fax 01-972-952-9435. AbstractDownhole fluid analysis (DFA) has emerged as a key technique for characterizing the distribution of reservoir fluid properties and determining zonal connectivity across the reservoir. Information from profiling the reservoir fluids enables sealing barriers to be proven and compositional grading to be quantified; this information cannot be obtained from conventional wireline logs. The DFA technique has been based largely on optical spectroscopy, which can provide estimates of filtrate contamination, gas/oil ratio (GOR), pH of formation water, and a hydrocarbon composition in four groups: methane (C1), ethane to pentane (C2-5), hexane and heavier hydrocarbons (C6+), and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ). For single-phase assurance it is possible to detect gas liberation (bubble point) or liquid dropout (dew point) while pumping reservoir fluid to the wellbore, before filling a sample bottle.In this paper, a new DFA tool is introduced which greatly increases the accuracy of these measurements. The tool uses a grating spectrometer in combination with a filter-array spectrometer. The range of compositional information is extended from four groups to five groups: methane (C1), ethane (C2), propane to pentane (C3-5), C6+, and CO 2 . These spectrometers, together with improved compositional algorithms, now make possible a quantitative analysis of reservoir fluid with much greater accuracy and repeatability. This accuracy enables comparison of fluid properties between wells for the first time, thus extending the application of fluid profiling from a single well to multi-well. Field-based fluid characterization is now possible.In addition a new measurement is introduced -in-situ density of reservoir fluid. Measuring this property downhole at reservoir conditions of pressure and temperature provides important advantages over surface measurements. The density sensor is combined in a package that includes the optical spectrometers, fluid resistivity, pressure, temperature, and fluorescence measurements that all play a vital role in determining the exact nature of the reservoir fluid.Extensive tests at a pressure/volume/temperature (PVT) laboratory are presented to illustrate sensor response in a large number of live fluid samples. These tests of known fluid compositions were conducted under pressurized and heated conditions to emulate reservoir conditions. In addition several field examples are presented to illustrate applicability in different environments.

TX 75083-3836, U.S.A., fax 01-972-952-9435. AbstractA new generation of sampling technology is introduced which allows a Wireline Formation Tester to sample reservoir fluids in open-hole with levels of filtrate contamination that are below measurable limits, in many cases. Furthermore, the time required on station to cleanup before sampling is significantly reduced compared to conventional sampling methods.Formation fluid sampling has always been adversely affected by mud filtrate contamination, which introduces errors into the laboratory analysis and requires analytical methods to backcalculate the measured properties to the uncontaminated reservoir fluid. The ability to secure a totally clean sample of formation fluid at reservoir conditions is a significant advance, that replaces the need for sampling during Drill Stem Tests and provides accurate fluid information for characterization of the reservoir, flow assurance, facility design, production strategies, and defining reserves.The application of this new focused sampling technology is presented using four case studies from wells drilled on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. A wide range of formation fluids and permeabilities are examined, in both oil-based and water-based drilling fluids. Results from focused sampling are compared directly with conventional sampling in the same reservoir zones. This study also gives insight into the cleanup dynamics of invaded filtrate, and explores the different factors that affect performance of the focused sampling technique.An important consequence of negligible contamination is the ability to accurately measure fluid properties in-situ. And reduced cleanup time allows for multiple zones to be scanned efficiently. Downhole Fluid Analysis (DFA) can thus be utilized to reveal reservoir architecture that is unable to be determined by traditional wireline logs.

