A Simple Mechanistic Model for Void-
Fraction and Pressure-Gradient Prediction
in Vertical and Inclined Gas/Liquid Flow
Mars Khasanov, Rinat Khabibullin, Vitaly Krasnov, Alexander Pashali, and Viatcheslav Guk, SPE,
Rosneft Oil Company
Summary
A new mechanistic model for two-phase flow in vertical and
inclined pipes was proposed on the basis of the drift-flux
approach. The proposed model, unlike the other mechanistic mod-
els [Ansari et al. (1994); Xiao et al. (1990); Zhang et al.(2003)]
that incorporate a system of nonlinear equations to solve, uses an
explicit equation for liquid-holdup prediction, thus reducing
computation time significantly. Coupled with some simplified
assumptions on pressure/volume/temperature (PVT), such a sim-
ple form of a liquid-holdup-prediction formula enables an analyti-
cal integration of the pressure gradient in two-phase flow along
the pipe. This procedure is used usually to speed up the calcula-
tion of bottomhole pressure (BHP) for a large number of wells for
oil-production-optimization purposes (Khasanov et al. 2006).
The drift-flux approach can predict liquid holdup for bubbly
flow quite accurately. However, for slug flow, it usually under-
estimates the void fraction. Because slug flow is the most com-
mon flow in producing wells, this leads to the pressure drop being
overestimated significantly; this can be proved by comparing
computational results to the experimental data and mechanistic
models. Small gas bubbles in liquid slugs should be accounted
for when predicting liquid holdup for slug flow more accurately.
Gas in the slug body is considered by adding a proper term to the
void-fraction expression. This term is based on the correlation for
liquid holdup in the slug body. The model was evaluated with
Rosneft’s field data and the Tulsa University Fluid Flow Projects
(TUFFP) databank. The model was evaluated by comparing it
with three mechanistic models for multiphase flow.
Introduction
The major tasks for every oil company are oil-production maxi-
mization and operational-costs reduction. This requires permanent
well-production monitoring by selecting the most promising
wells and performing operations on those wells to increase
production (well-enhancement routines). The key objective of
well-production monitoring is to control the productivity index
and well potential for every well during the well lifecycle. This
requires the well BHP to be determined. In some cases, direct
measurement of BHP is either difficult or uneconomical; that is
why BHP calculation is still a relevant problem.
The complexity of the pressure-gradient prediction grows out
of the multiphase character of the mixture flowing through oil
wells. The multiphase mechanistic models (those in Ansari et al.
1994; Xiao et al. 1990; Zhang et al. 2003) allow prediction of the
pressure gradient with high accuracy. Such models together cover
the whole range of pipe-inclination angles and input parameters.
They are applicable for a detailed analysis, but because they
usually incorporate a system of nonlinear equations to solve, the
computation time can be quite long.
When an oil company operates thousands of wells, it is impor-
tant for them to use their regular analysis to choose those wells the
Copyright ã 2009 Society of Petroleum Engineers
This paper (SPE 108506) was accepted for presentation at the International Oil Conference
and Exhibition in Mexico, Veracruz, Mexico, 27–30 June 2007, and revised for publication.
Original manuscript received for review 13 April 2007. Revised manuscript received for
review 15 August 2008. Paper peer approved 10 September 2008.
February 2009 SPE Production & Operations
optimization of which would be most beneficial (Khasanov et al.
2006). For such cases, the use of mechanistic models can be rather
difficult because their iterative procedures require lengthy compu-
tation times.
The purpose of this paper is to develop a simple mechanistic
model for pressure-gradient prediction that (1) is applicable for
the whole range of input data and (2) has a simple unified form of
void-fraction expression for all considered flow patterns.
Pressure Gradient
The fundamental equation for a pressure gradient in single-phase
flow is derived from mass- and momentum-conservation equa-
tions and is usually stated as (Brill and Mukherjee 1999):
dp f rn2 dn
¼ rg sin y þ þ rn : . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (1)
dl 2d dl
The first, second, and third terms in Eq. 1 describe gravitation,
friction, and acceleration components of pressure gradient, respec-
tively. In the case of a multiphase flow, conservation laws should
be stated for every phase and supplemented by closure relations.
Because no rigorous solution for such a case exists, a number of
approaches were developed. The most rigorous two-phase-flow
modeling approach is two-fluid modeling. This approach consid-
ers each phase separately, and the model is formulated in two sets
of conservation equations. However, this approach involves con-
siderable difficulties because of mathematical complications and
uncertainties in specifying interfacial interaction. Mathematically,
these models are expressed in forms of nonlinear equations for
which numerical solutions can be rather difficult to achieve. The
mechanistic models (Ansari et al. 1994; Xiao et al. 1990; Zhang
et al. 2003) use this concept partially, which helps them to predict
void fraction and pressure drop quite accurately. The main disa-
dvantage is that the mathematical difficulties limit their applica-
tion significantly.
The difficulties associated with a two-phase-fluid model can
be reduced significantly by formulating two-phase flow in terms
of drift-flux modeling. The drift-flux approach is based on the
consideration of two fluids as a mixture in which properties are
represented as an average of the properties of the two fluids.
Mixture density is expressed as:
rm ¼ rl ð1  fg Þ þ rg fg : . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (2)
The main mixture property is the void fraction fg . According to
the drift-flux-modeling concept, void fraction in multiphase flow
is represented as
vsg
fg ¼ ; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (3)
C0  ðvsg þ vsl Þ þ vd
where C0 is the flow-profile-distribution parameter that accounts
for nonuniform gas distribution in a tube cross section and vd
represents the relative velocity between phases (drift velocity)
(Zuber and Findlay 1965).
Within the drift-flux approach, pressure gradient in multi-
phase-flow conditions can be calculated from Eq. 1 (for single-
phase flow) using the proper mixture density. In a number of
cases (e.g., zero net-liquid flow, such as flow in well annulus,
165
large-diameter casing), the influence of friction and acceleration
components on overall pressure drop is insignificant and can be
neglected. Neglecting the friction and acceleration components of
pressure gradient, the total pressure gradient can be stated as
dp

