SPE

Society of Petroleum Engineers of AIME

SPE 11026

Pressure Transient Analysis for Naturally Fractured Reservoirs

by Heber Cinco-Ley and Fernando Samaniego V., Pemex and U. of Mexico
Members SPE

This paper was presented at the 57th Annual Fall Technical Conference and ExhibitIon of the Society of Petroleum Engineers of AIME,
held in New Orleans, LA, Sept. 26-29, 1982, The material is subject to correction by the author, PermissIon to copy is restricted to an
abstract of not more than 300 words. Write: 6200 N. Central Expressway, P.O Drawer 64706, Dallas, Texas 75206

is the presence of fractures crossing the

ABSTRACT
New ideas are presented for the interpr~
tation of pressure transient tests for wells
in naturally fractured reservoirs.
work is based on the transient matrix flow
model formulated by de Swaan. The differences
between this model and the Warren and Root
model occur during the transition flow period.
It is demonstrated that the behavior of a
naturally fractured reservoir can be correIa!
ed by using three dimensionless parameters.
(i.e. w, A , n ). It is established that
fD maD
regardless of matrix geometry the transition
period might exhibit a straight line whose
producing formations. Many of the important
producing fields around the world are found
in fractured formations1*. In spite of this,
during the last decades most of the reservoir
This engineering studies have been oriented
towards homogeneous systems. It appears that
the first study on the performance of a frac
tured reservoir was published in 1953 2 ,
Regarding pressure transient analysis on
fractured formations, commonly called natural
ly fractured, a review of the literature
shows that it was initially discussed by
Pollard 2 • He was interested on the determi
nation of fracture volume from pressure buil~

slope is equal to half the slope of the clas up tests. His method was advanced by Pirson
and Pirson 3 to include a calculation method
sical parallel semilog straight lines, provi~

ed the transient matrix linear flow is pre~ for the matrix volume of a fractured reser
ent. In addition, information is provided on voir. The first to present a detailed discu~

the estimation of fracture area per unit sion of the radial flow of a slightly compres~

matrix volume or matrix parameters from the ible fluid through a naturally fractured reser
transition period semilog straight line. It voir were Barenblatt and Zheltov 4 and
5
is shown, that matrix geometry might be Barenblatt et al (Fig. 1). These authors
identified when pressure data are smooth. Field assume that the flow occurs only in the frac
examples are included to illustrate the appll ture medium and that the matrix blocks are a
cation and the validity of the theoretical source that delivers flow to the fracture
results of this study. system and that this flow could be considered
under pseudosteady-state flow conditions. By
INTRODUCTION using a formulation similar to that of
Barenblatt et al. Warren and Root 6 obtained
One of the rock heterogeneities that has
deserved the attention of many investigators * References and ilustrations at end of pape~
2 PRESSUR[ TRANSIENT ANALYSIS FOR NATURALLY FRACTURED RESERVOIRS
analytical solutions useful for well test
analysis in naturally fractured systems; they
found that data for a pressure test show two
parallel semilog straight lines (Fig. 2)
whose slope is related to the flow capacity
of the formation. These theoretical results
were supported later by two field examples
7
presented by the same authors •
Odeh 8 presented a moael also assuming
presudosteady-state flow conditions in the
matrix and concluded that a fractured system
behaves like a homogeneous one.
Later, Adams et a1 9
presented field
examples of pressure test of a fractured
reservoir and used a radial discontinuity
model as an interpretation tool. The field
data exhibited two straight line portions
such that the first having a slope twice the
slope of the second.
Kazemi lO was first to consider unsteady-
state matrix flow in a numerical radial model
assuming the naturally fractured system made
up of horizontal fractures interbedded with
matrix strata. His results are similar to
those of Warren and Root with the exception
of a smooth unsteady-state transition zone
in between the two semilog straight lines
compared to the pseudosteady-state zone of
these authors. Gringarten and Witherspoon 11
reviewed the theory on transient pressure
analysis for both hydrculically and naturally
fractured reservoirs. Later de Swaan l2 pre~
ented analytical unsteady-state solutions for
a well producing at constant rate in a natu
rally fractured reservoirs. His theory excl~
sively involves flow properties and dime~
sions of the fracture and the matrix systems
and introduced new diffusivity definitions
use~ll for reservoir characterization.
Crawford et al l3 have presented some of the
best field examples of pressure transient
tests on naturally fractured reservoirs,
concluding that a test properly conducted
can be interpreted by the Warren and Root
model. Strobel et al: 4 have presented
another remarkable field behavior example of
~ These papers appeared after the present
a naturally fractured gas reservoir, demon
SPE-ll026
strating that both fracture permeability
and fracture porosity can be estimated from
type curve analysis of pressure buildup,
interference and pulse tests. Mavor and Ci~
co lS presented solutions for wellbore storage
and well damaged conditions for a naturally
fractured reservoir; they used the pseudQ
steady state matrix flow condition.
In 1976, Streltsova l6 presented a com
plete review on the work done until then on
the behavior of fractured reservoirs.
Najurieta n further advanced the de Swaan's
theory by presenting an approximate solution,
showing that pressure behavior can be fully
described by five basic parameters. Kucuk
and Sawyerl8 described a comprehensive model
for gas flow in a naturally fractured rese£
voir; they considered transient flow in both
cylindrical and spherical blocks. Later, in
1979 Gringarten l9 discussed the state of the
art on the interpretation of pressure data
and clearly showed the relationship among
the parameters used in different models. Da
Prat et a1 20 , have discussed the application
of the Muskat method to fractured systems to
calculate the permeability thickness product.
The most remarkable work done on the
analysis of pressure data for naturally frac
tured systems under practical conditions
(influenced by wellbore storage and skin) has
been presented by Bourdet and Gringarten 2J ,
Gringarten et a1 22 , and Gringarten 23 . They
discussed the use of a new type curve for
both identification of the flow periods and
estimation of the system parameters. Although
the use of the pseudoste~dy state matrix
flow model was recommended, these authors 21
where the first to identify the semi log
straight line during the transition period
for the unsteady-state matrix-fracture flow
conditions, however no application of this
feature was discussed.
Recently Streltsova 24 * and Serra et a1 25 *
have presented detailed studies on the pre~
sure behavior of naturally fractured systems.
study was completed.
SPE 11026 HEBER CINCO-LEY AND FERNANDO SAMANIEGO V. 3

Both papers thorougly treat the transition

According to de Swaan 12 , the partial
period much commented on the previously
differential equation describing this flow
published papers, showing again that during
problem is:
this flow period a semilog plot of PwD
versus tD exhibits a straight line of slope
(1)
0.5756 (=1.151/2).

