Application of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to the Modeling of Flow in Horizontal Wells
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- An understanding of ow in long horizontal wells can be important for reservoir management. As the completed length in such wells is considerably larger than that in conventional vertical wells, the flow field inside the wellbore can have a significant impact on the overall production characteristics of an oil reservoir. Flow in a well-bore is different from conventional pipe flow due to the presence of wall inflow (as in production wells) or outflow (as in injection wells), and this affects the wall friction, acceleration, and flow patterns inside the pipe. To better understand wellbore flow, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations have been used to mimic the 1995 Stanford Wellbore flow experiments. A significant advantage of such simulations, besides the fact that they could potentially replace actual experiments, is that they offer a large amount of information on the turbulent velocity and pressure fields. One of the applications of such information is the development of correlations for friction factors for wellbore flows. Based upon FLUENT (a commercial CFD software) simulations, such a correlation was obtained through regression analysis. A comparison with existing correlations was also accomplished and the advantages of the new correlation are discussed.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Date created | June 1999 |
Creators/Contributors
| Author | Arif, Hozef |
|---|---|
| Primary advisor | Durlofsky, Lou |
| Degree granting institution | Stanford University, Department of Petroleum Engineering |
Subjects
| Subject | School of Earth Energy & Environmental Sciences |
|---|---|
| Genre | Thesis |
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Preferred citation
- Preferred Citation
- Arif, Hozef. (1999). Application of computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to the Modeling of Flow in Horizontal Wells. Stanford Digital Repository. Available at: https://purl.stanford.edu/js527rh4748
Collection
Master's Theses, Doerr School of Sustainability
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