¼ rl ð1  fg Þ þ rg  fg  g sin y: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (4)
dl

Flow-Pattern Prediction
The main feature of multiphase-flow modeling is the assumption
of the existence of flow patterns. Taitel et al. (1980) developed a
flow-pattern-prediction model for vertical and slightly inclined
gas/liquid flow. That study states the existence of four main flow
patterns in a vertical well: bubbly or dispersed-bubble, slug,
churn, and annular flows. The void-fraction expression (Eq. 3) is
valid for every flow pattern with the proper values for parameters
C0 and vd . Bubbly, dispersed-bubble, slug, and churn flows are
considered in the proposed model. As for annular flow, the fric-
tion forces make a significant contribution to the pressure drop for
this flow pattern. Because of this, the drift-flux approach fails to
predict pressure drop accurately.
Hasan et al. (1988) determined experimentally that a transition
between bubble and slug flows occurs when the void fraction is
equal to approximately 0.25. If we enter this value into Eq. 3, a
transition boundary between bubble and slug flows can be
obtained. Slug-to-churn-flow transition is considered to take place
at superficial gas velocity equal to 0.4 m/s. Transition to
dispersed-bubble flow occurs at high liquid rates when turbulent Fig. 1—Drift-flux modeling of bubble and slug flows.
forces are significant enough to break large bubbles into small
ones. This occurs under conditions stated by the following expres- The gas in liquid slugs is accounted for in Eq. 8, which
sion (Taitel et al. 1980): expresses the average void fraction in a slug unit (Fig. 2):
!0:5  
s
r 0:6 m0:2 0:4 lTB lTB
l
ðvsg þ vsl Þ1:12 fgSU ¼ fgTB  þ fgLS  1  : . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (8)
ðrl  rg Þg s d 1:2 lSU lSU
 
