Horizontal Well Artificial Lift
Projects
Project-4
Investigation of Multiphase Flow
Behavior in Horizontal Oil Wells
Cem Sarica
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Drivers
 Liquid Rich Shales are Immediate Interest
of Most Companies Due to Market Forces
 There are No Tools to Predict the
Behavior of Oil Dominated Multiphase
Flow in Horizontal Wells
 Understanding of the Flow Behavior is
Key in the Design and Operation of
Artificial Lift Systems
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Objectives
 Study Multiphase Flow Characteristics
for Horizontal Oil Wells
Experimentally/Theoretically
 Investigate How the Well Geometry or
Trajectory Affects the Flow
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Study Plan
 Experimental
 Modeling
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Experimental Study
 Operating Conditions of Horizontal
Wells will Experimentally be Simulated
After Completion of Gas Dominated
Flow Testing
 Testing will Be Performed for Various
Gas and Liquid Flow Rate Combinations
That are Typical of Horizontal Oil Well
Production
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Modeling
 Development of a Mechanistic Model
(Physics Based) to Predict the Flow
Behavior
 Experimental Results will be Utilized in
Model Development
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Deliverables
 Understanding of the Oil Dominant
Flow Behavior of Horizontal Wells
 Experimental Data
 Model Describing Flow Behavior
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Consideration for Advisory Board
 Most Oil Dominated Systems have High
GOR
 Suggestion
 Merge Oil Project-4 into Projects 2 and 3
by Expanding Testing Range of Projects
2 and 3
 Justification
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Hydrocarbon Fluid Regions
(Rob Sutton Presentation at 3rd Annual Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Seminar)
 Oil
 Liquids rich, Super rich, Wet Gas
 Higher BTU gas -> NGLs from gas
processing
 Condensate
 Dry gas
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Reservoir Gas-Oil Ratio
(Rob Sutton Presentation at 3rd Annual Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Seminar)
Utica Shale - Differentiate Oil & NGL
1,000,000
Utica Tests
GOR (Gas/Oil), SCF/STB
GOR indicates gas condensate
100,000
10,000
1,000
0
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
7,000
8,000
Total GOR (Gas/(Oil+NGL), SCF/STB
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Marcellus GOR Histogram
(Rob Sutton Presentation at 3rd Annual Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Seminar)
Marcellus GOR Histogram
20
Frequency
15
10
5
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
e
M
or
0
0,
00
0
1,
00
0,
00
0
50
0,
00
0
25
0,
00
0
10
,0
0
0
75
,0
0
0
50
,0
0
0
40
,0
0
0
Data from
PA DEP
30
25
,0
0
0
,0
0
0
20
,0
0
15
,0
0
0
0
10
5,
00
1,
50
0
0
GOR Bin, SCF/STB
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
McCain’s Generalizations for Fluid Types
(Rob Sutton Presentation at 3rd Annual Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Seminar)
Black oil
Volatile Oil
Retrograde
Gas
Wet Gas
Dry Gas
Initial producing
GOR, scf/STB
<1,500
1,900 – 3,200
>3,200
>15,000*
100,000*
Initial stock-tank
liquid gravity,
o
API
<45
>40
>40
up to 70
No liquid
Color of stocktank liquid
Dark
Colored
Lightly colored
Water white
No liquid
Bubble point
Bubble point
Dew Point
No phase
change
No phase
change
> 24.5
16.5 – 12.9
<12.9
<4*
<0.7*
<2.0
>2.0
-
-
-
Phase change in
reservoir
Heptane-plus,
mole %
Oil FVF at
bubble point
API is not a good indicator of fluid type!
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Example Phase Diagram for Wet Gas
(Rob Sutton Presentation at 3rd Annual Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Seminar)
Clarification
Traditional definition of
“Wet Gas” reflects gas
and condensate only.
