Modeling of Gas-Liquid Stratified Flow in an Inclined Well-Bore and Bends
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Date
2010-10
Authors
Adeyanju, O.
Oyekunle, L.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Nova Science Publishers, Inc.
Abstract
Multiphase flows modeling in wellbore has always been a problem to the petroleum industry operators. Correlations are presently in use in the petroleum industry, and most of these correlations are obsolete as their application to field data has generated results with unacceptable errors. Most of the existing models proposed to correct these anomalies have always ignored the mass transfer between phases. This has creates serious doubt to the predictive capability of these models. In this study, a one-Dimensional transient state mechanistic model of multi-phase fluid flow in inclined well has been developed. The model is solved numerically to predict the pressure drop as the flow passes through an inclined wellbore and a bend. Results show that the higher the inclination angle the higher the rate of pressure decline in the flow of the fluid to the surface, also a dramatically high pressure drop was observed when the flow passes through a bend. This unexpected high pressure resulting from the change in flow regime from stratified layered flow to slug flow in bend can result in a counter flow of formation fluid back into the reservoir in a low pressure reservoir thereby reducing the fractional recovery from such reservoir. The models predicted the experimental pressure gradient results better than the existing correlations presently in used in the petroleum industry judging from the Average Absolute Deviation (AAD) value of 0.7 compared to AAD value of 1.9 and 2.4 returned by the correlations.
Description
Staff publications
Keywords
Reservoir influx fluid , Slip velocity , Counter flow , Productivity index , Liquid mass flow rate , Research Subject Categories::TECHNOLOGY::Chemical engineering
Citation
Adeyanju, O.A. and Oyekunle, L. (2010). Modeling of Gas-Liquid Stratified Flow in an Inclined Well-Bore and Bends. Journal of Advances in Petroleum Engineering Sciences (ASPES), Vol. 2(4).