vsg 0:5 Because the Taylor bubble occupies almost the entire pipe
¼ 1:49 þ 8:52 : . . . . . . . . . . . . (5) cross section, the assumption for fgTB to be equal to unity is quite
vsl þ vsg
reasonable. This assumption also leads to the following expres-
sion (Fig.1):
Void-Fraction Prediction
lTB vsg
Dispersed-Bubble Flow. Dispersed-bubble flow is characterized ¼ fgðslugÞ ¼ : . . . . . . . . . . . . (9)
lSU C0ðslugÞ  ðvsg þ vsl Þ þ vdðslugÞ
by “no-slip” phases and a uniform velocity distribution, which
means that C0 ¼ 1and vd ¼ 0. Inserting Eq. 9 into Eq. 8, we obtain
vsg
Bubbly Flow and Slug Flow. A number of theoretical and fgSU ¼
experimental studies have been conducted to define the concen- C0ðslugÞ  ðvsg þ vsl Þ þ vdðslugÞ
 
tration parameter and drift velocity (Zuber and Findlay 1965; vsg
Hasan and Kabir 1988; Coddington and Macian 2002; Hibiki and þ fgLS  1  : . . . . . (10)
C0ðslugÞ  ðvsg þ vsl Þ þ vdðslugÞ
Ishii 2003; Harmathy 1960). We assume C0 ¼ 1:2 for both bub-
ble- and slug-flow patterns that correspond to a turbulent velocity
profile. To calculate the drift velocity, the expression for bubble
flow in Harmathy (1960) is used:
sffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
4 g  s  ðrl  rg Þ
vdðbubÞ ¼ 1:53   sin y: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (6)
r2l

To calculate drift velocity in slug flow, the expression Bendiksen

(1984) is used:
pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
vdðslugÞ ¼ 0:54  g  d  cos y þ 0:35  g  d  sin y: . . . . . . (7)

Slug-Flow Improvement. The drift-flux approach is appropriate

for bubble flow because drift velocity has a clear physical mean-
ing corresponding to bubble rise. As for slug flow, it is known
from experiments that this flow pattern has an intermittent struc-
ture: Taylor bubbles are followed by liquid slugs, which contain
gas in the form of small rising bubbles.
Eq. 5 expresses the velocity of moving Taylor bubbles in a
stagnant liquid. It does not account for the gas in liquid slugs
(Fig. 1). Fig. 2—Slug-unit representation.

166 February 2009 SPE Production & Operations

Liquid-slug void fraction can be obtained from the correlation in
Sylvester (1987) and from the data in Fernandes et al. (1986) and
Schmidt (1976):
vsg
fgLS ¼ : . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (11)
2:65  ðvsg þ vsl Þ þ 0:425
The final expression to calculate average slug-flow void fraction
can be obtained by combining Eqs. 7, 10, and 11:
vsg
fgSU ¼ pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
1:2 vm þ 0:54  g d  cos y þ0:35  g  d  sin y
 
