DEVELOPMENT OF A COMPUTATIONAL

TOOL TO ANALYZE MULTIPHASE NON-

ISOTHERMAL FLOW

Franciani Goedert
Antonio Marinho Barbosa Neto, D. Sc
17/02/2022
Agenda

2
 INTRODUCTION
Figure 1: Reservoir and Well. Figure 2: Production System. Figure 3: Surface Pipelines.

Source: Dream times, 2021. Source: Dream times, 2021. Source: Dream times, 2021.

The study of multiphase flow began around 1950.

Currently, the multiphase flow has become a challenged to the industry.

4
INTRODUCTION
Pressure
Drop Computational
Tool

Academic
Community
Temperature
Flow Fluid
Behavior Properties

Future
Research
Flow
Assurance
Artificial Lift
Projects

5
Objectives

Main objective:
To develop a computational tool able to simulate non isothermal multiphase flow using
black-oil fluid modeling at different production scenarios of oil and gas.

Specific objectives:
• To develop a dynamic computational mesh able to admit flow in the horizontal and
vertical lines as well as for directional pipelines;
• To build a Black-Oil PVT module to calculate fluid properties;
• To construct an algorithm to calculate pressure drop and temperature;
• To analyze the thermofluidic dynamic behavior in onshore and offshore production
systems.

7
Theoretical Basis and Literature Review

Fluid Property

Fluid
Property

Impact Variables Model

8
Theoretical Basis and Literature Review

Temperature

• There was a lack of a practical way to quantify some variables.

• Analytical models must be applied to facilitate system modeling.

Shiu and
Farris Ramey Alves et al. Hasan and
Beggs
(1941) (1962) (1992) Kabir (2002)
(1980)

𝑑𝑇
𝜌 ·𝑞 𝐶 𝑝 · + 𝜌 · 𝑞 · 𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝜃 =−𝑈 𝑖 · 𝜋 · 𝑑 𝑖 · ( 𝑇 − 𝑇 ∞ )
𝑑𝐿
10
Theoretical Basis and Literature Review

Pressure

Above Bubble The depressurization of the system Below Bubble

Pressure Pressure
occurs along the flow.

(1)
Hagedorn and Brown (1965).

(2)
Beggs and Brill (1991).
12
Theoretical Basis and Literature Review

Pressure

Figure 4: Horizontal flow pattern map.

𝑑𝑃
𝑑𝐿 ) =𝜌𝐺
𝑠𝑙𝑖𝑝 · 𝑔 · 𝑠𝑒𝑛 𝜃(3)

𝑑𝑃
)
𝑓 · 𝜌 · 𝑉 2
−
𝑑𝑃
) −
𝑑𝑃
)
)
𝑇𝑃 𝑁𝑆 𝑀
= ( 4) 𝑑𝑃 𝑑𝐿 𝐹 𝑑𝐿 𝐺
𝑑𝐿 𝐹 2· 𝑑 = (
𝑑𝐿 𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 1 − 𝐸𝑘

𝑑𝑃
𝑑𝐿 ) 𝐴
(
=𝐸𝑘 · −
𝑑𝑃
𝑑𝐿 )
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙
(5)

Source: Beggs and Brill, 1991.

14
 Figure 6: Computational mesh calculating procedure.

METODOLOGY

Computational Mesh

Figure 5: Pipe for the construction of the

computational mesh.
Table 1: Discretization of the length of the pipe.
Pipe MD(m) dL(m) Total
Tubing MD(m)
Riser 1500 60
1550
Riser 1550 50

Flowline 1610 60 11550

Source: Elaborated by the author, 2022.

Source: Elaborated by the author, 2022.

Source: Elaborated by the author, 2022.

15
 METODOLOGY

PVT Properties – Gas Phase

Pseudocritial Pseudocritical Impurity Impurity Gas Viscosity

Z Factor
Pressure (Pa) Temperature (K) Pressure (Pa) Temperature (K) (Pa.s)

Standing (1981) Standing (1981) CKB (1954) CKB (1954) Hall – Yarborough Dempsey (1965)
(1957)
Sutton (1985) Sutton (1985) Sutton (1985)
Dranchuk et al.
(1971)
Brill & Beggs
(1973)
Kumar (2005)

Heidarian (2010)

Azizi (2010)
16
 METODOLOGY

PVT Properties – Oil Phase

Gas-Oil Oil Oil Viscosity Oil Viscosity Oil Viscosity Gas/Oil Surface
Bubble Pressure FVF Oil
Solubility Ration Compressibility Dead Saturated Undersaturated Tension

Baker &
Standing Standing Standing Standing Standing Standing Standing
Swerdloff
(1947) (1947) (1947) (1947) (1947) (1947) (1947)
(1956)
Beggs & Beggs & Beggs &
Vasquez & Vasquez & Vasquez & Vasquez &
Robinson Robinson Robinson
Beggs (1980) Beggs (1980) Beggs (1980) Beggs (1980)
(1975) (1975) (1975)
Petrosky &
Bergman Bergman Bergman
Glaso (1980) Glaso (1980) Glaso (1980) Farshad
(2007) (2007) (2007)
(1993)
Petrosky & Petrosky & Petrosky &
Farshad Farshad Farshad
(1993) (1993) (1993)

17
METODOLOGY

PVT Properties – Water Phase

Water Specific Gas-Water

Water Density Water Viscosity FVF Water
Gravity Solubility Ration

McCain (1995) McCain (1995) McCain (1995) McCain (1995) McCain (1995)

18
 Figure 8: Procedure for calculating the
METODOLOGY properties of the mixture.

Figure 7: Calculation procedure of

PVT properties.