It should be mentioned that some of the where ~Pf is the pressure drop in the fra£
recent advances 15 ,21,20,24,25 in this area tures, ~ is the fluid viscosity and q* repr~
have been possible through the use of a sents the fluid transfer from matrix to frac
numerical Laplace inverter 26 introduced in tures per unit of rock volume.
the reservoir flow studies by Ramey and
Equation 1 can be written in dimensionless
co_workers 27 ,28,29,3o.
form as follows:
The purpose of this paper is to estab
lish a model for naturally fractured rese~
voirs in terms of appropriate and meanin~
ful dimensionless parameters. It is shown
that in addition to the two classical para! + (1-w) (2)

lelsemilog straight lines another semilog

straight line of slope equal to one half of
the correct one could exist during the tran where the dimensionless variables are defined
sition period. as:

Furthermore, new ideas for field test

interpretation are introduced and applied to
practical cases.
(3-a)*
(X q B II
MATHEMATICAL MODELS AND FLOW EQUATIONS

Flow Model and General Solution

The model used in this work is similar (3-b)*

to the one presented by de Swaan 12 and
Najurieta 17 and it is described in Appendix *a and S are unit conversion constants (see
A. It considers the unsteady-state radial Table 1)
flow of a slightly compressible fluid in a
double porosity system. It is assumed that
the medium posseses a bulk fracture permeabi!
ity k fb and a bulk fracture porosjty ¢fb; the (3-c)
matrix has intrinsic permeability krna and
porosity ¢ma. The fracture and matrix total V~men~~onfe~~ 6~aetu~e ~to~at~v~ty (6~aetu~e
~to~age pa~amete~) w
compressibility are c tf and ctma,respectively.
In addition it is considered that flow towards
w = (3-d)
the well occurs only through the fractures and
flow from matrix to fractures is under
unsteady-state flow conditions.
4 PRESSURE TRANSIENT ANALYSIS FOR NATURALLY FRACTURED RESERVOIRS SPE 11026

matrix volume Af and the fracture area per

rna
V~men~~onfe~~ matn~x hydnauf~c d~66u~~v~ty
unit of bulk volume A . It ranges from 2
nmaD fb
to 6 depending on the flow dimensions of the
matrix (i.e.2 for strata, 4 for cylinders
(3-e)
and square prisms and 6 for spheres and
cubes) .

The solution for the radial flow with

constant flow rate at the wellbore was obtai~
ed by using the Laplace transform method
Afma hrna (3- f)
(Appendix A) and is expressed by Eq. A-17 ln
the

strata:

(5)

(3-g)
spheres:
n=o
(3- h)
The variables PfD' tD and r D are defined in
the usual way and w is the fracture storage
parameter of Warren and Root~
The parameter nrna D is a ratio of
hydraulic difusivities and is related to the
This equation is similar to the solution
presented by Bourdet and Gringarten 21 , with
the exception that it is expressed in terms
of the new dimensionless variables defined
in the present study.
Wellbore storage and skin effects can be
incorporated into the solution through Eq.
(A-21) presented in Appendix A.
Solution for Small Values of Time

A and w parameters Qf Warren and Root 6 as

At early times fluid p'roduction is due
follows:
to expansion in the fractures and fluid
transfer from matrix to fractures is negligi
4n(n+2)V b (4)
ble. (Figs. 3-a and 4-a). This flow behavior
is referred as the 6nactune ~tonage dom~nated
where Vrna and Vb are the matrix and the frac 6fow and can be expressed in a dimensionless
ture volumes, respectively; while n is the form at the wellbore as:
nurnberof normal set of fractures 6 (1,2 or 3).
PwD +~n(~) + 0.80907J + S (6)
The parameter nmaD allows the considera
tion of any type of flow within the matrix or in terms of real variables:
(i.e. transient matrix flow, pseudo-steady
state matrix flow) and ranges for practical k
cxqB
P f=P·-l.151 k 1i Gog t loge fb
purposes from 10- 10 to 10- 4 • w 1 fb L +
~fbctf~rw
2

The paramete-r AfD is directly proportio~

+ log (2.2466) + 0.86859 ~ (7)
al to both the area of fractures per unit of
SPE 11026 HEBER CINCO-LEY AND FERNANDO SAMANIEGO V. 5

This equation defines an early time Equations 10 and 11 define a semilog

semilog straight line whose slope is inversely straight line of slope equal to half the
proportional to kfbh (Fig. 5). The end of slope of the first straight line (Fig. 5).
this flow period occurs at The beginning of the second semilog straight
line occurs at:
- 2
10 w2
(8)
(1 2)

- 2
2
or t - 10 w
(9)
eff - S(1-w)2 A2 or
fma lima (13)

Equations 8 and 9 are valid nO~ att Rind

while the end of this flow period takes place
06 ma~~ix geome~~ie~.
at

Solution for Intermediate Values of Time strata:

As time goes on, the fluid transfer

'" 3 X 10- 1 (14 )
from matrix to fractures becomes important; A!;n~aD
when most of the fluid production is due to
expansion in the matrix and if matrix tran spheres:
sient linear flow still persists (Figs. 3-b
and 4-b), then the wellbore pressure behavior ",3x10- 2
(15)
is given by: AfD Tl maD

or:

+ 0.2602 + S (10) strata: telmf '" l_~Q~l (16 )

SAfmaTl ma
or:
spheres:

(17)

+ log (k
kh
C¢c) jlA2 r4) + log (2.83213) The existance of the semilog straight
rna t rna fb w
line for this period was pointed out by
Bourdet and Gringarten 21 and recently Serra
+ 1. 737 ~ ( 11)
et al~5 and Streltsova 24 have given details
for the analysis of data under this behavior.

The behavior described by Eqs. 10 and
11 will be referred as 6low domina~ed by
mat~ix ~~an~ient tinea~ 6tow. This type of
behavior might be exhibited by systems with
any type of matrix geometry provided w is
small (i.e. w ;; 5 X 10- 2 for strata and
w ~ 10- 2 for spheres).
Solution for Large Values of Time
At long times the flow in the matrix
becomes under pseudosteady-state flow condi
tions and the reservoir pressure behavior
appears to be dominated by the total sto~
ativity of the system (¢fbCtf+¢mabCtma),
6 PRESSURE TRANSIENT ANALYSIS FOR NATURALLY FRACTURED RESERVOIRS SPE 11026

see Fig. 3-c and 4-c. This behavior is cons idered; w ranges from 10-4 to 5 x 10 -] and
referred as 6low dominated by mat~ix p~eudo 11 D varies between 10- 10 and 10- 4 •
ma
~teady-~tate 6low. The wellbore pressure can
be expressed as: Figure 6 shows a semilog graph of the
dimensionless pressure behavior of a well in
(18) a fractured reservoir composed of strata for
w= 10- 2 . Several curves were presented for
or: different values of D; it can be observed
11
ma
that the larger this parameter the earlier
[ log the transition period occurs. The effect of
11 D on pressure behavior resembles the
ma

lo~ ~
effect of the parameter A of Warren and Root;
+ (2.240) + 0.80859 (19) however, these parameters are different in
essence as shown by Eq. 4. The difference
The beginning of this flow period takes between A and 1ImaD becomes clear when it is
place at:
remembered that ~ takes into account both ma
strata: trix geometry and permeability ratio, and
11
maD is a diffusivity ratio.
(20) Figure 7 shows the effect of w on the
pressure behavior in a semilog graph for
spheres: 10
11
maD = 10- in a reservoir consisting of

