Open Access

ARTICLE

Study on Dynamic Prediction of Two-Phase Pipe Flow in Inclined Wellbore with Middle and High Yield

Xiaoya Feng^{1, 2}, Wei Luo^{1, 2, *}, Yu Lei³, Yubin Su⁴, Zhigang Fang³

1 School of Petroleum Engineering, Yangtze University, Wuhan, 430100, China.
2 The Multiphase Flow Laboratory of Gas Lift Innovation Center, CNPC, Wuhan, 430100, China.
3 Gas Lift Test Base of CNPC, Shanshan, 838202, China.
4 Oil and Gas Technology Research Institute, Changqing Oilfield Branch Company of CNPC, Xi’an, 710021, China.

* Corresponding Author: Wei Luo. Email: .

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: CFD Modeling and Multiphase Flows)

Fluid Dynamics & Materials Processing 2020, 16(2), 339-358. https://doi.org/10.32604/fdmp.2020.08564

Received 08 September 2019; Accepted 17 October 2019; Issue published 21 April 2020

Abstract

Gas-liquid two-phase flow is ubiquitous in the process of oil and gas exploitation, gathering and transportation. Flow pattern, liquid holdup and pressure drop are important parameters in the process of gas-liquid two-phase flow, which are closely related to the smooth passage of the two-phase fluid in the pipe section. Although Mukherjee, Barnea and others have studied the conventional viscous gas-liquid two-phase flow for a long time at home and abroad, the overall experimental scope is not comprehensive enough and the early experimental conditions are limited. Therefore, there is still a lack of systematic experimental research and wellbore pressure for gas-liquid two-phase flow under the conditions of middle and high yield and high gas-liquid ratio in conventional viscosity, and the prediction accuracy is low. In view of this, this study carried out targeted systematic research, and from the flow pattern, liquid holdup and pressure drop aspects, established the relevant model, obtained a set of inclined wellbore gas-liquid two-phase pipe flow dynamic prediction method. At the same time, firstly, the model is tested by experimental data, and then the model is compared and verified by a number of field measured wells, which proves that the model is reliable and the prediction accuracy of wellbore pressure is high.

---

Keywords

---