Dimensionless Heat Injection Rate - Gringarten and Sauty Formula
Dimensionless Heat Injection Rate - Gringarten and Sauty calculates dimensionless heat injection rate for waterflooding and eor workflows in reservoir engineering.
How engineers use this formula
Use this formula when the listed inputs (M_f, M_r, h_t, i, alpha_s, M_s, L) are known and the assumptions behind the cited waterflooding and eor relationship match the engineering case being checked.
Assumptions
- Input values are representative for the well, reservoir, fluid, or equipment case being evaluated.
- The declared units match the field-unit constants used in the formula.
- The cited formula applies to the selected petroleum engineering workflow.
Limitations
- The calculation does not replace a full engineering model or operating procedure.
- Accuracy depends on the source correlation, assumptions, input quality, and unit consistency.
Common mistakes
- Mixing unit systems without converting the inputs.
- Using default example values as field recommendations.
- Applying the formula outside the source assumptions.
Default example
Using the default inputs, Q_iD equals 0.478516 dimensionless.
35
35
50
10000
0.8
40
500
Inputs
M_f
BTU/ft^3-FVolumetric heat capacity of injected hot fluid
M_r
BTU/ft^3-FVolumetric heat capacity of reservoir
h_t
ftReservoir height
i
ft^3/dayInjection rate
alpha_s
ft^2/dayThermal diffusivity to overburden
M_s
BTU/ft^3-FVolumetric heat capacity of steam or adjacent medium
L
ftPattern length
Outputs
Q_iD
Dimensionless heat injection rate
M_f
Volumetric heat capacity of injected hot fluid
M_r
Volumetric heat capacity of reservoir
h_t
Reservoir height
i
Injection rate
alpha_s
Thermal diffusivity to overburden
M_s
Volumetric heat capacity of steam or adjacent medium
L
Pattern length
Source and review
reviewedThermal Recovery, Prats, M. (1986)
Prats, M. 1986. Thermal Recovery. Society of Petroleum Engineers, New York, Chapter 5, Page 51.
Source