2.5 strata. This effect has been discussed

A2 11
(21)
fD maD thoroughly in the literature.

or: The effect of matrix geometry is present

ed in Fig. 8 where results for spheres and
strata: strata are shown for w = 10- 2 and n =10- 1 °.
maD
tb pss '" (22) It can be noticed that the curves for spheres
and strata coincide for small and large times
spheres! but at the transition zone spheres have a
smaller dimensionless pressure drop than
(23) strata. The difference in behavior is found
because spheres and strata posses different
fracture area to rock volume ratios which is
Equations 18 and 19 show that there is a
the dominant parameter at the transition
late semilog straight line parallel to the
period. This effect can be incorporated by
fracture storage dominated early straight
using the parameter AfD defined by Eq. 3-f.
line (Fig. 5).
According to Appendix B, the group AfD
DISCUSSION OF RESULTS
(1-w)2 n D is a correlation parameter which
ma
Results were calculated by applying a allows the representation of the matrix
numerical ;-;] porj thm 26 to invert the Laplace transient linear flow data by a single line.
transformati~n of the solution represented Figure 9 shows a graph of PD + In (A
fD
(l-w)
by Eqs. 5 and A-21. Two types of matrix In maD ) versus log (A fD (1-w)2 1ImaD t D) for
geometries were studied: strata and spheres
cases where w = 10- 2 and 11 = 10- 1
°, 10- 6
•
(Fig. 1). Several values of wand 1ImaD were maD
SPE 11026 HEBER CINCO-LEY AND FERNANDO SAMANIEGO V.
The curves corresponding to strata and
spheres are identical with the only exception
of a small region in between the matrix tran
sient linear flow dominated period and the
matrix pseudosteady state dominated per~od.
Since the difference in behavior between
spheres and strata is small, general curves
for the pressure behavior of a naturally fra~
tured reservoir can be constructed as shown
in Fig. 10, where a semilog graph is presented
in terms of the variable gropus used in Fig .9.
These curves are also valid for infinite
small skin damage.
An interesting feature of Fig. lOis
that both the matrix transient linear dominat
ed flow behavior and the matrix pseudostpaJy
state flow dominated behavior are given by
single curves. This graph clearly indicates
the beginning and end of different flow
periods. The time criteria expressed in Eqs.
8,12,14,15,20 and 21 were obtained from
this figure. It can be observeJ that the
transition period between the first straight
line and the second one takes place during
three a half long cycles of time approximately'
Figure 10 also shows that the second semilog
straight line whose slope is half of the slope as mentioned by several author 10 ,12,17,18,22
of the first and third straight lines does
not exist for high values of w; this means
that under these conditions the matrix tran
sient linear flow ends before the flow contri
bution from the matrix becomes dominant. How
ever, the pressure data for this situation
show a minimum slope during the transition
period which is higher than one half of the
first and third straight lines.
Figure 11 presents a graph of the semi
log straight line ratio mt/m as a function of
the parameter AiD l1 maD tD for different w
values. m represents the minimum semilog
t
slope of pressure data during the transition
period. This figure shows, as previously
discussed that the semilog slope exhibits a
minimum value which is a function of w. For
7
small values of w (i.e. uJ< 5 x 10- 2 ) the
slope ratio is equal to 0.5. We also can see
that there is a difference between curves for
strata and spheres being the difference less
than cleven percent.
The relationship between the minimum
slope ratio and w is given in Fig. 12 where
spheres and strata cases arc considered.
The minimum slope ratio becomes higher as w
increases. The time of intersection between
the minimum slop semilog straight line and
the third straight line is a function of w
and it can be estimated from Fig. 13. It
should be noticed that the higher the value
of w the higher the time of intersection and
for small values of w the intersection is
independent of wand occurs at
0.5615
(24)
A2 l1
fD maD
0.5615
or (25)
SA 2 l1
. fma ma
This result can be obtained by combining
Eqs. 10 and 18.
Results discussed until now have shown,
24,25, that there are important differences
in pressure behavior between the unsteady-
state matrix flow model and pseudosteady
state matrix flow models. THe difference
occurs,asshowm in Fig. 14, during the transl
tion period in between the two parallel
semilog straight lines.
The validity of the models used in this
work and others 10 ,12,17,18,22,24,25 is
supported by the results of many field tests.
As an example we show in Fig. 15 the data
presented in Fig. D-1 of Warren and Root 7 .
It can be noticed that data shows two semilog
straight lines, the first in time showing a
slope half the slope of the second; this
feature shows that there is a matrix tran
sient linear flow prevailing in the transi
tion region.
8 PRESSURE TRANSIENT ANALYSIS FOR NATURALLY FRACTURED RESERVOIRS
The pressure behavior under the influence
of wcllbore storage and skin damage was calcu
lated by using Eq. A-21. Figure 16 shows the
results for S=O, w=10- 2 and nmaD =10- 10 for
different values of CD' It can be observed
that to identify the first semilog straight
line for this case the system must exhibit a
small value of CD (-10). On the other hand,
if a high value of CD (_10 9 ) is exhibited
then both the first and second semilog
straight lines will be masked and the two-
porosity behavior will not appear.
To correlate the solutions obtained In
this study, a similar approach to that of
Bourdet and Grillgarten 21 was taken. The
correlating parameters were derived in
Appendix B and are CDe 2S , tD/C and c e 4S /
D D
(AfD(1-w)2nmaD) The first parameter corre
lates the solution for tho first and third
semilog straight lines while the third param~
ter correlates the solution for the second
semilog straight line. Figure 17 presents
type curves for naturally fracture reservoirs
with unsteady state matrix flow. This figure
is similar to the Figure 12 of Bourdet and
Gringarten 21 with the exception that the new
correlating groups defined in this work are
used.
APPLICATIONS
- -------
An schematic of a pressure buildup test
behavior for a naturally fracture reservoir
is shown in Fig. 18. A correct analysis of
these pressure data involves answering que~
tions like: are data influenced by wellbore
storage?; is the first semilog straight line
present?; is the second semilog straight
line present?; if the answer to the previous
question is yes, does the second straight
line have slope half of the correct semilog
straight line?; was the test run long enough
to reach the third semilog straight line?
A proper response to these question can
be attained through the use of the type
curves given on Fig. 17 as shown by Bourdet
SPE 11026
and Gringarten 21 • These authors pointed out
that, for practical purposes, the type curves
for pseudosteady state matrix flow provide
acceptable results for wellbore storage anal~
sis.
Should the third semilog straight line
(segm~nt F-G, Fig. 18) be present, both the
fracture flow conductivity k£bh and the skin
factor S can be estimated as discussed by
several authors.
.The parameter w can be calculated in the
usual way presented in the literature 21,35
if the first and third straight lines are
exhibited by the pressure data. However, if
the first straight line is masked by wellbore
storage effects, an approximate value for w
can be estimated by using Figure 12 and an
upper bound for w by a combination of Eqs. 13
and 25; the first approach is taken when the
minimum slope ratio is greater than 0.5 and
the second when the slope ratio is equal to
0.5. To apply the latter approach the time
of both the beginning of the second straight
line tblmf and the intersection between the
second and the third semilog straight lines
tint must be available. The w parameter also
can be estimated by using the type curves
shown on Fig. 17 21 •
Care should be taken to draw the first
semilog straight line, since data influenced
by wellbore storage could show an apparent
semi log straight line as indicated by segment
B-C of Fig. 18. One important fact to be
kept in mind, is that there is a long transi
tion period between the first and second
semilog straight line as can be seen in Fig.
10.
Estimation of the group A~ n or any
nna rna
combination of the variables involved is
possible, should the pressure data display
the second and third straight lines; for
small values of w we use Eq. 25. In the case
that the ratio of slopes of second and third
straight lines is greater than 0.5 the fol
lowing equation is used instead of Eq. 25:
SPE 11026 HEBER CINCO-LEY AND FERNANDO SAMANIEGO V.
(26)
where (AfD11maD tlJ is obtained from Fig.13.
int
It should be emphasized that the estima
tion of Af2 11 is independent of matrix
rna rna
geometry provided w is small. (see Fig. 13).
One group of variables that can be
estimated and deserves special attention is
Af ~ This group is a basic parameter
rna r:la
in imbibition rate calculations as indicated
by Graham and Richardson 36 and is estimated
by the following expression
A
fma
.. fk
,. "'rna
In regard to the geometry of the matrix,
it has been mentioned that strata and
spheres exhibit different behavior during
the transition between the second and third
semilog straight lines. This seems to be the
only useful piece of information available
for characterization of matrix geometry
through transient pressure analysis if data
are smooth.
If w is small the pressure behavior for
a naturally fractured reservoir resembles
the behavior of a well near a sealing fault
because both cases exhibit two straight
lines, one having double the slope of
the other. Hence the method presented by
Martinez and Cinco 37 for the detection of
sealing faults can be applied to identify
the matrix geometry. This method uses the
difference in pressure between the extrapol~
tion of the second straight line and pressure
data on the transition region and the third
straight line. This pressure difference is
graphed versus time in a log-log scale and
matched to a type curve. Figure 19 can be
used for this purpose, where curves are
given for spheres and strata; notice that
9
,loth curves approach the shape of the line
source solution at larges values of time. The
curve for the line source behavior is includ
ed in this figure for shape comparison pu~
poses only and by no means the scale of the
figure corresponds to the 1 ine source solu
tion. The point of intersection between the
second and third straight lines is also
s,101;n in this graph and can be used as refer
eace to obtain a match.
In addition to the matrix geometry in fOE
m, Fig. 19 can also yield an estimate
t~on,
f~~ A 11ma' This technique should be used
fma
~i-h caution if data are scattered and it
s mId be kept in mind that this method can
r ly be applied when w is small (w~Sxl0-2).
Although the methods of analysis prev~
:sly discussed were derived for druwdown
-havior, they can be extended to analysis of
,:-QSSllre buildup data provided the flowing
time prior to the test is much longer than
shut in time. The existence of the semi log
~traight lines for different flow time condi
~ions have been thoroughly discussed by
,.ourdet and Gringarten 21 and Serra et a1 25 .
One interesting point regarding pre~
~ilre buildup behavior is that the transition
,criod might show a slope less than one half
.~ the slope of the third straight line when
:lowing time prior to shut in is not long
enough to reach the third straight line. A
similar behavior has been discussed by
iarlougher and Kazemi 38 for the case of a
well near a sealing fault.
It is convenient to mention that even
though many field tests follow the behavior
predicted by the model of this study,others
exhibit a rather flat transition period
between the two semilog straight lines. This
points out the need for further research in
this area.
Four examples are discussed in this
10 PRESSURE TRANSIENT ANALYSIS FOR NATURALLY FRACTURED RESERVOIRS SPE 11026

