On Application of Non-cubic EoS to Compositional Reservoir Simulation

Compositional reservoir simulation uses almost exclusively cubic equations of state (EoS) such as the SRK EoS and the PR EoS. This is in contrast with process simulation in the downstream industry where more recent and advanced thermodynamic models are quickly adopted. Many of these models are non-cubic EoS, such as the PC-SAFT EoS. A major reason for the use of the conventional cubic EoS in reservoir simulation is the concern over computation time. Flash computation is the most time consuming part in compositional reservoir simulation, and the extra complexity of the non-cubic EoS may significantly increase the time consumption. In addition to this, the non-cubic EoS also needs a C7+ characterization. The main advantage of the non-cubic EoS is that it provides for a more accurate descrition of fluid properties, and it is therefore of interest to investigate the computational aspects of using such models.

In this work we test the feasibility of applying a non-cubic EoS to reservoir simulation, using a slimtube simulator to simulate multicomponent gas injection using both the traditional SRK EoS and the non-cubic PC-SAFT EoS. Computation times for both models were compared. In addition, C7+ characterization for PC-SAFT and the performance of PC-SAFT in PVT modeling are also addressed.