Critical Flow

A flow condition that occurs across the choke manifold valves in which pressure
fluctuations downstream of the valve cannot affect the conditions upstream of the valve.
Achieving this condition is vital when testing a well because it allows the engineer to
perform tests (taking samples, adjusting the separator tank, etc.) without altering the
conditions downhole.

In well testing, critical flow is achieved when the downstream pressure is approximately
1/2 the upstream pressure:

The empirical equation that describes multiphase (oil, gas, and water) flow through choke
manifolds is:

Q = mass flow rate in BPD (barrels per day)

Pwhf = wellhead flow pressure in psig

d = inner diameter of the choke bean (in 64ths of an inch)

R = volume of gas/volume of liquid, also called gas liquid ratio (GLR)

Solving this equation for the wellhead flow pressure yields the following equation:

Notice that the wellhead flow pressure is a linear function of the mass flow rates.

This linearity means that for a constant mass flow rate, increasing the choke size will
reduce the wellhead flow pressure. The linearity also means that a smaller GLR (i.e.,
more liquid) will also reduce the wellhead flow pressure. (See above figure.)