Mechanistic Modeling of Upward Gas-Liquid Flow in Deviated Wells
Abstract
Underbalanced drilling (UBD) has increased in recent years because of the many advantages associated with it. The precise wellbore pressure prediction is the key for safe and efficient underbalanced drilling. With the quantity of deviated and horizontal wells using UBD increases, pressure prediction of these wells is important. In this paper, a new mechanistic model has been developed to predict flow pattern and calculate flow behavior for each pattern in deviated annular during UBD operation. And the proposed model has been validated with field data. In addition, a comparison of the model results against two empirical models indicating the presented models perform better in predicting two phase flow parameters in UBD operation.
Key words: Underbalanced drilling (UBD); Deviated wells; Mechanistic modeling
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3968/6659
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