section to illustrate the application of the
ideas introduced in this work.
Example 1. This is the example D-1 presented
by Warren Root 7 • Figu~'e
graph of this buildup test.
observed that two parallel straight lines of
slope equal to 213 psi/cycle are apparent;
however, the first apparent straight line
portion could possibly be the result of
wellbore storage influence (see Fig. 18)
having no relation to the correct straight
line. Notice that after this initial portion
of the data there is transition straight line
of slope equal to 106 psi/cycle.
slope ratio of 0.5 is exhibited by pressure
data behaving in accordance with the model
of this study.
storage effects appear to end between one
and two hours of flowing time; furthermore,
the third semi log straight line begins at
about seven hours.
15 shows a Horner
It can be
Figure 21 presents a semi log graph for
this case. Two parallel straight lines are
apparent, but log-log type curve analysis
indicates, as mentioned by the authors, that
the first portion of the data are under the
influence of wellbore storage and the last
portion curve correspond to the correct
third semilog straight line.
Hence, a
Values for kfbh and S were obtained in
this reference by using the information from
both the last straight line and the type
curve match analysis. The calculated values

One reasoning that supports the comment
on the correctness of the first straight line
lS that there is a long transition period
between the first and second straight lines
as shown in Fig. 10 (three and a half cycles
of time approximately). No further check
for wellbore storage could be made since no
information of pressure before closing in
for kfbh and S were 1938 md-ft and -3.9
respectively.
In addition to the third semilog straight
line portion, pressure data without the infl~
ence of wellhore storage effects exhibit an
intermediate semi log straight line during the
transition period whose slope is 160 psi/cycle

was available. giving and approximate slope ratio of 0.5.

Hence, an upper hound for w is 5 X 10- 2 in
2
An upper bound for w is 5 X 10- since accordance to the previous discussion of this
the slope ratio is 0.5. Then type curve study.
presented in Fig. 19 can be used to identify
The point of intersection, between the
matrix flow geometry. Figure 20 shows the
second and third straight lines occurs at
type curve matching of pressure differences
between data and the extrapolation of the 5.5 hours and from Eq. (25).

second straight line. Although this figure

0.5615
indicates that the reservoir could be repr~
8 t int
sented by strata, the data are not smooth
enough to give a conclusive statement. No then:
tice that the graph in this figure uses

~V
A llma = 0.5615 _ _ __
_. _ _ _ _ _~_=_=c...'-:"--
~t/(t + ~t) instead of ~t; this can be done fma
11 2.636 X 10- 4 x 5.5 (hours)
when tp »> ~t (the third straight line is
present in a Horner graph).

Example 2. This case corresponds to the draw

down example presented by Bourdet and If we assume that (~Ct)ma
21
Gringarten • According to the type curve
(w very small), thus:
matching performed by these authors wellbore
11 HEBER CINCO-LEY AND FERNANDO SAMANIEGO V 11

Najurieta indicated that core analysis

showed that the formation can be considered
as stratified with h = 17 ft. From the
rna
strata curve 1n Fig. 12 the parameter is
6 x 10- 2 This result could be slightly in
l
.. /0.5615 x 3 x 10- 6 (psi- )x l(cp) error because data are not enough during the
=~ 2.637 x 10- 4 x 5.5 transition period.

