Discussion of production logging as an integral part of horizontal-well transient-pressure test

Ahmed and Badry discussed the identification of flow regimes for a horizontal well. The well produces from an infinitely extending slab-like reservoir of finite thickness. The system allows a top and bottom boundary. Reference 1 indicates the possible existence of two early radial-flow periods and illustrates them in Figures. Kuchuk et al., and Daviau give the theoretical basis for the existence of such flow regimes. The flow is essentially 2D and in vertical planes. The authors agree that a second early radial-flow period could exist from a strictly theoretical viewpoint. However, certain important physical constraints, which were not explicitly mentioned in the above works, must be met before it can occur and for a reliable and valid analysis of the pressure data. The authors will show that the second early radial-flow regime could exist only if the well were extremely close to a no-flow boundary and they quantify extremely close. Hence, an engineer must use extreme caution in conducting pressure analysis on the basis of a second early radial-flow regime.