by a constant

gas-oil ratio.

• This driving mechanism is considered the least efficient driving force and
usually results in the recovery of only a small percentage of the total oil in
place
Rock and Liquid Expansion Drive

Table 1: Characteristics of Rock and Liquid Expansion Drive

Characteristics Trends

Reservoir pressure Declines rapidly and continuously

Gas-oil-ratio Constant and equal to gas solubility at Pb

Oil recovery  3% – 7%

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 Depletion Drive Mechanism
• This driving form may also be referred to
as solution gas drive; dissolved gas drive
or internal gas drive
• The principal source of energy is a result
of gas liberation from the crude oil and
the subsequent expansion of the solution
gas as the reservoir pressure is reduced.
• As pressure falls below the bubble-point
pressure, gas bubbles are liberated within
the microscopic pore spaces. Fig. 1 Solution gas drive reservoir; (a) above the bubble point
• These bubbles expand and force the pressure; liquid oil, (b) below bubble point; oil plus liberated
solution gas
crude oil out of the pore space (Fig. 1)
 Depletion Drive Mechanism

• A typical producing history of a solution

gas drive reservoir under primary
producing conditions is shown in fig. 2.

• The instantaneous or producing gas oil

ratio R will greatly exceed Rsi for
pressures below bubble point and the
same is true for the value of Rp.

Fig. 2 Schematic of the production history of a solution gas drive

reservoir
 Depletion Drive Mechanism

• The pressure will initially decline rather

sharply above bubble point because of
the low compressibility of the reservoir
system but this decline will be partially
arrested once free gas starts to
accumulate.

• The primary recovery factor from such a

reservoir is very low and will seldom
exceed 30% of the oil in place.
Fig. 2 Schematic of the production history of a solution gas drive
reservoir
Depletion Drive
Table 2: Characteristics of Depletion Drive

Characteristics Trends

 Reservoir pressure Declines rapidly and continuously

 Gas-oil-ratio  Increases to maximum and then declines

 Water production  Absent or neglegible

 Well behaviour  Requires pumping at early stage

 Oil recovery  5% – 30%

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 Gas Cap Drive
• Gas-cap-drive reservoirs can be identified
by the presence of a gas cap with little or
no water drive ( Fig. 3.)
• Due to the ability of the gas cap to expand,
these reservoirs are characterized by a
slow decline in the reservoir pressure.
• The natural energy available to produce the
crude oil comes from the following two
sources:
• 1. Expansion of the gas-cap gas
• 2. Expansion of the solution gas as it is
liberated
Fig. 3. Gas-cap-drive reservoir
 Gas Cap Drive

• Oil recovery by gas-cap expansion is

actually a frontal drive displacing
mechanism.

• Fig. 4 shows the relative positions of the

gas-oil contact at different times in the
producing life of the reservoir.

Fig. 4. Gas cap drive reservoir.

 Gas Cap Drive
• The pressure and production history of a
typical gas-cap drive reservoir, under
primary recovery conditions, are shown in
fig. 5.

• Because of the gas-cap expansion, the

pressure decline is less severe than for a
solution gas drive reservoir .

• Generally the oil recovery is greater,

typically being in the range of 20−40 %, Fig. 5. Schematic of the production
depending on the size of the ga-scap. history of a typical gas-cap drive reservoir
 Gas Cap Drive
• The peaks in the producing gas oil ratio
curve are due to gas oil ratio (GOR) control
being exercised.

• As the gas-cap expands the time will come

when the updip wells start to produce gas-
cap gas and the uppermost row of wells
may have to be closed.

• This is done for the beneficial effect of

keeping the gas in the reservoir and also to Fig. 5. Schematic of the production
avoid gas disposal problems. history of a typical gas-cap drive reservoir
Gas Cap Drive
Table 3: Characteristics of Gas Cap Drive

Characteristics Trends

Reservoir pressure Decline slowly and continuously

Gas-oil-ratio Rises continuously

Water production Absent or negligible

Gas expands to maintain Pres; flows
Well behaviour
longer than depletion drive reservoirs
Oil recovery 20%– 40%

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 Water Drive Mechanism
• Water drive is the result of water moving
into the pore spaces originally occupied
by oil, replacing the oil and displacing it
to the producing wells.

