The Effect of Viscosity on Tubing Performance: A Case Study of Well_XX in the Niger Delta, Nigeria

Abstract

One of the parameters used to determine Reynolds numbers is viscosity and is the value of the Reynolds number that indicates if the flow is laminar, transition or turbulent flow. High viscosity oil and conventional oil require different amount of gas rate to lift them from the well heavy oil consume up to 3-5 volume above low vicious oil. Friction factor and the liquid holdup are gotten from the value of viscosity. Pressure gradient and liquid holdup depends on flow pattern so accurate prediction of flow pattern is very important. Increase in liquid viscosities result in lower intermittent region . The existing Mechanistic model were developed and validated with low viscous crude between 10cp and 110cp as such they are not able to predict pressure drop for high vicious crude of viscosity above 100cp to 500cp accurately as these model underestimate Pressure drop. The dynamics of slug flow and the film flow zone were the basis that characterizes the Hydrodynamic model developed and the film in the slug unit is used as the control volume. Duns and Ros (1964) Model was used to validate the model with Field Data. The poor prediction of pressure gradient by model is as a result of not identifying the right flow pattern as each model is flow pattern dependent.