This volume consists of 27 chapters that deal with the many aspects of reservoir engineering. The chapters were assembled to provide information on acquiring and interpreting data that describe reservoir rock and fluid properties; acquiring, understanding, and predicting fluid flow in the reservoir; interpreting measurements of well performance; calculating the factors that impact both primary and improved recovery mechanisms from oil and gas reservoirs; estimating reserves and calculating project economics; simulating reservoir performance; and structuring and measuring the effectiveness of a reservoir management system.

These chapters have been written as a handbook and, as such, assume that the reader has a familiarity with fundamentals and some experience in the production of hydrocarbons and will use this publication as a refresher or to expand knowledge in certain areas of technology. Extensive references in each chapter indicate the amount of material that has been considered and distilled.

This updated version of SPE’s Petroleum Engineering Handbook contains information on many of the subjects covered by the 1962 and 1987 versions. All chapters in this version are new and greatly expanded; chapters existing in the older versions have been revised extensively or rewritten completely, and new chapters have been added on geophysics; geology; petrophysics; production logs; chemical tracers; foam, polymer, and resin injection; miscible processes; valuation; and reservoir management.

The high quality of this volume is a credit to the authors of each chapter; they were chosen for their extensive knowledge and experience. Special recognition and thanks go to E.C. Thomas, who is responsible for the quality and thoroughness of the chapters contained in the petrophysical section. The resulting product contains many good tips and guidelines that represent lessons learned in the practice of applying various technologies to a wide range of actual field conditions. Numerous field examples have been included to illustrate these applications.