Use of a Transient Model for Studying Kick Migration Velocities and Build-Up Pressures in a Closed Well

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thea Hang Ngoc Tat ◽  
Dalila Gomes ◽  
Kjell Kåre Fjelde
Keyword(s):  
Flow Model ◽  
Transient Flow ◽  
Flow Patterns ◽  
Drilling Fluids ◽  
Transient Model ◽  
Drift Flux Model ◽  
Drift Flux ◽  
Gas Kick ◽  
Flux Model ◽  
Migration Velocities

Abstract The objective of the paper is to show that using pressure build-up curves for estimating kick migration velocities can be unreliable. This will be demonstrated by using a transient flow model where different flow patterns including suspended gas are considered. Suspended gas will occur in Non-Newtonian drilling fluids. This can also be the reason why there is reported large discrepancies in literature about what the gas kick migration velocities can be. A transient flow model based on the drift flux model supplemented with a gas slip relation will be used. The model will be solved by an explicit numerical scheme where numerical diffusion has been reduced. Different flow patterns are included i.e. suspended gas, bubble flow, slug flow and transition to one-phase gas. Kick migration in a closed well will be studied to study how pressure build-ups evolve. A sensitivity analysis will be performed varying kick sizes, suspension limits and changing the transition intervals between the flow patterns. It is seen in literature that the slope of the pressure build-up for a migrating kick in a closed well has been used for estimating what the kick velocity is. It has been reported earlier that this can be an unreliable approach. In the simulation study, it is clearly demonstrated that the suspension effect will have a significant impact of reducing the slopes of the pressure build-ups from the start of the kick onset. In some severe cases, the pressure builds up but then it reaches a stable pressure quite early. In these cases, the kick has stopped migrating in the well. However, in the cases where the kicks are still migrating, it seems that the bulk of the kick moves at the same velocity even though the degree of suspension is varied and gives different slopes for the pressure build-up. Hence, it seems impossible to deduce a unique gas velocity from different pressure build-up slopes. However, abrupt changes in the slope of the pressure build-up indicate flow pattern transitions.

A Simplified Two-Phase Flow Model for Riser Gas Management With Non-Aqueous Drilling Fluids

2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nnamdi Nwaka ◽  
Chen Wei ◽  
Yuanhang Chen
Keyword(s):  
Drilling Fluids ◽  
Gas Migration ◽  
Dissolved Gas ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Simplified Approach ◽  
Drift Flux Model ◽  
Drift Flux ◽  
Gas Kick ◽  
Flux Model ◽  
Using Data

Abstract Gas-in-riser events can lead to rapid unloading if not timely controlled in a proper manner. When gas influx enters a wellbore with non-aqueous muds (NAMs), the ability of gas being dissolved in NAMs increases the difficulty in gas kick detection and significantly alters gas migration and unloading behavior from the predictions based on water-based muds (WBMs) assumptions. In this study, a new mathematical model for riser gas management in NAMs is developed. In this model, the desorption of dissolved gas influx from NAMs is accounted for as an instantaneous process using a solubility-based mass transfer submodel. The effects of surface backpressures and circulation rates on the unloading behavior in both WBMs and NAMs were studied. This model was validated using data obtained from a drift-flux model (DFM) based simulator. Results show that with the same amount of free gas in the risers at the mudline level, the severity of unloading is significantly more severe in the cases of NAMs. Applied backpressure can effectively control the desorption of the gas influx from the mud, and the unloading occurs later and at shallower depth with higher backpressure. The behavior of unloading tends to be independent on the time when backpressures are applied but highly dependent on the magnitude of the backpressure and the circulation rates. The new two-phase model can accurately simulate riser gas kick events utilizing a simplified approach with improved numerical stability, making it more applicable for real-time riser gas management.

A Transient Model for Hydraulic Simulation of Bullheading and Pressurized Mud Cap Drilling

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abrar Akram Ghauri ◽  
Kjell Kåre Fjelde ◽  
Johnny Frøyen
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Scheme ◽  
Transient Flow ◽  
Downward Flow ◽  
Transient Model ◽  
Hydraulic Simulation ◽  
Drift Flux Model ◽  
Drift Flux ◽  
Fracture Pressure ◽  
Drilling Technique ◽  
Production Wells