The slope of the last straight line

yields a kfbh value equal to 3.23 x 10 *md-ft
and S equal to + 3.83 indicating formation
damage around the well.
Figure 22 shows a log-log graph of the
The time of intersection between the two
pressure difference 6Psl between data and
straight line portions occurs at 1.7 hours.
the extrapolation of the second straight
From Fig. 13 and the value of w we find that
line versus time. It is shown that 6Psl
(A fD nma tD)int = 0.57; then from Eq. 26:
follows the curve for strata, indicating
that flow in the matrix could be represented
by a linear flow model. This statement must (AfDnmaDtD)int (¢Ct)ma~
be validated with petrophysical and geologi B tint
cal information.

If the flow in the matrix is linear = g~~7xO.21x8.1655xl0-G(psi~xl(cp)

(strata Afma = 2/h ma and 2.637 x 10-*x 1.7 (hours)

_19_._7 =
9.81
(md ps i;/2 = 4.7 X 10-
2

2 ft 2 cp

Najurieta mentioned that matrix perme~

This gives a posibility of estimating
bility obtained from core measurement is
h if n is known from laboratory measur~
rna rna 0.1 md and since Af = 2/hrna
rna
ment.
2~
rna
Example 3. This example was taken from
Najurieta's work l7 and corresponds to a
buildup test run in a fractured reservoir
2 x r.J
after very long producing time (8611.1 hours).

A log-log graph of 6p versus 6t (Fig.

23) shows that pressure data apparently are
not influenced by wellbore storage effects.
Figure 24 presents a semilog graph of data
and indicates that two straight lines can be
drawn, the first having a slope equal to
16.5 psi/cycle and the second equal to 30
psi/cycle. This yields a slope ratio equal
to 0.55.
= 13.5 ft
This result is within 20 percent
difference from the value given by Najurieta
obtained from core studies.
CONCLUSIONS
Based on the material presented 1n this
12 PRESSURE TRANSIENT ANALYSIS FOR NATURALLY FRACTURED RESERVOIRS
work, the following remarks are pertinent.
1. Field test transient pressure behavior
validates the use of the transient matru
flow model for test interpretation in
naturally fractured reservoirs.
2. There are essential differences between
the pseudosteady-state matrix flow and
the transient matrix flow models.
3. The transient pressure behavior for a
well in a naturally fractured reservoir
can be correlated by using three dimen
sionless parameters:
(a) the fracture storage parameter w,
(b) the dimensionless matrix hydraulic
diffusivity nrna D' and
(c) the dimensionless fracture area A .
fD
4. The transient flow behavior of a well in
a naturally fractured rcservoi.r may
exhibit three flow periods:
(a) fracture st:Jrage dominated flow
period,
(b) the transient matrix linear flow
dominated period, and
(c) the pseudosteady-state matrix flow
dominated period.
5. The transient matrix linear flow is
characterized by a semilog straight
line whose slope is equal to half the
slope of the two classical parallel
straight lines (m). This flow period
will exist whenever w is less or equal
to 5 x 10- 2 for strata and 10- 2 for
spheres. For values higher than these,
there exists an apparent straight line
during the transition period whose slopes
ranges from 0.5 m to m.
6. It is unlikely to identify the fracture
storage dominated straight line for
small values of w, because wellbore
storage usually masks the corresponding
semilog straight line. This line ends
three and a half cycles before the sec
ond semilog straight line starts.
SPE 11026
7. A proper analysis of data includes the
application of type curves to identify
when the influence of wellbore storage
ends. Frequently, data dominated by
wellbore storage are misinterpreted as
falling on the first semilog straight
line.
8. If the first semi log straight line can
not be identified in a test, approximate
values or bounds for w can be estimated
from the slope ratio of the second and
third semilog straight lines.
9. The fracture area per unit of matrix vol
ume (Af rna ) can be calculated if informa
tion of the matrix properties (k ,
rna
(¢c t ) rna ) are available and viceversa.
10. Matrix flow geometry might be identified
if pressure data to be analyzed is
smooth, provided the transient matrix
semilog straight line is detected.
11. The design of a transient pressure test
for a well in a naturally fractured
reservoir should aim at the detection of
at least the second and third straight
lines through minimizing wellbore storage
effects; furthermore for pressure build
up tests it is neccesary that the flow
ing time prior to the shut in be long
enough to reach the third semilog
straight line.
NOMENCLATURE
A = Fracture area per unit of matrix
fpla
volume
Fracture area per unit of bulk volume
Dimensionless fracture area
- Formation volume factor
C Wellbore Storage
Dimensionless wellbore storage
constant
c Fluid compressibility
SPE 11026 HEBER CINCO-LEY AND FERNANDO SAMANIEGO V. 13
Fracture system total compressibility t Total
Total compressibility uma Unitary step pressure drop at matrix
Sphere diameter surface

