The physical properties of hydrocarbon fluids

3 The physical properties of hydrocarbon fluids General hydrocarbon phase behaviour 

The strict definition of a phase is any homogeneous and physically distinct region that is separated from another such region by a distinct boundary . For example a glass of water with some ice in it contains one component (the water) exhibiting three phases liquid, solid, and gaseous (the water vapour). The most relevant phases in the oil industry are liquids (water and oil), gases (or vapours), and to a lesser extent, solids. 

As the conditions of pressure and temperature vary, the phases in which hydrocarbons exist, and the composition of the phases may change. It is necessary to understand the initial condition of fluids to be able to calculate surface volumes represented by subsurface hydrocarbons. It is also necessary to be able to predict phase changes as the temperature and pressure vary both in the reservoir and as the fluids pass through the surface facilities, so that the appropriate subsurface and surface development plans can be made. 

Phase behaviour describes the phase or phases in which a mass of fluid exists at given conditions of pressure, volume (the inverse of the density) and temperature (PVT). The simplest way to start to understand this relationship is by considering a single component, say water, and looking at just two of the variables, say pressure and temperature. 

In the production of hydrocarbon reservoirs, the process of isothermal depletion is normally assumed, that is reducing the pressure of the system while maintaining a constant temperature. Hence, a more realistic movement on the pressure-temperature plot is from point A to A . 

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