Summary Downhole fluid analysis (DFA) has emerged as a key technique for characterizing the distribution of reservoir-fluid properties and determining zonal connectivity across the reservoir. Information from profiling the reservoir fluids enables sealing barriers to be proved and compositional grading to be quantified; this information cannot be obtained from conventional wireline logs. The DFA technique has been based largely on optical spectroscopy, which can provide estimates of filtrate contamination, gas/oil ratio (GOR), pH of formation water, and a hydrocarbon composition in four groups: methane (C1), ethane to pentane (C2-5), hexane and heavier hydrocarbons (C6+), and carbon dioxide (CO2). For single-phase assurance, it is possible to detect gas liberation (bubblepoint) or liquid dropout (dewpoint) while pumping reservoir fluid to the wellbore, before filling a sample bottle. In this paper, a new DFA tool is introduced that substantially increases the accuracy of these measurements. The tool uses a grating spectrometer in combination with a filter-array spectrometer. The range of compositional information is extended from four groups to five groups: C1, ethane (C2), propane to pentane (C3-5), C6+, and CO2. These spectrometers, together with improved compositional algorithms, now make possible a quantitative analysis of reservoir fluid with greater accuracy and repeatability. This accuracy enables comparison of fluid properties between wells for the first time, thus extending the application of fluid profiling from a single-well to a multiwall basis. Field-based fluid characterization is now possible. In addition, a new measurement is introduced--in-situ density of reservoir fluid. Measuring this property downhole at reservoir conditions of pressure and temperature provides important advantages over surface measurements. The density sensor is combined in a package that includes the optical spectrometers and measurements of fluid resistivity, pressure, temperature, and fluorescence that all play a vital role in determining the exact nature of the reservoir fluid. Extensive tests at a pressure/volume/temperature (PVT) laboratory are presented to illustrate sensor response in a large number of live-fluid samples. These tests of known fluid compositions were conducted under pressurized and heated conditions to simulate reservoir conditions. In addition, several field examples are presented to illustrate applicability in different environments. Introduction Reservoir-fluid samples collected at the early stage of exploration and development provide vital information for reservoir evaluation and management. Reservoir-fluid properties, such as hydrocarbon composition, GOR, CO2 content, pH, density, viscosity, and PVT behavior are key inputs for surface-facility design and optimization of production strategies. Formation-tester tools have proved to be an effective way to obtain reservoir-fluid samples for PVT analysis. Conventional reservoir-fluid analysis is conducted in a PVT laboratory, and it usually takes a long time (months) before the results become available. Also, miscible contamination of a fluid sample by drilling-mud filtrate reduces the utility of the sample for subsequent fluid analyses. However, the amount of filtrate contamination can be reduced substantially by use of focused-sampling cleanup introduced recently in the next-generation wireline formation testers (O'Keefe et al. 2008). DFA tools provide results in real time and at reservoir conditions. Current DFA techniques use absorption spectroscopy of reservoir fluids in the visible-to-near-infrared (NIR) range. The formation-fluid spectra are obtained in real time, and fluid composition is derived from the spectra on the basis of C1, C2-5, C6+, and CO2; then, GOR of the fluid is estimated from the derived composition (Betancourt et al. 2004; Fujisawa et al. 2002; Dong et al. 2006; Elshahawi et al. 2004; Fujisawa et al. 2008; Mullins et al. 2001; Smits et al. 1995). Additionally, from the differences in absorption spectrum between reservoir fluid and filtrate of oil-based mud (OBM) or water-based mud (WBM), fluid-sample contamination from the drilling fluid is estimated (Mullins et al. 2000; Fadnes et al. 2001). With the DFA technique, reservoir-fluid samples are analyzed before they are taken, and the quality of fluid samples is improved substantially. The sampling process is optimized in terms of where and when to sample and how many samples to take. Reservoir-fluid characterization from fluid-profiling methods often reveals fluid compositional grading in different zones, and it also helps to identify reservoir compartmentalization (Venkataramanan et al. 2008). A next-generation tool has been developed to improve the DFA technique. This DFA tool includes new hardware that provides more-accurate and -detailed spectra, compared to the current DFA tools, and includes new methods of deriving fluid composition and GOR from optical spectroscopy. Furthermore, the new DFA tool includes a vibrating sensor for direct measurement of fluid density and, in certain environments, viscosity. The new DFA tool provides reservoir-fluid characterization that is significantly more accurate and comprehensive compared to the current DFA technology.