Formation thickness REFERENCES

Strata (matrix) heigh 1. Aguilera, R.: Naturally Fractured Rese~

h
rna voirs, The Petroleum Publishing Co. ,Tulsa
k Permeability Okla. (1980).
I Characteristic length of a matrix
block 2. Pollard, P.: "Evaluation of Acid Treat
ments from Pressure Build-up Analysis",
n Number of normal sets of fractures Trans., AIME (1959) 216, 38-42.
p Pressure
3. Pirson, R.S. and Pirson S.J.: "An Exten
Dimensionless pressure sion of the Pollard Analysis Method of
Initial reservoir pressure Well Pressure Build-up and Drawdown
Pressure change Tests", paper SPE 101 presented at the
SPE Annual Fall Meeting, Dallas, Oct.
q Well flow rate
8-11, 1961.
r Distance to production well
4. Barenblatt, G. I. and Zheltov, Yu. P.:
Wellbore radius
"Fundamental Equations of Filtration of
S van Everdingen and Hurst skin factor Homogeneous Liquids in Fissured Rocks",
s Laplace transform variable Soviet Physics Doklady (1960) Vol. 5,
522-525.
t Time
5. Barenblatt, G.L, Zheltov, Iu. P. and
Dimensionless time
Kochina, LN.: "Basic Concepts in the
Volume Theory of Seepage of Homogeneous Liquids
a,S Unit conversion constants in Fissured Rocks (strata)" (in Russian),
y Euler constant (0.577216) PMM (1960) Vol. 24, No.5, 852-864.
Interporosity flow coefficicnt 6. Warren, J.E. and Root, P.J.: "The Beha~
n Hydraulic diffusivity ior of Naturally Fractured Reservoirs",
p Fluid density Soc. Pet. Eng.J. (Sept. 1963) 245- 255; Trans.
AH1E, Vol. 228.
Fluid viscosity
Porosity 7. Warren, J.E. and Root, P.J.: "Discussion
on Unsteady-State Behavior of Naturally
w Dimensionless fracture storativity
Fractured Reservoirs", Soc. Pet. EnR..:.~'
(March 1965) 64-65; Trans., AIME, 234.
SUBSCRIPTS
8. Odeh, A.S.: "Unsteady-State Behavior of
b bulk, beginning
Naturally Fractured Reservoirs", Soc.Pet.
D Dimensionless Eng. J. (March 1965) 60-66.
f Fracture
9. Adams, A.R., Ramey, H.J., Jr. and Burgess,
fb Fracture referred to bulk volume R.J.: "Gas Well Testing in a Fractured
e End Carbonate Reservoir", J. Pet. Tech. (Oct.
1968) 1187-1194; I!:ans., AIME, 243.
rna Matrix
14 PRESSURE TRANSIENT ANALYSIS FOR NATURALLY FRACTURED RESERVOIRS
10. Kazemi, H.: "Pressure Transient Analysis
of Naturally Fractured Reservoirs with
Uniform Fracture Distribution", Soc. Pet.
Eng. J. (Dec. 1969) 451-458.
11. Gringarten, A.C. and Witherspoom, P.A.:
"A Method of Analyzing Pumping Test
Data from Fractured Aquifer", Proc.
Symp. Percolation Fissured Rock, Int.
Soc. Rock Mech., ~tuttgart (1972) T3,
p. B1-B-9.
12. de Swaan, O.A.: "Analytic Solutions for
Determining Naturally Fractured Reservoir
Properties by Well Testing", Soc. Pet.
Eng~. (June 1976) 117-122; Trans, AIME,
261 .
13. Crawford,G.E., Hagedorn, A.R. and Pierce,
A. E.: "Analysis of Pressure Buildup Tests
in Naturally Fractured Reservoirs", J.Pet
I~ch. (Nov. 1976) 1295-1300.
14. Strobel, C.J., Gulati, M.S., and Ramey,H.
J., Jr.: "Reservoir Limit Tests in a
Naturally Fractured Reservoir-- A field
Case Study Using Type Curves", ~-E~i.
Tech. (Sept. 1976),1097-1106.
15. !'lavor, M.L. and Cinco-Ley, H.: "Tralls1.ent
Pressure Behavior of Naturally Fractured
Reservoirs", paper SPE 7977 presented at
the SPE 1979 California Regional Meeting,
Ventura, Ca., April 18-20, 1979.
16. Streltsova, T.D.: "Hydrodynamics of
Growndwater Flow in a Fractured Forma
tions", l'later Resourccs~es. 12 (3) 1976,
405-414.
17. Najurieta, 11. 1.: "A Theory for Pressure
Transient Analysis in Naturally Fractured
Reservoirs", LPet~ Tech. (July 1980)
1241-1250.
18. KU,lK, F. and Sawyer, W. K.: "Transient
Flow in Naturally Fractured Reservoirs
and its Application to Devonian Gas
Shales", paper SPE 9397 presented at the
SPE 55th Annual Fall Technical Conference
SPE 11026
and Exhibition, Dallas, Texas, Sept.
21-24, 1980.
19. Gringarten, A.C.: "Flow Tests Evaluation
of Fractured Formations", presented at
the Symposium on "Recent Trends in
Hydrology", Berkeley, Ca., Feb. 8-9, 1979.
20. Da Prat, G., Ramey, H . .T., Jr. and Cin
co-Ley H.: "A Method to Determine the
Permeability-Thickness Product for a
Naturally Fractured Reservoirs", paper
SPE 9906 presented at the SPE 1981 Cal
ifornia Regional Meeting, Bakersfield,
Ca., March 25026, 1981.
21. Bourdet, D. and Gringarten, A.C.: "Deter
mination of Fissured Volume and Block
Size in Fractured Reservoirs by Type-
Curve Analysis", paper SPE 9293 presented
at the SPE 55th Annual Technical Confer
ence and Exhibition, Dallas, Tex., Sept.
21-24, 1980.
22. Gringarten, A.C., Burgess, T.M., Viturat,
D., Pelissier, J. and Aubry M.: "Evaluat
ing Fissured Formation Geometry from Well
Test Data: a Field Example", paper SPE
10182 presented at the SPE 56th Annual
Fall Technical Conference and Exhibition,
San Antonio, Texas, Oct. 5-7, 1981.
23. Gringarten, A.C.: "Interpretation of
Tests in Fissured Reservoirs and Mul
tilayered Reservoirs with Double Porosity
Behavior: Theory and Practice", paper SPE
10044 presented at the SPE International
Petroleum Exhibition and Technical
Symposium, Bejing, China, March.28-26,
1982.
24. Streltsova, T.D.: "Well Pressure Behavior
of a Naturally Fractured Reservoirs",
paper SPE 10782 presented at the SPE
1982 California Regional Meeting, San
Francisco, Ca., March. 24-26, 1982.
25. Serra, K.V., Reynolds, A.C. and Raghavan,
R.: "New Pressure Transient Analysis
Methods for Naturally Fractured Reser
srE 11026 HEBER CINCO-LEY AND FERNANDO SAMANIEGO 15

voirs", paper SPE 10780 presented at the Eng-=-_:I. (Sept. 1970) 291-297; Tr~ns, AIME
SPE 1982 California Regional Meeting, San 249.
Francisco, Ca., March. 24-26, 1982.
33. van Everdingen, A.F. anu Hurst, W.: "The
26. Stehfest, H.: "Numerical Inversion of Skin Effect and its Influence on the
Laplace Transforms", Communications of Productive Capaci ty of a Well". I!:~ns.,

the ACM (January, 1970), 13, No.1,
47-49.
27. Tariq, S.M. and Ramey, H.J., Jr.:
"Drawdown Behavior of a Well with
Storage and Skin Effect Communicating
with Layers of Different Radii and
Other Characteristics", paper SPE 7453
presented at the SPE 53rd Annual Technl
cal Conference amd Exhibition, Houston,
Tex., Oct. 1-3, 1978.
28. Sandal, H. and Ramey, B.J., Jr.: "Inte"!:
ference Testing with Wellbore Storage and
Skin Effect at the Produced Well", paper
SPE 7454 presented at the SPE 53rd Annual
Technical Conference and Exhibition,
Houston, Tex., Oct. 1-3, 1978.
29. Eggenschwiler, M., Satman, A., Ramey, H.
J., Jr. and Cinco-Ley, H.: "Interpret~
AIME (1953) 198, 171-176
34. Hurst, W. :"Establishment of the Skin Ef
fect and its Impediment to Fluid Flow
in to a We 11 bore", Pe~~EJ:l.g. (Oc t. 1953)
B-6-B-16.
35. Earlougher, R.C.: Advances in Well
Test Analysis, Monograph Series, Society
of Petroleum Engineers of AIME. Dallas,
(1977),5.
36. Graham, J. W. and Richardson, J. G.:
"Theory and Application of Imbibition
Phenomenon in Recovery of Oil", Trans
AIME, 216, 377-381.
37. Martinez R., N.and Cinco-Ley, H.:
"Detection of Sealing Faults by Transient
Pressure Analysis", to be published
(1982).

