Abstract
The use of separated flow models to specify the vertical lift performance of an oil well is usually somewhat complex- due to the many equations and correlations involved in the determination of the required variables. Consequently, coding these models in the computer presents an extent of difficulty. In this study however, with the view of developing a computer model (DOBB) to perform nodal analysis for oil wells, an efficient algorithm was established to facilitate the determination of the operating pressure and liquid flow rate of oil wells (which is the point of intersection between the VLP and IPR curve). More so, Hagedorn Brown model was incorporated into the computer model to account for liquid hold ups and various flow regimes (excluding bubble flow regime) in the tubing string. The computer model developed in this study is equipped with the ability to determine fanning friction factor of the tubing string provided that the roughness of the pipe is known. Also, when the developed computer model was tested with some ranges of data points, nodal analysis plots were obtained from the different data points. Nonetheless, DOBB (a production engineering toolkit developed in this study) was proven to be efficient on the part of performing nodal analysis for oil wells.
Highlights
Nodal analysis can be used for production optimization
Nodal analysis is performed on the principle of pressure continuity, that is, there is only one unique pressure value at a given node regardless of whether the pressure is evaluated from the performance of upstream equipment or downstream equipment
The nodal analysis plot for Mod-data 1 and Mod-data 2 as provided by the DOBB computer model are as shown in Fig. 13 and Fig. 15
Summary
Nodal analysis can be used for production optimization It is used in the oil and gas industry for the determination of optimum flow rate and the recognition of wells that should be producing at flow rates higher than their current rate. On the other hand, separated flow models are very realistic because they consider liquid hold-ups in the tubing. Two phase flow usually occur in the tubing This makes separated flow models to be most suitable for determining the VLP. Nodal analysis is performed on the principle of pressure continuity, that is, there is only one unique pressure value at a given node regardless of whether the pressure is evaluated from the performance of upstream equipment or downstream equipment. For the convenience of using pressure data measured normally at either the bottom-hole or the wellhead, nodal analysis is usually conducted using the bottom-hole or wellhead as the solution node [8]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: European Journal of Engineering Research and Science
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