Current usage is to denote
NGL-rich gas. NGL’s are
a gas at production
conditions and do not
impact liquid loading
Chart after Bill McCain
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Marcellus WGR Histogram
(Rob Sutton Presentation at 3rd Annual Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Seminar)
Marcellus WGR Histogram
20
Frequency
15
10
5
0
1
2
3
Data from
PA DEP
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
4
5
10
25
50
100
150
200
250
More
WGR Bin, STB/MMCF
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Liquid Volume Fraction
(Rob Sutton Presentation at 3rd Annual Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Seminar)
Effect of WGR on Liquid Volume Fraction
1
Water
Liquid Volume Fraction
Oil
0.1
0.01
0.001
0.0001
0
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
Gas-Oil or Gas-Water Ratio, SCF/STB
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Superficial Velocity (5.5-in Casing at 500 psia & 150°F)
Rob Sutton Presentation at 3rd Annual Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Seminar)
Superficial Velocity
6
Oil
Gas
Superficial Velocity, ft/sec
5
Water
4
3
2
1
0
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
Oil Rate, STBPD or Gas Rate, MCFD
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Horizontal Multiphase Flow Patterns
(Rob Sutton Presentation at 3rd Annual Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Seminar)
TUFFP Unified Model Flow Pattern Map
100
Superficial Liquid Velocity, ft/sec
Dispersed Bubble
10
Slug
Annular
1
Stratified
0.1
0.01
0.001
0.01
0.1
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
1
10
Superficial Gas Velocity, ft/sec
100
1000
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Comparison of +1° and +5° Maps
(Rob Sutton Presentation at 3rd Annual Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Seminar)
TUFFP Unified Model Flow Pattern Map
TUFFP Unified Model Flow Pattern Map
100
100
Dispersed Bubble
Dispersed Bubble
10
Superficial Liquid Velocity, ft/sec
Superficial Liquid Velocity, ft/sec
10
Annular
1
Slug
0.1
+1°
Annular
1
Slug
0.1
+5°
0.01
0.01
Stratified
Stratified
0.001
0.01
100
10
1
0.1
Superficial Gas Velocity, ft/sec
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
1000
0.001
0.01
0.1
1
10
100
Superficial Gas Velocity, ft/sec
1000
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Comparison of -1° and -5° Maps
(Rob Sutton Presentation at 3rd Annual Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Seminar)
TUFFP Unified Model Flow Pattern Map
TUFFP Unified Model Flow Pattern Map
100
100
Dispersed Bubble
10
Slug
Superficial Liquid Velocity, ft/sec
Superficial Liquid Velocity, ft/sec
10
Dispersed Bubble
Annular
1
Stratified
0.1
-1°
0.01
0.001
0.01
Slug
Annular
1
Stratified
0.1
-5°
0.01
100
10
1
0.1
Superficial Gas Velocity, ft/sec
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
1000
0.001
0.01
0.1
1
10
100
Superficial Gas Velocity, ft/sec
1000
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Comparison of +5° and -5° Maps
(Rob Sutton Presentation at 3rd Annual Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Seminar)
TUFFP Unified Model Flow Pattern Map
TUFFP Unified Model Flow Pattern Map
100
100
Dispersed Bubble
Dispersed Bubble
10
Superficial Liquid Velocity, ft/sec
Superficial Liquid Velocity, ft/sec
10
Annular
1
Slug
0.1
+5°
0.01
Slug
Annular
1
Stratified
0.1
-5°
0.01
Stratified
0.001
0.01
0.1
1
10
100
Superficial Gas Velocity, ft/sec
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
1000
0.001
0.01
0.1
1
10
100
Superficial Gas Velocity, ft/sec
1000
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Projected Operating Conditions
(Rob Sutton Presentation at 3rd Annual Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Seminar)
Marcellus Type Curve
10,000
Rate
Gas Rate, MCFD
Bracket for FPM
1,000
100
2.5 - 22 Years
No “oil” type curve –
assume 25-100 STBOPD at
2000 SCF/STB GOR. For
gas-water, assume water
rate 5-200 STBWPD.
10
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Years
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Operating Areas for Oil & Gas on +5° FPM
(Rob Sutton Presentation at 3rd Annual Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Seminar)
TUFFP Unified Model Flow Pattern Map
100
10
Annular
1
Slug
0.1
Oil Operating
Envelope
0.01
0.001
0.01
0.1
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Gas
Operating
Envelope
Superficial Liquid Velocity, ft/sec
Dispersed Bubble
Stratified
1
10
Superficial Gas Velocity, ft/sec
100
1000
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012
Operating Areas for Oil & Gas on -5° FPM
(Rob Sutton Presentation at 3rd Annual Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Seminar)
TUFFP Unified Model Flow Pattern Map
100
10
Slug
Annular
1
Stratified
0.1
Oil Operating
Envelope
0.01
0.001
0.01
0.1
Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects
Gas
Operating
Envelope
Superficial Liquid Velocity, ft/sec
Dispersed Bubble
1
10
Superficial Gas Velocity, ft/sec
100
1000
Advisory Board Meeting, August 16, 2012