Operational Aspects of Reservoir fluid sampling


    Owner EXPA Admin
    Instructor Ahmad El Rakab
    Category Oil and Gas Upstream
    Code PEE-002

Join On Event :

Event Start End Instructor Location Registration
Reservoir fluid sampling & analysis techniques 21-Jun 25-Jun Ahmad El Rakab
Operational Aspects of Reservoir fluid sampling 13-Apr 17-Apr Ahmad El Rakab

Details :

Reservoir fluid sampling and analysis (RSA) is one of the most delicate and crucial services that strongly impact the reservoir management during each stage of the entire reservoir life cycle. In many cases, lack of a quality reservoir fluid data has led to unrecoverable and catastrophic economic and HSE losses.

Inappropriate production strategy, wrong sizing of surface facilities, ineffective field development plan, and environmental or HSE consequences are few examples of the potential risk related to poor reservoir fluid data.

This course provides reservoir fluid in-charge engineers with the essential knowledge required to capture a representative reservoir fluid samples and prevent operational mistakes that may undermine the reservoir fluid quality and obtained data. 

The course starts by building the fundamentals of phase behavior of the different reservoir fluids and how this going to affects the sampling technique selection and the application of sampling operational procedure.

Building on fundamentals, the course is covering all sampling techniques including WL open-hole samples, slickline and DST conveyed cased-hole sampling, separator sampling, and well head sampling.

For each sampling technique, the recommended sampling practices, equipment used, operational procedures, samples QC and pros and cons of each technique will be presented.

To complete the process cycle of obtaining a good reservoir fluid data, the course will cover briefly the PVT experiments normally conducted in the laboratory and the sample management best practices.


By end of this training course, the participants will appreciate the following outcomes:

·         Fully understand the phase behavior of the five reservoir fluids and implication of this behavior on sampling operational planning and job design

·         Appreciate the factors affecting the quality of reservoir fluid samples

·         Selecting an effective Sampling Method and estimate the adequate sample volume

·         Understand all different sampling methods with the following criterions:

·               Equipment used

·               Operational guidelines and well conditioning procedure

·               Validation and quality control of captured samples (onsite and in PVT lab)

·               Challenges and common mistakes that affect quality of samples

·         Acquire the knowledge about all PVT experiments and obtained data. 

·         Introduce the sample management best practices for optimum results

  • Petroleum and Reservoir Engineers In-charge of reservoir fluid characterization
  • Production and Operations Engineers in-charge of capturing reservoir fluid samples
  • Managers who seek to derive greater decision making on field development


Module 1:  Introduction to Reservoir fluids and phase behavior

·         Phase Behavior – Pure Substances, Two and multi-Component Mixtures

·         The Five Reservoir Fluids

·         Hydrocarbon Characterization Procedures

·         Sampling Objectives

·         Applications of Fluid Analysis Data

·         Factors affecting Representative Sampling

·         Selecting a Sampling Method

·         Bottom-hole Sampling

·         Surface Sampling

Module 2: Surface sampling operations

·         Surface sampling overview

·         Sampling the separator gas phase – Operational guidelines

·         Sampling the separator liquid phase – Operational guidelines

·         Surface sampling bottles and equipment

·         Possible problems encountered during surface sampling

·         Quality control of the separator gas and liquid streams

·         Well head sampling

Module 3: Cased-Hole sampling techniques

·         Operational Guidelines and Well Conditioning

·         Cased-hole sampling tools conveying methods

·         Single-Phase Bottom-hole samplers

·         Quality Control of Bottom-hole samples

·         Validating methods and acceptance criterion for recovered Cased-Hole samples

·         On-Site Evaluation of BHS

·         Bottom Hole Sample Transfer

·         Introduction to Bottom-hole Sampling by DST-Cased Hole

Module 4: Open-Hole Sampling

·         Introduction and motivation for open hole sampling

·         Modular Formation Dynamics Tester (MDT)

·         Recent Advances in MDT Sampling

·         Single-Phase & diphasic Reservoir Sampler (SPMC/MPSR/RCI)

·         Surface Transfer of Recovered MDT Samples

·         Validation of MDT Samples

·         Field Challenges and Examples

Module 5: PVT Experiments, Quality Control, and sample management  

·         QC of samples at the lab

·         Overview of PVT equipment

o   Samples and experiment path

o   Types of PVT studies (Schematic process)

o   Type of Studies Currently Performed in PVT Labs on Reservoir Samples

·         Constant Composition Expansion (constant mass study).

·         Differential Liberation (differential vaporization).

·         Constant Volume Depletion (depletion study).

·         Separation Tests

·         Sample management standard

·         Examples from real life

  • All lectures are in colorful presentation
  • All lectures are interspersed with interactive discussion
  • All lectures include group discussion, case history and exercises
  • Actual major incidents as well as industry experience are reviewed
  • Pictures of real incidents and case history are shown
  • Videos on the subject are shown

09:00 - 15:00 daily with some breaks