PgDip/MSc Energy Programme Pressure Drops

Pressure Drops

Review

This topic introduces the pressure elements that compose the Vertical Lift
performance curves and identifies the main pressure drops associated with
the flow of reservoir fluids from the reservoir to the separator and how each
of these is calculated.

Content
It is useful to take an overall view of the pressure drops in a well. This enables the real
influences on the well performance to be identified. For example in a gas well in a tight
reservoir, the majority of the pressure drops are frictional in the reservoir. In an oil well,
hydrostatic pressure in the tubing is more important. This allows both the effort in
prediction to be focused on the areas where it maters, but also the areas where the
completion designer can have an impact on improving performance. The following graph
illustrates the overall pressure drops for both an oil and gas well at different parts in the
system path (ie, from the sand face to the separator).
Figure 1. Pressure Components of the System.

A detailed analysis of the pressure behaviour and each of the components through the
flow path implies that the well must be approached as a single system that integrates
reservoir performance (IPR) and the VLP-based tubing performance. By applying the
conservation of energy principle mathematical expressions can be derived to describe
fluid flow in a pipe in terms of pressure losses.

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PgDip/MSc Energy Programme Pressure Drops

These terms are represented across the system as pressure drops whose main
components form the VLP and are identified as follows:

Equation 1 ∆Ptub = ∆Phyd + ∆Pfrc + ∆Pke

Where
∆Ptub is the pressure drop in the tubing
∆Phyd is the hydrostatic gradient
∆Pfrc is the pressure drop due to the frictional forces
∆Pke is the kinetic energy pressure drop (typically 1% of the total)

The ultimate goal is to minimise the level of energy required to flow hydrocarbons from
the wellbore to the surface at a flow rate that is operationally realistic and commercially
acceptable.

System Pressure Drops

As hydrocarbons are produced from the reservoir, along the wellbore into the tubing and
through the surface facilities to the separator, the fluid pressure reduces. This reduction
in pressure can be calculated as discrete pressure drops. Equation 2 defines each of
these:
Equation 2 PRES = ∆PRES + ∆PBHC + ∆PVL + ∆PSURF + ∆PCHOKE + PSEP

Where:
PRES the initial or average pressure within the reservoir
∆PRES the pressure loss caused by the flow of the fluid within the reservoir
to the wellbore
∆PBHC pressure loss from the design of the fluid entry into the wellbore
∆PVL pressure loss from flowing fluid up the tubing string
∆PSURF pressure loss in the Xmas tree and surface flowlines
∆PCHOKE pressure loss across the choke
PSEP the required operating pressure for the separator

By rearranging, the equation for the total system pressure drop can be defined as shown
in Equation 3 below:
Equation 3 ∆PTOTAL = ∆PRES + ∆PBHC + ∆PVL + ∆PSURF + ∆PCHOKE

Depending on the productivity index of the well and the flow rate, an approximation can
be made as to the distribution of total pressure losses over the reservoir, tubing and
surface flow lines. This was predicted by Duns and Ros, and the results are shown in
Table 1 below.
Table 1. Pressure Loss Prediction.
PI Q % of Total Pressure Loss
(BOPD/psi) BOPD Reservoir Tubing Surface
2.5 2700 36 57 7
5 3700 25 68 7
10 4500 15 78 7
15 4800 11 82 7

From the above table, it is clear that the majority of the pressure loss occurs in the
reservoir and tubing, however it is important to note that as the PI and rate at which the

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PgDip/MSc Energy Programme Pressure Drops

well flow increases, the proportional pressure drop across the reservoir decreases while
the tubing pressure losses increase. Thus the specification of the tubing string will be
crucial to the optimisation of the system production capacity.

In this unit, particular reference is made to the pressure loss from fluid flowing up the
tubing string. An this term, ∆PVL, can be further subdivided in to more pressure drop
components, as defined in Equation 4:
Equation 4 ∆PVL = ∆PFRIC + ∆PHHD + ∆PKE

Where:
∆PFRIC pressure loss due to friction
∆PHHD pressure loss overcoming the hydrostatic head
∆PKE pressure loss to kinetic energy

Principle of Conservation of Energy

It is possible to derive a mathematical expression that describes fluid flow in a pipe by

applying the principle of the conservation of energy. The principle of conservation of
energy with respect to fluid entering, existing in and exiting from a control volume is
illustrated in Equation 5.
m ⋅ v 12 m ⋅ g ⋅ h1 m ⋅ v 22 m ⋅ g ⋅ h2
Equation 5 U1 + p1V1 + + + Q + W = U2 + p 2 V2 + +
2⋅g g 2⋅g g

Where:
U Internal Energy
P Pressure
V Fluid Volume
m mass of fluid
v fluid velocity
g acceleration due to gravity
h elevation above datum
Q heat added or removed
W work expended or supplied

Terms 2, 3 and 4 on either side of the above equation are energy of expansion, kinetic
energy and potential energy respectively.
This gives, in differential form, per unit mass:
vdv dP g ⋅ dh
Equation 6 dU + + + + DQ + dW = 0
g ρ g

Where: ρ density.

Using this equation, it is possible to derive generalised equations for the components of
the pressure gradient for fluid flowing in a pipe. This assumes:
• no work expended or supplied to the system;
• tube or pipe is at angle q to the vertical;
• irreversible losses are due to friction.

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PgDip/MSc Energy Programme Pressure Drops

The three components are then the potential energy change:

g
Equation 7 ⋅ ρ ⋅ cos θ
gg

The kinetic energy change:

ρ dv
Equation 8 ⋅v⋅
gc dL

And the component due to frictional loss:

⎛ dP ⎞
Equation 9 ⎜ ⎟
⎝ DL ⎠ f

This equation defines the pressure loss for steady state one dimensional flow.

The Friction Factor

The loss in fluid energy when fluid flows from point 1 to point 2 will comprise, as has
already been stated, of:
• Loss in fluid pressure;
• Loss in fluid potential, if the elevations of points 1 and 2 are different;
• Loss in energy due to shear stress at the pipe wall.

In a horizontal pipe, applying a force balance:

Equation 10 (P1 − P2 ) ⋅ dA = τ w ⋅ (2 ⋅ π ⋅ τ) ⋅ dL

Where: tw Wall Shear Stress leads to:

(P1 − P2 ) ⎛ dP ⎞ 2 ⋅ τw
Equation 11 =⎜ ⎟ =
dL ⎝ dL ⎠f r

The Fanning friction factor, f, is defined as a measure of the shear characteristic of the
tubular wall:
wall ⋅ shear ⋅ stress τw
Equation 12 f= =
kinetic ⋅ energy v2
1 ⋅ρ ⋅
volume 2
gc

By substituting this into Equation 10, it can be shown that the friction losses associated
with the pipe are given by:
2
⎛ dP ⎞ ρ⋅f ⋅v
Equation 13 ⎜ ⎟ = 2⋅
⎝ dL ⎠ f gc ⋅ d

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