A downhole density-viscosity (D-V) sensor is introduced that provides a real time direct measurement of in-situ density and viscosity at reservoir conditions using a wireline formation tester (WFT). The new fluid measurements are obtained during open-hole sampling of reservoir fluids, or alternatively through fluid profiling where downhole fluid analysis (DFA) is performed at a number of depths to characterize the reservoir fluid properties at a vertical resolution much higher than traditional sampling methods. The utilization of these new measurements are outlined, to illustrate the emerging importance of quantifying fluid variations in real time. This leads to more complete reservoir understanding, resulting in better decisions regarding field modelling, facilities planning and production strategy. An overview of the D-V sensor is presented together with specifications, and extensive laboratory testing is discussed to show validity of the measurements. Five case studies from around the world are examined to show different applications of this measurement in a wide range of environments. Fluid density and viscosity have long been primary objectives of formation evaluation, as they bear significant impact on field production and economics. The ability to measure true fluid density and viscosity of formation fluids in-situ at reservoir conditions, is a major advancement for reservoir fluid characterization. Introduction Accurate fluid information is important for characterization of the reservoir, flow assurance, facility design, production strategies, and defining reserves. The recent introduction of focused sampling to significantly reduce contamination from drilling mud filtrate (in many cases below measurable limits) has proven that WFT are able to obtain pure, representative formation fluid samples 1. DFA in real time can now be performed with accurate results, due to the negligible effect of contamination on the reservoir fluid. The capabilities of fluid analyzers utilizing optical spectroscopy have been extended to measure gas-oil ratio (GOR) and a more advanced hydrocarbon composition in five groups: methane (C1), ethane (C2), propane to pentane (C3-C5), hexane and heavier hydrocarbons (C6+), and carbon dioxide (CO2). Other sensors measure downhole fluorescence for single phase assurance, pH and resistivity of formation water, pressure and temperature 2, 3. The introduction of in-situ density and viscosity to this DFA portfolio provides important advantages over surface measurement techniques. Pressure gradients have been the traditional method used to evaluate fluid density, fluid contacts, and layer connectivity in exploration or appraisal settings. However gradient accuracy is very dependent on the number and location of pressure points for a given formation thickness, with well qualified uncertainties due to accuracy tolerances on depth and pressure4. Real time measurement of in-situ density yields the value of the pressure gradient directly, which significantly decreases the uncertainty on interpreted pretest gradients, thus giving a more accurate estimate of fluid contacts. This application is especially important in evaluation of thin beds, such as stacked sand sequences deposited in a turbiditic environment, where establishing a gradient is very challenging without this direct measurement of fluid density. Reservoir fluids often show complex compositional behavior in single columns in equilibrium due to gravity, capillarity, or chemical forces. Frequently non equilibrium or non static conditions are also encountered, for instance due to acting thermal forces 5, 6. Fluid profiling of reservoir fluid using DFA at multiple depths enhances pressure gradient interpretation to reveal inhomogeneous fluid distributions in the reservoir, beyond the conventional sampling resolution of a few depths. The D-V sensor can quantify the variation of fluid density and viscosity versus depth for appropriate fluid modeling rather than assuming a straight-line fit. Zonal compartmentalization can be determined through abrupt changes in fluid properties, which provides evidence that a suspected barrier is hydraulically sealing 7. The high accuracy of these measurements permits comparison of fluid properties between different wells, extending the technique of fluid profiling from single well to field wide characterization.

fax 01-972-952-9435. AbstractDownhole fluid analysis (DFA) has emerged as a key technique for characterizing the distribution of reservoir fluid properties and determining zonal connectivity across the reservoir. Information from profiling the reservoir fluids enables sealing barriers to be proven and compositional grading to be quantified; this information cannot be obtained from conventional wireline logs. The DFA technique has been based largely on optical spectroscopy, which can provide estimates of filtrate contamination, gas/oil ratio (GOR), pH of formation water, and a hydrocarbon composition in four groups: methane (C1), ethane to pentane (C2-5), hexane and heavier hydrocarbons (C6+), and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ). For single-phase assurance it is possible to detect gas liberation (bubble point) or liquid dropout (dew point) while pumping reservoir fluid to the wellbore, before filling a sample bottle.In this paper, a new DFA tool is introduced which greatly increases the accuracy of these measurements. The tool uses a grating spectrometer in combination with a filter-array spectrometer. The range of compositional information is extended from four groups to five groups: methane (C1), ethane (C2), propane to pentane (C3-5), C6+, and CO 2 . These spectrometers, together with improved compositional algorithms, now make possible a quantitative analysis of reservoir fluid with much greater accuracy and repeatability. This accuracy enables comparison of fluid properties between wells for the first time, thus extending the application of fluid profiling from a single well to multi-well. Field-based fluid characterization is now possible.In addition a new measurement is introduced -in-situ density of reservoir fluid. Measuring this property downhole at reservoir conditions of pressure and temperature provides important advantages over surface measurements. The density sensor is combined in a package that includes the optical spectrometers, fluid resistivity, pressure, temperature, and fluorescence measurements that all play a vital role in determining the exact nature of the reservoir fluid.Extensive tests at a pressure/volume/temperature (PVT) laboratory are presented to illustrate sensor response in a large number of live fluid samples. These tests of known fluid compositions were conducted under pressurized and heated conditions to emulate reservoir conditions. In addition several field examples are presented to illustrate applicability in different environments.