Experimental Investigation of Cresting and Critical Flow Rate of Horizontal Wells

Abstract

ABSTRACT Cresting towards horizontal wells with bottom water drive and edge water drive has been experimentally investigated using a laboratory model. For bottom water drive the experimental results are compared with two models for transient crestal behavior. The range of applicability for critical rate estimates by the analytic model is found. For edge water drive the model developed predicts the measured steady-state supercritical production performance over a wide range of flow rates. As a consequence of the model and experimental results follows that by increasing the total production, net oil rates much above the critical may be obtained.