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Development of a multi-fluid model for multiphase flows in oil and
gas wells
A.A. Osiptsova, A.B. Starostina, and B.I. Krasnopolskya,b
We present the results of the development of a multi-fluid model for a transient
multiphase flow in a pipe with application to cleanup of oil and gas wells after drilling
or hydraulic fracturing. The 1D multi-fluid model governs a transient isothermal flow
of three compressible fluids in a horizontal, deviated, or vertical pipe. It is able to
predict the flow regimes with a single interface between gas and liquid mixture:
stratified-smooth, stratified-wavy, and slug-flow regimes. The multi-fluid research
code is built in C based on SIMPLE pressure-velocity coupling algorithm. The code is
validated on the flow pattern maps. An agreement is found in predicting the transition
between the regimes. The code results for the wavy flow regime are also found to be
in agreement with linear stability analysis. The model is an extension of the earlier
work on multi-fluid models for near-horizontal pipes1,2 to any inclination angle and
additional phases.
a
Dep. Well Testing, Schlumberger Moscow Research, 13 Pudovkina Str., Moscow, Russian
Federation.
bInstitute of Mechanics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1 Michurinsky Ave., Moscow,
Russian Federation.
1 Bonizzi and Issa, I.J. Multiphase Flow. 29, 1719 (2003).
2 Bonizzi et al., I.J. Multiphase Flow. 35, 34 (2009).
3 Issa and Kempf, I.J. Multiphase Flow. 29, 69 (2003).
4 Taitel and Dukler, AIChE J., 22, 47 (1976).
liquid superficial velocity UL [m/s]
10
Surface stability
Waves breaking
SLUGS
1
WAVY
STRATIFIED
0.1
0.01
0.1
1
10
100
gas superficial velocity UG [m/s]
Figure 1: Analytically constructed flow pattern and predictions of the present multi-fluid
model for horizontal flow. Background: earlier multi-fluid model3 and flow regime margins4.