1.1 TERMINOLOGY

Like most professions, petroleum engineering is beset with jargon. Therefore, it will make things simpler if I first go through some of the basic terms that will be used throughout this book. Petroleum engineering is principally concerned with building static and dynamic models of oil and gas reservoirs.

Static models are concerned with characterizing and quantifying the structure prior to any production from the field. Hence, key parameters that the models aim to determine are:

• STOIIP = stock tank oil initially in place; usually measured in stock tank barrels (stb)

• GIIP = gas initially in place; usually measured in billion standard cubic feet (Bcf)

• GBV = gross bulk volume; the total rock volume of the reservoir containing hydrocarbon

• NPV = net pore volume; the porespace of the reservoir

• HCPV = hydrocarbon pore volume; the porespace actually containing hydrocarbon

• ? = porosity; the proportion of the formation that contains fluids

• k = permeability; usually expressed in millidarcies (md)

• S _w = water saturation; the proportion of the porosity that contains water

• S _h = hydrocarbon saturation; the proportion of the porosity that contains hydrocarbon

• FWL = free water level; the depth at which the capillary pressure in the reservoir is zero; effectively the depth below which no producible hydrocarbons will be found

• HWC = hydrocarbon/water contact; the depth below which the formation is water bearing as encountered in a particular well. Likewise, OWC for oil and GWC for gas

• GOC = gas oil contact; the depth...