vsg
þ 1 pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
1:2  vm þ 0:54  g  d cos y þ 0:35  g d  sin y
vsg
 :
2:65  vm þ 0:425                        ð12Þ
Churn Flow. Because of the chaotic nature of churn flow, no
mechanistic model to predict void fraction has been developed
yet. Hasan and Kabir (1988) recommend use of the equation that
is used for slug flow, with the same drift velocity but with distri-
bution parameter C0 equal to 1.16. The authors decided to adhere
to the improvement idea used for slug flow and left the obtained
expression the same (Eq. 12) but with C0 equal to 1.16. However,
as applied to churn flow, this expression may have no physical
meaning.
The summary of the void-fraction-prediction model is pre-
sented in Table 1.
Analytical Pressure vs. Depth Expression
The analytical void-fraction expressions for each of the consid-
ered flow patterns were developed and used in a well-optimization
February 2009 SPE Production & Operations
cycle. Such expressions enable explicit pressure-vs.-depth depen-
dence to be developed as soon as the proper simplifying assump-
tions on PVT properties are made (for example, the linear
dependence of solution-gas/oil ratio on pressure). The discussion
of such procedures is beyond the scope of this paper and will be a
main concern in the authors’ future publications.
Evaluation
Evaluation of the proposed model was performed by comparing
the predicted one to the measured pressure drop for the wells from
the TUFFP databank for four mechanistic models. The cases
selected and the corresponding relative-performance factors
(Ansari et al. 1994) are represented in Table 2.
The models compared are
• Ansari mechanistic model (Ansari et al. 1994)
• Unified mechanistic model (Zhang et al. 2003)
• Hasan and Kabir mechanistic model (Hasan and Kabir 1988)
• Proposed model
Fig. 3 illustrates the time needed for the computer to calcu-
late pressure drop for all 2,028 wells in the databank, including
PVT-properties calculation by correlations. It can be noted that
the time required to calculate for the proposed model as well as
the Hasan and Kabir model is significantly lower because of the
drift-flux basis of these two models. The presented model, how-
ever, enables the estimation of pressure drop with greater accu-
racy, which is believed to be the result of slug-flow void-fraction
improvement.
Case Study
The most common way to determine BHP for an electrical-sub-
mersible-pump (ESP) artificial-lift system is calculation from the
mixture column height above the pump intake. This usually
167
 Fig. 3—Computation-time comparison.
involves acoustic-well-sounding data for gas/liquid-interface
determination. Pressure-drop prediction in the annulus can be
performed by standard mechanistic models by use of the hydraulic-
diameter concept (Brill and Mukherjee 1999) along with the special
mechanistic models developed for the annulus [Hasan et al. (1988)
mechanistic model].
A series of fluid-level-depression tests was carried out.
Such tests are used on wells equipped with ESPs for reducing
gas influence on liquid holdup in the annulus, thus enabling
more-accurate pressure-drop estimation. A schematic of a flu-
id-level-depression test is shown in Fig. 4. If pressure at the
pump intake is less than the bubblepoint pressure during well
production, then free gas enters the annulus, passes through
it, and goes into the flowline. The annular valve is shut
during the test, thus leading to gas accumulation, which
results in an increase of the annular pressure and a decrease
in the fluid height above the pump intake. Time series of
annular-pressure pc and fluid-level hl measurements were
recorded, which allowed evaluating gas flow through the annulus
and calculating pump-intake pressure by use of any multiphase-
flow model. The proposed model was used along with three other
multiphase models to compare the predicted to the measured
pump-intake pressure.
Several wells, equipped with pressure gauges at the pump
intake, were selected to compare the accuracy of calculations
made with different mechanistic models. Depression tests were
performed on each of them. To illustrate the performance of
selected multiphase models in comparison, the well from the
Priobskoe field was chosen. The test lasted approximately 3 hours,
Fig. 5—Fluid-level and annular-pressure dynamics throughout
the test.
168
Fig. 4—Schematic of the fluid-level-depression test.
during which the measured fluid level dropped from 1196 to 1738
m and the measured annular pressure increased from 16 to 31 atm
(Fig. 5).
The pressure drop was calculated with four mechanistic
models:
• Ansari mechanistic model (Ansari et al. 1994)
• Unified mechanistic model (Zhang et al. 2003)
• Hasan and Kabir mechanistic model for the annulus (Hasan
and Kabir 1988)
• Proposed model
The measured and predicted pressures at the pump intake for
this case are represented in Fig. 6. It can be noted easily that the
pressure-drop prediction calculated by use of the proposed model
is close to the prediction calculated with the Ansari et al. and the
unified mechanistic models. The accuracy of the pump-intake-
pressure prediction rises from the test beginning to the end. This
is believed to be attributed to the void-fraction decrease when the
upper part of liquid column disappears. This part of the liquid
column is represented usually with the annular, churn, or slug-
flow pattern. It should also be noticed that at the beginning of
the test (corresponding to normal well production), the intake-
