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Demonstrate Knowledgeof Advanced

Technologies in Oil andGas Production

Session 14

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Agenda

Flow regimes, horizontal wells

Horizontal wells more important than

vertical wells, Why? Applications of deviated wells

Name a few?

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Flow Regimes

Liquid in any pipe:

2 phase for liquids: laminar, turbulent

=

Re< 2300 : laminar

2300

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u When does a two-phase flow occur?

Some formations produce both

For flow Stimulation purposes

Oil well examples of multiphase application:

Multiphase flow meters using Venturi effect

Underbalanced drilling

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Flow regimes in horizontal pipes

Minimum 7 phases for liquid-gas flowDepends on geometryMore difficult to model and calculate

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Flow regimes in horizontal pipes

Vertical wells:

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Typical horizontal pipeline flowregimes

u Horizontal Wells:

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Horizontal pipeline flow

Regimes are interchangeable:

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Slug formation

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Slugs

Thus, slugs are unwanted because

They create pressure transients

Lead to flooding at receiving end Increase deposits and corrosion

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Flow Regimes in wells

The 2 main drivers of fluid within a rock are porosityand permeability. In vertical wells fluid flows radiallyinto the wellbore.

Well completions have limited entry points whichtransfers the radial and laminar flows within thereservoir to a non radial flow. These point are calledpointsink.

At this point the pressure drop is increased as well asthe velocity of flow into the wellbore which can createturbulence in high flowing gas wells

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Flow Regimes

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Flow Regimes

Horizontal wells face lesser problems as they have a line sink.

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Horizontal wells

Apart from the before mentioned benefit,horizontal wells have the following advantages

Produce Reserves that are not economical to producewith Vertical Wells

Increasing the exposed section length through thereservoir by drilling through the reservoir at an anglethereby increasing production Rates

Provide Better Rate of Return

Drilling into the reservoir where vertical access is difficult

or not possible. For instance an oilfield under a town,under a lake, or underneath a difficult-to-drill formation

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Horizontal Wells

Allowing more wellheads to be grouped together on one

surface location It allows fewer rig moves

Drilling a "relief well" to relieve the pressure of a wellproducing without restraint (blowout). In this scenario,another well could be drilled starting at a safe distance away

from the blowout, but intersecting the troubled wellbore.Then, heavy fluid (kill fluid) is pumped into the reliefwellbore to suppress the high pressure in the originalwellbore causing the blowout.

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Horizontal Wells

Thin Formations

Economical Viability of Small Fields

Avoidance of Gas/Oil and Gas/Water Contacts