Improved Two-Fluid Model for Segregated Flow and Integrated Multiphase Flow Modeling for Downhole Pressure Predictions

Abstract

This work presents an integrated multiphase flow model for downhole pressure predictions with the purpose of producing relatively more accurate predictions under wide-flowing conditions while maintaining a simple form. As a component of the integrated model, an improved two-fluid model for segregated flow is proposed. The new two-fluid model was developed by improving the modeling of the wetted perimeters and the liquid wall shear stress. It outperformed five other existing state-of-the-art models in predicting the liquid holdup and pressure gradient of 11 experimental datasets from the literature, with an average relative error of 37.6% for liquid holdup predictions and 24.0% for pressure gradient predictions. The model succeeds in capturing the effects of inclination angle, pressure or gas density, and liquid and gas superficial velocities on liquid holdup and pressure gradient. The integrated model incorporates the state-of-the-art onset of liquid loading predictive model and classifies the flow into two major categories based on the onset of liquid loading that are modeled by two different approaches, respectively. It outperformed the other multiphase flow models in predicting the downhole pressure of 313 field data points, especially the wells that have both segregated and intermittent (mixed) flows. The errors were reduced to 4.4% for the field cases with mixed flow regions and 5.1% for all the field data points.