Horizontal Well Artificial Lift
Projects
Investigation of Multiphase
Flow Behavior in Horizontal
Gas Wells
Rosmer Brito
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Outline
 Objective
 Introduction
 Literature Review
 Study Plan
 Small Scale Facility
 Experimental Range
 Testing Program
 Instrumentation
 Near Future Tasks
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Objectives
 Investigation of Multiphase Flow
Characteristics for Horizontal Oil and Gas
Wells
 Experimentally Using a Small Scale Facility (2-in. ID)
 Theoretically by Developing a Mechanistic Liquid
Loading Criterion
 Investigate Effects of Wells Geometry and
Trajectory
 Development of a Predictive Software Tool
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Introduction
United States Shale Gas Plays
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Introduction …
U.S. natural gas production, 1990-2035 (trillion cubic feet)
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Hydraulic Fracture in Horizontal
Wells
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Water Production In Horizontal Gas
Wells
 80% Water Used for Hydraulic Fracture Spreads in
the Reservoir After Flow Back
 Below/Above Water Formations
 Fractures extends to Water Bearing Layers
Continues Water Production
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Horizontal Section in Gas Wells
 Liquid Loading Occurs When
 Gas Production Declines
 Associated Liquids are not Lifted
 Intermittent or No Gas Production
 HL in the Horizontal Section
 Impair Production Before Loading is Evident
 Slug Flow from Horizontal Wellbore to Tubing
 Liquid Loading is Affected by Well Deviation
CSU/SPE 149477
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Literature Review
 Turner (1969)
 Water Production Affects Flow Characteristic of the Wells
 Liquid Generates Back Pressure  Slugging
 Design: Affects HL and dP/dL Prediction
 Production: Affects Well Test Results
 Proposed Physical Models
 Liquid Film Movement Along the Wall of the Pipe
 Liquid Droplet Entrainment on the High Velocity Gas Core
 Comparison with Field Data
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Literature Review …
 Coleman (1991)
 Parameters Affecting Liquid Loading
 Liquids Gravity and Surface Tension
 Water and Oil are Presented  Onset of Loading
 Tubing ID
 Pressure
 Minor Influence
 Temperature, Gas Gravity and Interfacial Tension
 Wells that Exhibit Slugging Behavior May not Follow
Liquid-Droplet Model  Different Transport
Mechanism
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Literature Review …
 Sarica, Shoham and Brill (1991)
 Flow Behavior in Hilly Terrain Pipelines with Low
Gas/Liquid  Gravity Dominated
 Steady or Unsteady Flow
 Transient Behavior
 Pipe Geometry
 Gas Compressibility
 Rigorous Terrain Slugging Model
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Literature Review …
 Meng (2001)
 Gas-Liquid Two-Phase Flow Tests for Inclination
Angles of - 2, 0, + 2 in a 2 in. ID Pipe
 Pressure Gradient is Much Higher Than Single
Phase Case
 Slightly Change in Inclination Angle Affects
Liquid Holdup
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Literature Review …
 Zhang and Sarica (2011)
 Stratified Flow  Low Liquid Loading Gas/Liquid
Flow in Horizontal and Slightly Downward Inclined
Pipes
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Literature Review …
 Zhang and Sarica (2011)
 Flow Patterns:
 Smooth Interface
 2D Waves
 3D Waves
 Roll Waves
 Entrainment
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Literature Review …
 Zhang, and Sarica (2011)
 Upward Inclination
   HL
 Qg < Qcritical
Transition from SS to SL flow
   dP/dL
 Almost All Empirical Correlations are Inadequate
for the Predictions of Low Liquid Loading Flow
Behavior
 Mechanistic Models Requires Improvement of
Closure Relationships
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Literature Review …
 Liang-Biao Ouyang (2000)
 Influence of Influx on Single Phase





and Multiphase Wellbore Flow
Experiments 1993-1997
100-ft (30.5 m)-Long Horizontal Wellbore
Axial Flow and Radial Influx
Different Wellbore IDs, Gravel Packs, Perforation
Types and Densities
Pressure Drop Prediction
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Literature Review …
 Most of These Studies
were Focused on
Horizontal Pipes
 Complex Configurations
(Undulations) have not
been Investigated in
Majority of Studies
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
 Knowledge in Horizontal