tion of Injection Well Pressure Transient 38. Earlougher, R.C. and Kazemi, H.: "Practi
Data in Thermal Oil Recovery", paper SPE calities of Detecting Faults from Buildup
No. 8908, presented at the SPE 50th Testing", J. Pet. Tech. (Jan. 1980) 18-20.
Annual California Regional Meeting, Los
Angeles, Ca., Apr. 9-11, 1980.
APPENDIX A
30. Satman, A., Eggenschwiler, M., Tang, R.
MATHEMATICAL MODEL FOR FRACTURED
W-K and Ramey, H.J., Jr.: "An Analytical
RESERVOIRS
Study of Transient Flow in Systems with
Radial Discontinuities", paper SPE 9399,
a) General Solution
presented at the SPE 55th Annual Technical
Conference and Exhibition, Dallas, Tex., The isothermal radial flow of a slightly
Sept. 21-24, 1980. compressible fluid through a naturally fra~

tured reservoir (double porosity system) can

31. Agarwal, R.G., AI-Hussainy, R. and Ramey,
be described b y 13,17:
H.J., Jr.: "An Investigation of Wellbore
Storage and Skin Effect in Unsteady Li~

uid Flow: Analytical Treatment", Soc. Pet.

Eng. J. 279-290; Irans, AIME, 249.

32. Wattenbarger, R.A. and Ramey, H.J., Jr.:

(A - 1)
"An Investigation of Wellbore Storage and
Skin Effect in Unsteady Liquid Flow: II
Finite Difference Treatment", Soc. Pet.
16 PRESSURE TRANSIENT ANALYSIS FOR NATURALLY FRACTURED RESERVOIRS SPE 11026
where k fb and ¢fb are the bulk permeability
and the bulk porosity, respectively. q* repr~ 3PfD
+ ~ (Vp )(tD-T)dT (A-5)
sents the rate of fluid transfer from rock umasurface
matrix to fractures per unit of bulk volume.
de SW32n and Najurieta showed that for
Equation (A-1) assumes a homogeneous and
strata:
isotropic medium and the flow towards the
well only occurs through the fractures. Gravi
ty effects are negligible and pressure gradi
ents are small everywhere in the reservoir.

The fracture system is assumed to form =~

4 L (A-6)
n= 1 e
rna
a continuum and there is no fluid transfer
between matrix blocks.
and for blocks (spheres):
The rate of fluid transfer q* can be
expressed as:

00
(A- 2)
4 (A-7)
d n=l e
ma
~~ma is the fluid transfer rate per unit
Let us define the dimensionless param~
of fracture pressure drop and unit of rock
ter
volume. By using Darcy's Law:
strata:
k
rna
,\ (V·tJp ) (A- 3) kma/(¢ct)mal-l r 2
f.I Mfb uma surface
~ (A-8)
kfb l (¢ct )tl1 lima 2
wher~ Afb is the fracture area per unit of
rock volume and (V.6Puma)surface is the spheres:
pressure gradient within the matrix at the
n
"rna
r
w
2
kma / (¢ct)mal-l r W 2
fracture face. (Tl maD ) sp= - ~ (A-9)
Tlfb ma z kfl (¢c t ) t)1 h z
ma
Substitution of Equations (A-2) and (A-3)
into Equation (A-3) yields: According to Warren and Root 6 the frac
ture storage parameter w is defined as:

t w (A -10)

+
k
k
fb
A-
b
rna 1:'
j
o
~
3l1Pf
(V.tJPuma) (t-T) dT
surface
(A-4)
Combination of Eqs. (A- 5) through (A-10)
yields:

By using the dimensionless variables

3 3PfD
defined in Eq. (3) of the main text we obtaire r 3r (r D 3r
D D D
·t
+ ( 1 _1I) ) AfD j
o
D (A -11 )
SPE 11026 HEBER CINCO~LEY AND FERNANDO SAMANIEGO V. 17

where F(nmaD,tD-T) is given by:

~nmaD toth~nm:D2
S'
_ 2~r}maD l
s I
-.J

B.C. dPfDi - --
dr s (A - 16)
D rD

and lim PfD (rD,s) a

co
2 (A-12)
4n ma D nI1e-4nmaD 2'lr (t D-T) The solution of Eq. (A-1S) with boundary
conditions given by Eqs. (A-16) is:

and (A-13)

Vb and V represent the bulk volume and the

ma
matrix volume, respectively:
(1\-17)
The initial and boundary conditions for
a well producing at constant flow rate in an
infinite reservoir are. the solution in the time domain can be calcu
culated by using a numerical inverter 26 •
0) b) Solution for small times

For small values of dimensionless time

B.C. - 1, tD > a (A -14)
s .... co and Eq. (A-17) can be written as:

- - (A -18)
r -+ co s
D

Inversion of Eq. (A-18) for r =l yields:

D
Application of the Laplace transformation
yields:
t
(;) + 0. 8090 J (A -19)

c) Solution for long times:

(A - 1 5) For large values of time s -+ 0 and Eq.

(A-17) can be expressed as:

where
strata: (A - 20)

f(r} s)~ ~nmaD

---- tanh --2-
~n:aD
maD' s
whose inversion at r gives:
D
spheres: f(n maD , s) =
18 PRESSURE TRANSIENT ANALYSIS FOR NATURA~LY FRACTURED RESERVOIRS SPE JJ026

or:
+ ~n tD + 0.8090~ (A-21) 1
Zln ((l-w)t'fD,I~aD)+ 0.2602 (A - 2 7)

d) Solution for intermediate values of time:

e) Solution for wellbore storage and damage.

At small and intermediate values of time

When wellbore sot rage and damage are pre~
the flow in the matrix is essentially linear
ent in the system, the wellbore pressure can
independent of the shape of the matrix
be expressed in the Laplace space as:
blocks. Under these conditions:
PfD + Sis
--------------- (A - 28)
2-
1 + SsCD+CDs PfD
(A - 22)

where PfD is the solution for s = 0 and

CD=O. CD and S are the dimensionless well
bore storage coefficient and skin factor,
respectively.