• It is common to speak of edge water or

bottom water in discussing water influx
into a reservoir.

• Bottom water occurs directly beneath Fig. 6. Aquifer geometries

the oil and edge water occurs off the

flanks of the structure at the edge of the
oil (Fig.6)
 Water Drive Mechanism
• The pressure and production history of
an undersaturated reservoir under
active water drive are shown in fig. 7.
• The pressure decline is relatively small
due to the expansion of the aquifer
water.
• From the producing gas oil ratio plot, it
is evident that the pressure is being
maintained above the saturation
pressure.
• Recovery from water drive reservoirs Fig. 7. Schematic of the production history of an
undersaturated oil reservoir under
can be very high, in excess of 50%. strong natural water drive
Water Drive
Table 4: Characteristics of Water Drive

Characteristics Trends

 Reservoir pressure Remains high

Surface gas-oil-ratio Remains low

Starts early and increases to appreciable
 Water production
amounts
 Well behaviour Flows until water production gets excessive
Bottom-water-drive: 20% – 40%
 Oil recovery
Edge-water-drive: 40% – 60%

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 Gravity Drainage Drive

• The mechanism of gravity drainage occurs in

petroleum reservoirs as a result of differences in
densities of the reservoir fluids.

• The fluids in petroleum reservoirs have all been

subjected to the forces of gravity, as evidenced
by the relative positions of the fluids, i.e., gas on Fig. 8: Initial distribution in an oil reservoir
top, oil underlying the gas, and water underlying
oil

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 Gravity Drainage Drive
• In gravity drainage, producing rates are
restricted to take maximum advantage
of the gravitational forces.

• In order to take maximum advantage of

the gravity-drainage-producing
mechanism, wells should be located as
structurally low as possible. This will
result in maximum conservation of the
reservoir gas. Fig. 9 Gravity-drainage reservoir.
• A typical gravity-drainage reservoir is
shown in Fig. 9
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Gravity Drainage Drive
Table 5: Characteristics of Gravity Drainage Drive

Characteristics Trends
Variable rates of pressure decline; depends
 Reservoir pressure
on the amount of gas conserved
Low in structurally low producing wells
 Gas-oil-ratio
High in structurally high producing wells
 Water production Little or absent

 Oil recovery   80%

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 Combination Drive Mechanism
• The driving mechanism most commonly
encountered is one in which both water and
free gas are available in some degree to
displace the oil toward the producing wells.
• The most common type of drive
encountered, therefore, is a combination-
drive mechanism (Fig. 8).
• Two combinations of driving forces that can
be present are:
• (1) depletion drive and a weak water drive
and;
• (2) depletion drive with a small gas cap and a
weak water drive. Fig. 8. Combination-drive reservoir.
Combination Drive
Table 6: Characteristics of Combination Drive

Characteristics Trends

 Reservoir pressure Relatively rapid pressure decline

High in structurally low producing wells
 Gas-oil-ratio
Low in structurally high producing wells
Increasing water production in
 Water production
structurally low producing wells
 Oil recovery 30% – 60%

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Assignment 1

• Describe the characteristics of a combination drive reservoir.

• What is the ultimate recovery of a typical water drive reservoir?

• With the aid of a diagram, discuss the pressure and production profile
of a depletion drive reservoir.
 Home Work
• The pressure and production profile shown
in the diagram represents that of a certain
drive mechanism. Use this to answer the
following questions:
• a. identify the drive mechanism
• b. what does a constant GOR suggest about
the nature of the reservoir?
• c. Why is the pressure decline gradual and
relatively high throughout the production
period?
• d. What is the oil recovery factor for this
type of drive mechanism?