Abstract
The most prominent aspect of multiphase flow is the variation in the physical distribution of the phases in the flow conduit known as the flow pattern. Several different flow patterns can exist under different flow conditions which have significant effects on liquid holdup, pressure gradient and heat transfer. Gas–liquid two-phase flow in an annulus can be found in a variety of practical situations. In high rate oil and gas production, it may be beneficial to flow fluids vertically through the annulus configuration between well tubing and casing. The flow patterns in annuli are different from pipe flow. There are both casing and tubing liquid films in slug flow and annular flow in the annulus. Multiphase heat transfer depends on the hydrodynamic behavior of the flow. There are very limited research results that can be found in the open literature for multiphase heat transfer in wellbore annuli. A mechanistic model of multiphase heat transfer is developed for different flow patterns of upward gas–liquid flow in vertical annuli. The required local flow parameters are predicted by use of the hydraulic model of steady-state multiphase flow in wellbore annuli recently developed by Yin et al. The modified heat-transfer model for single gas or liquid flow is verified by comparison with Manabe’s experimental results. For different flow patterns, it is compared with modified unified Zhang et al. model based on representative diameters.
Highlights
As oil and gas development moves from land or shallow water to deep and ultradeep waters, multiphase flow occurs during production and transportation (Chen 2011)
In high rate oil and gas production, it may be beneficial to flow fluids vertically through the annulus configuration between well tubing and casing
The required local flow parameters are predicted by use of the hydraulic model of steady-state multiphase flow in wellbore annuli recently developed by Yin et al The modified heat-transfer model for single gas or liquid flow is verified by comparison with Manabe’s experimental results
Summary
As oil and gas development moves from land or shallow water to deep and ultradeep waters, multiphase flow occurs during production and transportation (Chen 2011). In high rate oil and gas production, it may be beneficial to flow fluids vertically through the annulus configuration between well tubing and casing. Flow-assurance problems, such as hydrate blocking (Jamaluddin et al 1991; Li et al 2013; Wang et al 2014, 2016) and wax deposition (Zhang et al 2013; Bryan 2016; Theyab and Diaz 2016), are strongly associated with both the hydraulic and thermal behavior. They are related to the fluid velocity, liquid fraction, slug characteristics, pressure gradient and convective-heat-transfer coefficients of different phase and flow patterns in multiphase flow. Multiphase hydrodynamics and heat transfer in an annulus need to be modeled properly to guide the design and operation of flow systems
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