Hence Eq. (A-S) becomes: APPENDIX B

CORRELATION PARAMETERS
a apfD apfD
(r 3T) = w The parameters to correlate the second
r
D
ar D D
D dt~
and the third semilog straight lines simulta-
neously can be derived from Eqs. A-21 and A-27
(1 - w) ,fllmaDAfD

IT!
j'"
0
aPfD 1
aT -(t- l-T)
D
/dT
2
(A-23)
by assuming that a graph of PD
1
+ c
versus
c 2 t D will yield single curves for the periods
of interest. The values for c and c that
1 2
satisfy the conditions stated before are:
whose Laplace transform is:

In rIA (l-w) ~ ~ (B-1)

L fD ma~

and
(A-24)

The solution of Eq. (A-24) with boundary

conditions A-16 is given by Eq. (A-17) where: If l is very small (l-w) factor can be
taken as unity.

f (Il maD ,s)

~llmaD
= --s-- (A - 25)
When wellbore storage and skin are con-
sidered, the correlating parameter can be
derived in the way presented by Bourdet and
At early times the solution for this Gringarten 2l . For the present work the para~
I 28 4S 2
case is given by Eq. (A-19) and at long times: eters are tD CD' CDe and CDe I(A
fd
(1-w)21l rna D).
 Table 1. SI PREFERRED UNITS, CUSTOMARY UNITS,
AND UNIT CONVERSION CONSTANTS USED
IN THESE SYSTEMS

Parameter
or variable SI Preferred Units Customary Units

A m2 sq ft
C m 3/Pa cu ft/psi

k ~m2 md
h m ft
q m3/d STB/D
Pa·, cp
B m3 /m 3 RB/STB
~ fraction fraction
ct Pa- l
psi- 1

p kPa psi
hours hours
ex 1842 141. 2

3.6 x 10- 9 2.637 x 10 - 4

VUGS

MATRIX
MATRIX

STRATA BLOCKS

Fig. 1-Representation of a naturally fractured reservoir.

 MATRIX PSEUDO STEADY
TWO PARALLEL STRAIGHT LINES STATE FLOW
( WARREN AND ROOT)

TRANSITION PERIOD

LOG t LOG t
Fig. 2-Pressure behavior of a well in a naturally fractured reservoir (Warren and Root Fig. 5-Pressure behavior for a well in a naturally fractured reservoir (de Swaan and
model). Najurieta models).

=:::=;;;;::=11 ~/'::3Ew;;::e=11=
12 -2
=:==!E:=1 1=:::3E:==t-l- h W=IO STRATA
f
10
==:::==E~ !==::E:== hma 1 'WOe

:~I,~, ~I
a J FRACTURE DOMINATED bJ MATRIX TRANSIENT
FLOW LINEAR FLOW

---matrix
R$F:'!:=i:
--+-::--''-----'--,-,
~$=!;:~- f ractu re 10
2
10
4
10
6
10
8

tD
Fig. 6- PWD vs. log to for a well in a naturally fractured reservoir (strata, 10- 2 ).
cJ MATRIX PSEUDO STEADY UJ=

STATE FLOW
Fig. 3-Flow periods for a well in a naturally fractured reservoir (strata).

well
t IDJD 831831 lwlE3
-!OID l31t31 ~ <- t83183
-1010 [31831->-183183
-1010 E3tE3t- -183183
aJ FRACTURE DOMINATED bJ MATRIX TRANSIENT
FLOW LINEAR FLOW

lEE!EB-- matrix
:1E81EE___ fracture
1EElEE
~lffim
Fig. 7-PwD vs. log tD for a well in a naturally fractured reservoir (strata. l'ImaD = 10- 10).
C) MATRIX PSEUDO STEADY
STATE FLOW
Fig. 4-Flow periods for a well in a naturally fractured reservoir (blocks).
 12 .2
t.J =10
10

Fig. 8-PwD vs. log to for a well in a naturally fractured reservoir (strata and spheres,
w= 10- 2 ).

/0'

~ 2 .------r------r------r------r------r------~----~

kt
~
l..J = 10
-2
SPHERES

--~
~
0

~ -I
~ STRATA
-.J
Fig. 9-Correlation of dimensionless pressure solutions for spheres and strata. oj. -2
Cl..~
-3

END OF PERIOD
","- DOMINATED BY
FRACTURES

+
Q
~ -4

/0-5 /0-3 /0-' 10'

2 2
Aro (/-W )TJmao to Fig. lO-General solution for the pressure behavior of a well in a naturally fractured reservoir.
 0.7
0.6
-STRATA
O.5----SPHERES
I . . 1

Fig. 11-Variation of the semilog straight line ratio of the well bore pressure behavior.

mmin MATRIX PSEUDO STEADY

m STATE FLOW MODEL
0.8

0.6
MATRIX TRANSIENT
FLOW MODEL

LOG t
Fig. 12-Variation of the minimum semHog straight line ratio as a
function of w. Fig. 14-Comparison of models for naturally fractured reservoirs.

6300
m =213 PSI/CYCLE

~
~ mf = 106 PSI/CYCLE
£l.: 6100 \
SPHERES ~
.Q.:S:

0.5615
5900
WELLBORe\o
/ STORAGe °
eFFeCTS

STRATA 5700~----~~----~------~----~
2 3 4 5
OL-~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 10 10 10 10 10
10-4
10~ 10- 2
10- 1
tp+At
I..J At
Fig. 13-Time of intersection between the second and third Fig. 15-Horner graph for Example D~ 1 of Warren and Root.
semilog straight lines.
 10
P
WD

Fig. 16-PwD VS. log to for a well in a naturally fractured reservoir under the influence of
weBbore storage (strata, S = 0, W = 10- 2 , l}maD = 10- 10).

/0'1 - - - APP/:;(;Xf,\1ATE START /

j

/0,1
p
V/D
r

10'

Fig. 17-Type curves for weHbore storage and skin effects tor a naturally fractured reservoir
(unsteady-state matrix flow).

.,
/

,.:7- INTERSECTION

mt } SECOND STRAIGHT LINE

FIRST STRAIGHT LINE
OR WELLBORE STORAGE

] WELLBORE STORAGE

Fig. 18-Schematic Horner graph for a buildup test in a naturally fractured reservoir.
 101r--------.------.-r--------.--------, 103r---------~--------,_------__,

INTERSECTION OF
SEMILOG STRAIGHT
LINES
I lif~~~~~_ff~---+------_4

llP ll~1
DSI (psI)

STRATA
10
STRATA

LINE SOURCE INTERSECT! N OF SEMlL08

STRAIG T LINES

101 10 2
II t (HOURS)

Fig. 19-Type curves for the determination of matrix geometry. Fig. 22-Type curve matching for matrix geometry determination
of Bourdet and Gringarten's drawdown example.

10J~------~--------~------~

llP 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0
0
(PSI)
STRATA

/ INTERSECTION F SEMlL08
/ STRAIGHT LINES /0-1 I
llt (HOURS)
I~~----~--------~------~
10-J Fig. 23-Log-log graph of pressure data for Najurieta's example.

Fig. 20-Type curve matching for matrix geometry determination

for Example D-l of Warren and Root.

o 5 720r----r--...------.--"""T'""--,.-~r_r----,

4200 0

6580
=
(IJtJint 1.7 HOURS
4000 (IJOmt =5.5 HOURS p
ws
P (PSI)
wf mmin= 165 PSI/CYCLE
(PSt) 6540
J800
mt =0.508
m =.314.6
PSI
mmin =0.55
m CYCLE o
m
5500~~~~-~~~~-~--~-~~-~
10- 10-1 I 10' 10 103
3600 I llt (HOURS)
10- 10'
II t (HOURS)
Fig. 21-SemiJog graph of Bourdet and Gringarten's drawdown example. Fig. 24-Semilog graph of pressure data for Najurieta's example.