Bullheading is the process of pumping fluids into the well without circulating back to surface. This operation can be carried out for several reasons. In well control, this can be an alternative well kill approach in situations where conventional kill methods do not apply. When considering the pressurized mud cap drilling technique, bullheading is used for controlling pressures when drilling highly fractured and vugular carbonate formations. Bullheading is also carried out for killing production wells prior to workover operations. For a bullheading operation to be successful one need to ensure that the correct flow rate is chosen to overcome gas migration. This countercurrent to downward flow situation is best described using transient flow simulators to correctly predict what kind of rates and fluid volumes that are required. In addition, a transient flow model can also predict what kind of pressures that will be experienced during the operation to ensure that equipment and fracture pressure limitations are not exceeded. This paper aims at giving an overview of the application and challenges associated with bullheading operations for different type of well operations including the pressurized mud cap drilling technique. Then a mathematical model and a numerical scheme (AUSMV) that can be used for simulating the transient dynamics of a bullheading operation will be described. The drift flux model combined with a slip law will be used. Here special emphasize will be given on describing how we made the numerical scheme second order to reduce effects associated with numerical diffusion. The numerical boundary treatment and handling of flow regime transitions will also be described since one will here alternate between different conditions like cocurrent, countercurrent and downward flow. Two simulation scenarios will be considered. In the first example, a kick scenario will be considered and it will be shown how the transient model can be used to predict the effect of using different bullheading rates when trying to kill the well. Both time and depth variables will be visualized. The model can also predict how large volumes are required for a successful bullheading operation for a given rate. In the second example, it will be shown how the model can be used for simulating the alternating conditions experienced in a pressurized mud cap drilling operation. Here one will have a situation where surface pressure will build up if a kick is migrating in the closed annulus and if the pressure reaches a certain level, the kick has to be bullheaded back into the formation. This process can be repeated several times. The paper will show that the transient model proposed can provide good insight into the dynamics of bullheading and pressurized mud cap drilling. The model seems to be robust in handling the alternating flow conditions. Finally, some words will be said with respect to what is considered as important with respect to improving the modelling.

Numerical Simulation of Turbulent Mist Flows With Liquid Film Formation in Curved Pipes Using an Eulerian–Eulerian Method

2013 ◽  
Vol 135 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pusheng Zhang ◽  
Randy M. Roberts ◽  
André Bénard
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Drop ◽  
Liquid Film ◽  
Film Formation ◽  
Flow Patterns ◽  
Droplet Deposition ◽  
Drift Flux Model ◽  
Drift Flux ◽  
Curved Pipes ◽  
Eulerian Method ◽  
Flux Model

Turbulent flows of air/water mixtures through curved pipes are modeled in this work using a Eulerian–Eulerian method. This is motivated by the possibility of using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) as a design tool applied to curved pipes feeding a gas/liquid separator. The question is to identify the curvature of such pipes that can promote film formation upstream of the separator and, thus, precondition the flow without creating a large pressure drop. The performance of the mixture theory with a drift flux model and the “realizable” k-ε closure was evaluated in the simulations. The enhanced wall treatment (EWT) was utilized to resolve the flow in the near-wall region. A qualitative study was first conducted to investigate the flow patterns and the liquid film formation in a 180 deg bend. The numerical results were validated by comparing the computed pressure drop with empirical correlations from the literature. Subsequently, the importance of droplet size and liquid volume fraction was investigated by studying their effect on the flow patterns of the continuous phase, as well as their impact on the secondary flow intensity, the pressure drop, and the liquid film formation on the wall. Various pipe geometries were studied to achieve a low pressure drop while maintaining a high droplet deposition. Results show that a combination of the drift flux model with the realizable k-ε closure and EWT for the near-wall treatment appears capable of capturing the complex secondary flow patterns such as those associated with film inversion. The pressure drop computed for various flows appear to be in good agreement with an empirical correlation. Finally, bends with a curvature ratio around 7 appear to be the optimal for providing a small pressure drop as well as a high droplet deposition efficiency in a U-bend.

Interfacial Structures and Regime Transition in Co-Current Downward Bubbly Flow

2004 ◽  
Vol 126 (4) ◽  
pp. 528-538 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Kim ◽  
S. S. Paranjape ◽  
M. Ishii ◽  
J. Kelly
Keyword(s):  
Two Phase Flow ◽  
Bubbly Flow ◽  
Superficial Velocity ◽  
Phase Flow ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Drift Flux Model ◽  
Drift Flux ◽  
Flow Parameters ◽  
Interfacial Structures ◽  
Flux Model

The vertical co-current downward air-water two-phase flow was studied under adiabatic condition in round tube test sections of 25.4-mm and 50.8-mm ID. In flow regime identification, a new approach was employed to minimize the subjective judgment. It was found that the flow regimes in the co-current downward flow strongly depend on the channel size. In addition, various local two-phase flow parameters were acquired by the multi-sensor miniaturized conductivity probe in bubbly flow. Furthermore, the area-averaged data acquired by the impedance void meter were analyzed using the drift flux model. Three different distributions parameters were developed for different ranges of non-dimensional superficial velocity, defined by the ration of total superficial velocity to the drift velocity.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document