Cycle 5: Petro PocketsReservoirs and Production

Wonder Why.....

Have you ever wondered how we get crude oil and natural gas out of rock formations and bring it to the surface of the earth?

Activity One - Porosity

Activity Two - MigrationActivity Four – Water Flood

Simulation

Activity Three – Natural Gas Drive Simulation

Vocabulary Words

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Activity One – PorosityWhich rocks have more pores?

Discovery Procedure1. Fill three clear containers half way with water

and label “A,” “B,” and “C.”2. Place sandstone in container “A,” limestone in container “B,” and shale in container “C.”

A B C

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Discovery Procedure3. Observe closely for three minutes.

4. Draw and give a written explanation of your observations.

5. Compare your observations with classmates.

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Concept Formation1. Why do you think some rocks had more air bubbles? Possible answer: Some rocks have pore spaces that can hold air.

2. Where did the air in the bubbles come from? Possible answer: The water pushed the air out of the rocks, which made air bubbles.

Caution: Shale may create a misconception concerning porosity. Shale is layered and air will escape from between the layers and NOT the pores.

3. How does this activity show that rocks are porous?

Possible answer: It shows that a substance can be trapped inside rocks.Next Slide

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Activity Two – MigrationA model of oil movement within a porous

substance.

Marine organisms die and are buried underneath the seafloor.

Oil and natural gas form in porous sedimentary rock.

Oil and gas migrate upward.

Impermeable rock does not let oil or gas pass through.

Trapped gas

Trapped oil

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Discovery Procedure1. Place 2cm of sand in the

bottom of a jar or clear cup.

2. Press ½ of the clay into a thin layer and place on top of the sand, completely covering the sand. Press the clay to sides of jar to seal.

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5. Slowly add the 10mL of oil into the indention and place the wire mesh on top of the oil reservoir.

6. Add 3cm of sand and cover with remaining clay as in step 2.

Discovery Procedure

3. Add 2cm of sand on top of the clay and make a small indention, visible from the side, in the sand.

4. With a permanent marker, mark the indention of the outside of the jar.

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Concept Formation

In this activity the clay represents the impermeable rock layer, and the sand represents the permeable layer.

Draw a diagram of the activity and explain, in a well-written paragraph, what happened.

Possible answer: The oil migrated through the permeable layer (sand) and was trapped by the impermeable layer (clay).

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Activity Three – Natural Gas Drive SimulationOil is forced from a rock formation by a method of

injecting natural gas into the formation.

Discovery Procedure1. Obtain a zip lock bag and two straws.

2. Using scissors, cut one end of each straw at an angle which will create a sharp point.

3. Fill the bag with water, allowing for NO air spaces. Place the filled and locked bag into the pan.

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Discovery Procedure

4. One student will hold the bag in an upward position while another student inserts the sharp end of each straw on opposite sides of the seal.

5. Predict what will happen when one student blows through one of the straws.

6. Have one student blow through one of the straws. Observe, diagram, and explain what happened.

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Concept Formation

1. What happens when you blow through one of the straws? Water comes out the other straw.

2. How do you think this experiment related to getting petroleum out of the ground? Possible answer: It shows how petroleum can

be forced out of a rock formation.

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Activity Four – Water Flood SimulationOil is forced from a rock formation by a method of

injecting water into the formation.

Discovery Procedure:

Follow the directions in the Teacher’s Guide for the water flood simulation.

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Concept Formation1. How do you relate each part of the experimental setup to the process of getting petroleum out of the ground?

Possible answers: This experiment shows how petroleum is retrieved by pumping water into a formation. This experiment shows how more petroleum is forced from the well when water is injected in the same formation in a different well. Next

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Concept Formation2. Distinguish between the two methods of secondary recovery of petroleum: gas drive and water flood. (Possible answer: In a gas drive, natural gas or carbon dioxide is forced

into the formation. In a water flood, water is forced into the formation.)

Porosity refers to the percentage

of holes (pores) in the rock.

Permeability is the ability of fluids to travel through porous rocks.

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If a well is to be successfully produced,

the reservoir must have porosity, permeability, and enough pressure to move the oil and natural gas to the well bore. Reservoir pressure can be created by injecting natural gas or water into the formation.

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Cycle 5: Petro PocketsVocabulary

1. Gas drive: use of natural gas to push oil out of a reservoir and into a well 2. Impermeable: impossible to move through

3. Migration: moving from one place to another

4. Permeability: to ability of a fluid to flow within the interconnected pore network of a porous medium

5. Porosity: the ratio of the volume of empty space to the volume of solid rock in a formation, indicating how much fluid a rock can hold

6. Reservoir: a porous, permeable rock body in which oil and/or natural gas has accumulated

7. Water flood: the injection of water into the water zone of some wells to push the oil and natural gas up the other wells

Wonder Why Question

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THE END of

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the ratio of the volume of empty space to the volume of solid rock in a formation, indicating how much fluid a rock can hold

moving from one place to another

a porous, permeable rock body in which oil and/or natural gas has

accumulated

impossible to move through

the use of natural gas to push crude oil out of a reservoir and into a well

the injection of water into the water zone of some wells to push the crude oil and natural gas up the other wells