pressure prediction with the proposed model is approximately
10 atm higher in accuracy in comparison to the Hasan and Kabir
model (which also is based on drift flux); this reduces the predic-
tion error two-fold.
Conclusions
1. A new model for void-fraction and pressure-gradient predic-
tion in vertical and slightly deviated wells was developed on
the basis of the drift-flux approach.
Fig. 6—Pump-intake pressure: predicted and measured.
February 2009 SPE Production & Operations
2. The model was evaluated by use of the TUFFP databank
along with Rosneft field data. Evaluation showed that in
comparison with mechanistic models, the proposed model
enables the calculation of the pressure gradient with compa-
rable accuracy, but requires less calculation resources.
3. Because of the simplicity of the void-fraction expression
provided by the drift-flux approach, this model enables an
explicit expression for pressure-vs.-depth dependence to be
developed. This approach allows for the calculation of the
pressure gradient for a large number of wells simultaneously,
which is essential for production optimization.
Nomenclature
C0 = distribution parameter
d = diameter
f = friction factor
fg = void fraction
g = gravitational acceleration
l = length
v = velocity
vd = drift velocity
m = kinematic viscosity
r = density
s = liquid-surface tension
y = angle (from horizontal)
Subscripts
g = gas
l = liquid
m = mixture
sg = superficial gas
sl = superficial liquid
LS = liquid slug
SU = slug unit (Taylor bubble and liquid slug)
TB = Taylor bubble
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SI Metric Conversion Factors
atm  1.013.250* E + 05 = Pa
ft  3.048* E - 01 = m
*Conversion factor is exact.
Mars Khasanov is a Director for Science at Rosneft Oil
Company and one of the distinguished persons in Russian
petroleum science. Before joining Rosneft, he served
as Director for Science at Yukos EP and lead one the most
successful corporate FDP institutes. Dr. Khasanov was once a
professor of mathematics at Ufa Oil Technical University. His
professional interests include broad range of issues
associated with upstream disciplines, especially in application
of newest technologies and developments in physics and
mathematics. Scientific interests include nonlinear and
chaotic dynamics, quantification and managing uncertainty
in petroleum systems, artificial intelligence, and expert
systems. He has authored or co-authored 5 books and
almost 130 journal publications and holds 43 patents. Dr.
Khasanov holds a Doctor of Technical Sciences degree and
a PhD degree in physics and mathematics. Khasanov is a
member of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences. Rinat
Khabibullin is currently working with Rosneft Oil Company in
the Corporate Research and Technology Center in Moscow.
Khabibullin joined the petroleum engineering group at Rosneft
in 2005. Before joining Rosneft, he worked with Yukos E&P re-
search centers in Ufa and Moscow. He has been involved in
variety of projects, including development and implementa-
tion of practical calculation techniques for production optimi-
zation in Rosneft and field trials of new artificial-lift equipment.
His interests include multiphase flow in pipes and reservoir, arti-
ficial lift, production enhancement, well testing, reservoir sur-
veillance, and computer science. He holds a PhD degree in
technical sciences from the Ufa Aviation Technical University,
Russia. Vitaly Krasnov is currently working with Rosneft Oil Com-
pany in the Corporate Research and Technology Center
in Moscow. Krasnov joined Rosneft in 2005 and worked as a
research coordinator in a variety of production and reservoir-
engineering areas. Before joining Rosneft, he worked with
Yukos E&P research centers in Ufa and Moscow. His interests
include multiphase flow in pipes and reservoir, artificial lift, pro-
duction enhancement, hydraulic fracturing and induced frac-
turing in injection wells, well testing and reservoir surveillance,
novel approaches to waterflood projecting, and modeling
in tight heterogeneous reservoirs. He holds PhD and BS
degrees in physics and mathematics from Ufa Aviation Tech-
nical University, Russia. Alexander Pashali is currently working
as the Deputy Department Head of the New Technologies
Department in Rosneft Oil Company, organizing a process of
attraction and application of new technologies in production.
169
He began his career in the research and development
division of Yukos Oil Company. His scientific and practical
interests include petroleum engineering, innovative technol-
ogies, computer methods of modeling, monitoring, and in-
creasing production-process efficiency. Pashali is an author
of more than 16 papers, 4 enterprise standards, and 3 soft-
ware products. He has participated in a number of interna-
tional conferences in reservoir simulation, artificial lift, and
petroleum engineering in Russia, USA, and Europe. Pashali is
a member of SPE. He holds a degree in computer sciences.
170
Viatcheslav Guk is currently working as a Leading Specialist
in the Field Development Division of Rosneft-Yugansknefte-
gaz (Nefteyugansk, Russia). Guk joined Rosneft in 2005,
working in the Corporate Research and Technology Center,
primarily on multiphase flow modeling as applied to produc-
tion enhancement. Since 2008, he has been involved in
waterflooding performance control and optimization for
Rosneft-Yuganskneftegaz. He holds an MSc degree in
applied mathematics and physics from the Moscow Institute
of Physics and Technology.
February 2009 SPE Production & Operations