Experimental study of gas-water elongated bubble flow during production logging

Abstract

In order to improve the interpretation of production log data on gas-water elongated bubble (EB) flow in horizontal wells, a multi-phase flow simulation device was set up to conduct a series of measurement experiments using air and tap water as test media, which were measured using a real production logging tool (PLT) string at different deviations and in different mixed flow state s. By understanding the characteristics and mechanisms of gas-water EB flow in transparent experimental boreholes during production logging, combined with an analysis of the production log response characteristics and experimental production logging flow pattern maps, a method for flow pattern identification relying on log responses and a drift-flux model wer e proposed for gas-water EB flow. This m odel, built upon experimental data of EB flow, reveals physical mechanisms of gas-water EB flow during measurement processing. Th e coefficients it contains are the specific values under experimental conditions and with the PLT string used in our experiments. These coefficients also reveal the interference with original downhole flow patterns by the PLT string. Due to the representativeness that our simulated flow experiments and PLT string possess, the model coefficients can be applied as empirical values of logging interpretation model parameters directly to real production logging data interpretation, when the measurement circumstances and PLT strings are similar.