Source: Elaborated by the author, 2022.

Source: Elaborated by the author, 2022.
19
METODOLOGY

Gradient of Temperature and Pressure

Figure 9: Procedure for calculating the

temperature and pressure.

20
 Figure 10: General computational logic of
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION the simulator.

Computational Tools

Source: Elaborated by the author, 2022.

21
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Onshore Scenario

Table 2: Description of onshore production system geometry.

Flow Line L (m) (°) Az (°) (m) (m) HEC

Tubing 900 90 0 0.127 1·10-6 2.0

Flowline 200 0 0 0.1524 2·10-6 4.0

Source: Elaborated by the author, 2022.

Heat capacity:
Table 3: Black Oil PVT characterization of petroleum fluid.
°API [ -] GOR [ ] BSW [ %] [-] S [ %] • Water: 4186.8
20 25 30 0.64 30 • Oil: 1716.6
Source: Elaborated by the author, 2022. • Gas: 2206.4

22
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Onshore Scenario

Table 4: Gas and water correlations.

Properties Correlations Phase

Pseudocritical Pressure and Temperature Standing
Impurity Pressure and Temperature CKB
Gas
Z Factor Hall-Yarborough
Gas Viscosity Lee
Water Specific Gravity
Water Density
Gas-Water Solubility Ration McCain Water
FVF Water
Water Viscosity
Source: Elaborated by the author, 2022.

23
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Onshore Scenario

Table 5: Oil correlations. Table 6: Surface operation variables.

Properties Correlations Variables
Bubble Pressure [bar] 10
FVF Oil
Standing 303.15
Gas-Oil Solubility Ration [K]

Oil Compressibility
99.4
Oil Viscosity Dead []
Oil Viscosity Saturated Beggs & Robinson
[m] 6
Oil Viscosity Undersaturated
Source: Elaborated by the author, 2022.
Gas/Oil Surface Tension Baker & Swerdloff
Source: Elaborated by the author, 2022.

24
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Onshore Scenario

Figure 11: Fluid and external temperature and pressure profiles. Figure 12: Pressure variation and pressure.

Source: Elaborated by the author, 2022. Source: Elaborated by the author, 2022.

25
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Onshore Scenario
Figure 13: Influence of BSW in the thermo-hydraulic
profile.

Source: Elaborated by the author, 2022.

27
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Offshore Scenario

Table 6: Description of offshore production system geometry.

Flow Line L (m) (°) Az (°) (m) (m) HEC

Riser 1550 90 0 0.1524 1·10-6 1
Flowline 10000 0 0 0.1397 1·10-6 0.5
Tubing 500 15 351.27 0.127 1·10-6 2
Tubing 500 20 351.27 0.127 1·10-6 2
Tubing 500 25 351.27 0.127 1·10-6 2
Tubing 500 30 351.27 0.127 1·10-6 2
Tubing 500 45 351.27 0.127 1·10-6 2
Tubing 500 30 351.27 0.127 1·10-6 2
Source: Elaborated by the author, 2022.

30
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Table 7: Black-Oil PVT characterization.
°API [ -] 40
Offshore Scenario
GOR [ ] 400

Figure 14: MMPS scheme considering in the case study. BSW [ %] 10

[-] 0.62
[%] 10
S [ %] 10

Source: Elaborated by the author, 2022.

Table 8: Surface operation vaiables.

Variables [bar] [K] [] [m]

Values 10 303.15 2384.64 60

Source: Elaborated by the author, 2022.

Source: Elaborated by the author, 2022.

31
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Offshore Scenario

Figure 15: External and fluid temperature and pressure Figure 16: Pressure drop and void fraction.
profile.

Source: Elaborated by the author, 2022. Source: Elaborated by the author, 2022.
33
CONCLUSIONS

• A computational tool for single-phase and multiphase flow analysis has been
developed;
• A flexible computational mesh was created for the onshore and offshore production
system;
• The comprehension of pressure and temperature behavior and the thermofluidic
dynamic properties;
• The simulator presented in this work is multifuctional.

36
References

•ANP. Boletim da Produção de Petróleo e Gás Natural. Rio de Janeiro: 2021.

•BEGGS, H. D.; BRILL, J. P. A Study of wo-Phase Flow in Inclined Pipes. , 1973.
•FARAH, O. Directional Well design, trajectory and survey calculations, with a case study in Fiale, Asal Rift, Djibouti.
Programme Training Programme, v. 27, n. 27, p. 34, 2013.
•GREGORY, G. A.; AZIZ, K. CALCULATION OF PRESSURE AND TEMPERATURE PROFILES IN MULTIPHASE
PIPELINES AND SIMPLE PIPELINE NETWORKS. , , n. 3, 1978.
•HAGEDORN, A. R.; BROWN, K. E. Experimental Study of Pressure Gradients Occurring During Continuous Two-Phase
Flow in Small-Diameter Vertical Conduits. , 1965.
•MUKHERJEE, H.; BRILL, J. P. Multiphase Flow In Wells. Richardson, Texas, 1999.
•RAMEY, H. J. Wellbore Heat Transmission. , 1962.
•SHIU, K. C.; H.D.BEGGS. Predicting Temperature in Flowing Oil Wells. , , n. 78, 1980.
•SUTTON, R. P.; FARAHAD, F.; LOUISIANA, U. S. Evaluation of Empirically Derived PYT Properties for Gulf of
Mexico Crude Oils. , , n. February, 1990.

37
 THANK YOU!

Franciani Goedert
franciani_goedert@hotmail.com