Wells Multiphase Flow is
Limited
 Multiple Fluid Entry
Locations have not been
Considered
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Study Plan
 Experimental
 Design and Construct a Versatile
Facility
 Perform Testing Based on Prioritized
Schedule
 Model Development for Prediction
Loading and Flow Conditions
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Small Scale Facility
 Overall Cost ~ $50,000
 Two Months of Construction Time
 Facility will be Ready by Nov. 1st, 2012
 Low Modification Effort
 Quick Results
 Preliminary Results can be Utilized for Large Scale
Loop Design and Instrument Selection and Location
 Some Artificial Lift Methods can also be Tested
 Needs to Be Identified
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
6
Small Scale Facility …
40’
( 240D )
C8
5
2 ’’
4
C7
C3
C2
C6
3
2 ’’
2
PT1
1
C5
DP2
2 ’’
C4
DP1
TTW
Water Tank
Control
Valve
CVW
Quick Closing Valve
Camera
1
C1
No Intrusive Capacitance Sensor
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Submergible
Pump
Coriolis
Meter
MMW
2 ’’
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
6
Experimental Range …
40’
( 240D )
C8
5
2 ’’
4
C7
C3
C2
C6
3
2 ’’
2
PT1
1
C5
DP2
2 ’’
C4
DP1
TTW
Water Tank
Control
Valve
CVW
Quick Closing Valve
Camera
1
C1
No Intrusive Capacitance Sensor
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Submergible
Pump
Coriolis
Meter
MMW
2 ’’
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Experimental Range …
 Flow Pattern Map (= -1)
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
6
Experimental Range …
40’
( 240D )
C8
5
2 ’’
4
C7
C3
C2
C6
3
2 ’’
2
PT1
1
C5
DP2
2 ’’
C4
DP1
TTW
Water Tank
Control
Valve
CVW
Quick Closing Valve
Camera
1
C1
No Intrusive Capacitance Sensor
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Submergible
Pump
Coriolis
Meter
MMW
2 ’’
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Experimental Range …
 Flow Pattern Map (= 0)
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
6
Experimental Range …
40’
( 240D )
C8
5
2 ’’
4
C7
C3
C2
C6
3
2 ’’
2
PT1
1
C5
DP2
2 ’’
C4
DP1
TTW
Water Tank
Control
Valve
CVW
Quick Closing Valve
Camera
1
C1
No Intrusive Capacitance Sensor
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Submergible
Pump
Coriolis
Meter
MMW
2 ’’
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Experimental Range …
 Flow Pattern Map (= +1)
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Testing Program
 Static Liquid Tests
 qLin=0
 Liquid Volume, VL>0
 Dynamic Liquid Tests
 qLin>0
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Static Tests
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Static Tests
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Static Tests
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Static Tests
Superficial
Gas Velocity
Gas
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Static Tests
Gas
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Static Tests …
Gas
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Dynamic Tests
 VSW=0.003 m/s – 0.03 m/s
 VSG=0.3 m/s –16 m/s
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Dynamic Tests …
 Determine Multiphase Flow
Characteristics for Undulating Section
Flow Pattern
Pressure Drop
Liquid Holdup
Water Blockage Phenomena
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Instrumentation
 Clamp on Capacitance Sensor
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Instrumentation …
 Quick Closing Valve System
P2
T2
PRESURRIZED
VESSEL
V2
AIR
P1
T1
QCV
V1
WATER
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
TEST SECTION
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Instrumentation …
 Flow Pattern Observation
 Flow Pattern Evaluation Videos in the
Inlet, Undulating and Vertical Section by
Utilizing Outdoor Surveillance Cameras
 High Speed Camera Will
be Connected to the
Undulating Section
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Instrumentation …
 Film Flow Direction
 Wall Shear Stress Sensor
Wall Shear Stress Measurement
Near Wall Flow Direction Indicator
Commercial Device for Direct Wall Shear Stress
Measurement Lenterra RealShear™ F - Series
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Near Future Tasks
 Completion of Construction of the
Facility (November 2012)
 Testing Starting in November 2012
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Thanks …
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Questions
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012