Pressure Transient Analysis for HPHT Carbonate Reservoirs
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Well test interpretation in carbonate reservoirs is rarely straightforward. Dual-porosity behaviour, fractures, layering and permeability contrasts produce pressure responses that can be matched by more than one model, and high pressure high temperature conditions add further complications: fluid property variation with pressure and temperature, gauge performance limits, thermal effects on the measured data and wellbore storage that can mask the early-time response entirely.
This workshop covers pressure transient analysis with a specific focus on carbonate and HPHT conditions. It begins with the fundamentals: the types of well test, what each is capable of measuring, and how to design a test that will actually deliver the required answer within the operational constraints of the well. Test design covers rate sequence, flow and shut-in durations, gauge selection and resolution, and the data quality requirements for a defensible interpretation.
The core of the workshop is derivative diagnostics. Participants work through reading the log-log derivative response, identifying flow regimes, and separating wellbore effects from reservoir signal and boundary signal. Model selection is then treated systematically across the three components of any interpretation: the wellbore model, the reservoir model and the boundary model, with an emphasis on recognising where more than one combination can produce the same match and how to resolve the ambiguity using independent data.
Dual-porosity and dual-permeability behaviour in carbonates is covered in detail, including the interpretation of matrix-fracture interaction, the estimation of storativity and interporosity flow parameters, and the distinction between genuine dual-porosity response and similar-looking responses caused by layering or heterogeneity. HPHT-specific issues are addressed throughout: fluid property variation, gauge drift and resolution, thermal effects, and non-Darcy flow.
Field case studies are used to work through complete interpretations from raw data to reported results. The workshop is delivered at an advanced level and is intended for reservoir and production engineers who design, interpret or review well tests.
Workshop Objectives
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
Describe the main types of pressure transient and well test and select the appropriate test for a given objective
Design a well test, including rate sequence, flow and shut-in durations, gauge selection and data acquisition requirements
Prepare and quality-control raw pressure and rate data prior to interpretation
Read the log-log derivative plot and identify flow regimes from the pressure response
Separate wellbore storage and skin effects from the reservoir and boundary signal
Select and apply appropriate wellbore, reservoir and boundary models and recognise where model ambiguity exists
Interpret dual-porosity and dual-permeability behaviour in carbonate reservoirs and estimate matrix-fracture interaction parameters
Distinguish genuine dual-porosity response from responses produced by layering and heterogeneity
Account for HPHT effects on the measured response, including fluid property variation, gauge performance, thermal effects and non-Darcy flow
Determine permeability, skin, reservoir pressure, boundary distances and connected volume from a completed interpretation
Validate interpretation results against geological, petrophysical and production data
Apply the full workflow to field case studies and report results in a form usable for reservoir management decisions
About the Presenter
Eng. Hesham Mokhtar Ali
Senior Reservoir Engineer | Certified Instructor | MSc, Cairo University
Hesham Mokhtar Ali is a reservoir engineer with over 14 years of experience across operating, service and training organisations. He is currently with Kuwait Energy in subsurface development planning, working on the Yamama, Zubair and Mishrif reservoirs in the Faihaa field, Block 9, Iraq, where his responsibilities cover field development planning, reserves classification and auditing under SPE-PRMS, reservoir simulation and production forecasting. He previously spent six years as Reservoir Engineering Team Leader at General Petroleum Company in Egypt, managing Western Desert and Gulf of Suez assets.
His technical background covers material balance and decline curve analysis, pressure and rate transient analysis, integrated production modeling, waterflood management and full-field dynamic modeling. He holds an MSc in Reservoir Engineering and a BSc in Petroleum Engineering from Cairo University, and has published with SPE on permeability estimation, formation evaluation and carbonate rock typing.
Since 2020 he has delivered reservoir engineering and simulation training to Repsol, ADNOC Group, Kuwait Oil Company, OMV, SLB, Halliburton, Sonatrach, Gazprom Neft, Petroleum Development Oman and Pakistan Petroleum. He is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers.
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