Petroleum Engineering Concepts

These flashcards cover essential vocabulary and concepts related to petroleum engineering, fluid dynamics in reservoirs, and key properties affecting hydrocarbon recovery.

Darcy's Law

Describes how fluids flow through porous media.

Permeability

A measure of how easily fluids can flow through a rock.

Primary Permeability

Exists during rock formations based on original deposition and sediment arrangement.

Secondary Permeability

Developed after deposition due to factors like fractures and dissolution.

Absolute Permeability

Permeability of rock when it is 100% saturated with a single fluid.

Effective Permeability

Permeability of a fluid when other fluids are also present.

Relative Permeability

Describes the flow behavior of a fluid in the presence of other fluids, normalized by total flow.

Directional Permeability

Permeability that varies with direction.

Fluid Saturation

The extent to which pore space in a rock is filled with a particular fluid.

Irreducible Water Saturation

Water that cannot be moved from reservoir rock.

Wettability

Describes which fluid the rock preferentially refers to (water-wet, oil-wet, or mixed-wet).

Capillary Pressure

Pressure difference between two immiscible fluids, affecting how fluids occupy pore spaces.

Multi-phase Flow

Flow involving multiple fluids competing for the same pore spaces.

Mobility Ratio

Ratio of the velocities of the displacing fluid to the displaced fluid, indicating flow stability.

Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR)

Techniques used to improve oil recovery and sweep efficiency.

Hydrocarbon in Place

Total amount of oil and gas within a reservoir, including trapped fluids.