Patent · US Expired

System and method for hydrocarbon reserve evaluation

US4765182A · kind A · utility

25Cited by
22References
26Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateJan 13, 1986
Grant dateAug 23, 1988
Priority date
Expiry dateJan 13, 2006

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01N33/2823
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

During oil and gas well drilling operations, drilling fluid volume circulated per preselected vertical borehole increment drilled is continuously measured as well as the percentage by volume of hydrocarbon gas present in the return fluid. The gas is periodically sampled and analyzed to derive a relative ratio of C.sub.1 and C.sub.2 present therein. A functional relationship is then periodically computed relating the drilling fluid volume circulated per vertical increment drilled, and percentage of hydrocarbon gas therein, the rock volume of cuttings from which the gas evolved, and borehole pressure and temperature conditions at which each mud sample received respective cuttings to provide a percentage gas saturation parameter per vertical foot of reservoir. In functional response to the C.sub.1 /C.sub.2 ratio magnitudes, a product is derived comprised of the gas saturation value and a scaling factor yielding MCF gas/acre-foot at borehole pressure and temperature or Bbl of oil/acre-foot, yielding a direct measurement of reserves in place.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.