PE 357: Petroleum Production

Engineering I

Well Performance

S. Adjei, Ph.D.
Tubing Performance Relationship
Vertical Lift Performance
Outflow Performance Relationship

2
 Tubing Performance
• The pressure drop required to lift a fluid
through the production tubing at a given
flow rate is one of the main factors
determining the deliverability of a well.
• The pressure drop along the production
tubing can be calculated by charts or
correlations, and the resulting flowing
pressure at the at intake of the tubing can
be determined.

3
Ptf- tubing head flowing pressure
• For the typical case, when the tubing shoe (inlet) reaches the perforation depth,
wellbore flowing pressure and tubing intake pressure are considered at the
same depth.
• When at a specific rate these two pressure are equal, the flow system is in
equilibrium and the flow is stable.

4
• The tubing performance describes the relationship between the surface flowrate and
bottomhole flowing pressure at a constant wellhead pressure.
• Plotting these two parameters on a cartesian coordinate will give a curve known as tubing
performance relationship.

5
TPR for fixed wellhead pressure
6
 Estimating Pressure Loss in Tubing

TPR-Single Phase Flow of Liquid in Pipe/Tubing

7
• One can identify three components that define the pressure drop in an inclined tubing:
elevation/hydrostatic gradient, friction, acceleration (Kinetic energy).

D = feet

8
• Hydrostatic gradient; pressure loss per unit length; it is due to gravity and the elevation
change between the wellhead and the intake to the tubing.

• The acceleration term is often negligible; it is the additional pressure drop due to the
acceleration of an expanding fluid. It is often less compared to the other pressure loss
terms. 9
• The tubing head pressure is the pressure on the tubing, which is measured at the
wellhead.
• In a flowing well, the bottom hole pressure is equal to the pressure drop in the tubing plus
the wellhead/tubing head pressure.

Pwf = ∆𝑃 + Pwh

• In the typical application, the wellhead pressure is fixed and the bottomhole flowing
pressure is calculated by determining the pressure drop.

10
 Single Phase Liquid Flow
üUndersaturated
üDensity is constant
üHydrostatic gradient term is constant
üFriction loss is rate dependent, characterized by two flow regimes; laminar and
turbulent, separated by a transition zone.
üThe rate dependence of friction-related pressure loss differs with flow regimes.
üAt low rates the flow is laminar and the pressure gradient changes linearly with rate or
flow velocity.
üAt high rates the flow is turbulent and the pressure gradient increases more than
linearly with increasing flow rate.

11
 Calculation of Friction Pressure Term
(Laminar, Turbulent, Transition flow and Reynolds Number)
• The Reynolds Number, Re, is a dimensionless number used to categorize the
fluids systems in which the effect of viscosity is important in controlling the
velocities or the flow pattern of a fluid.
• It is the ratio of the inertial forces (force that keeps the fluid moving against
viscous forces) to the viscous forces (fluid’s resistance to flow) within the fluid.

• Re<2,000 flow is in the laminar flow regime

• Re>4,000 flow is in the turbulent flow regime

12
• In laminar flow, the Fanning friction factor depends only on the Reynold’s number.

Calculate density from oil

specific gravity

13
• In the turbulent flow regime, the friction factor is a function of the Reynolds
Number and relative roughness of the pipe (εD/ID).
• The relative roughness is a dimensionless quantity that is defined as the
length of protrusions (lumps, pipe defects and imperfections, pits from
corrosion, etc.) divided by the inner diameter of the tubing.
• It is a measure of the departure of an actual steel pipe from an idealized,
smooth pipe.

14
• Correlations for Determination of Friction Factor in Turbulent Region

Chen’s correlation

Colebrook correlation

Jain correlation

15
 Moody or Darcy-Weisbach Friction Factor
• The moody chart is a graph in non-
dimensional form used to determine the
friction factor.

• The purpose is to determine friction factor

• The relationship between Moody and

Fanning Friction Factor

Note the formula requires fanning factor 16

• For the Reynolds numbers less than 2000 (laminar flow): all the friction factor
curves collapse onto a straight line.

• For the Reynolds number greater than 4000 (turbulent flow): Friction
factor curves are widely spread and almost horizontal, indicating that the friction
factor is almost totally a function of relative roughness.

17
18
 Example - Single Phase Flow in Tubing
• Suppose that 1,000 bbl/day of 40° API, 1.2 cP oil is being produced through
27⁄8-in. (inner diameter is 2.259 in.), 8.6 lbm-ft tubing in a well that is 15° from
vertical. If the tubing wall relative roughness is 0.001.

• Calculate the pressure drop over 1,000 ft of tubing.

1 bbl= 5.615 ft3

1 Day = 864000 sec

19
Solution

20
Chen’s correlation gives

21
TPR-For Multiphase Flow in Pipes

22
• Multiphase flow in pipes is defined as the simultaneous flow of free gases
and liquids in the pipes.
• Multiphase flow is much more complicated than single phase flow because of
the variation of flow regime.
• Fluid distribution changes greatly in different flow regimes, which significantly
affects pressure gradient (pressure calculations is dependent on flow pattern)
in the tubing.
• The gas may be flowing with two liquids (normally oil and water), and the
possibility exists that the two liquids may be emulsified.

23
 Multiphase Flow Regimes

• Knowledge of the flow regime determines the selection of the

appropriate model for pressure gradient and liquid holdup

24
25
Vertical Flow Regimes Through Tubing

Bubble Flow:
• The pressure drops below the bubble-
point pressure, and gas comes out of
solution.
• Liquid phase is continuous with gas
phase existing as small bubbles
randomly distributed within the liquid.

Slug Flow:
• Gas bubbles begin to coalesce and exist
as large bubbles, separating liquid slugs
in the flow stream.
• Flow is unstable.

26
• Churn Flow:
• Gas bubbles coalesce further and begin to form a continuous path in the center of the tubing.
• Gas velocity is high pushing liquid upwards, but liquid density is high causing counter-current liquid
flow downward.
• Flow is foam-like.
• Flow is very unstable.

• Annular Flow:
• Liquid forms a somewhat uniform layer on the pipe walls.
• Liquid may form a wavy flow.
• Gas forms a continuous path in the center of the tubing.
• Flow is more stable than churn flow.

• Mist Flow:
• Liquid slug disappear and gas phase becomes continuous.
• The liquid is evenly distributed as a mist.
• Flow is stable. 27
Horizontal Flow Regimes

28
• Bubble Flow:
• The pressure drops below the bubble-point pressure, and gas comes out of solution.
• Small bubbles distributed everywhere in cross-section.
• Due to buoyancy, bubbles migrate to top of tubing.
• Bubbles act like foam at high velocities.

• Annular Flow:
• Liquid coats the pipe wall.
• Due to gravity, coating is non-concentric with thinner coating on top and thicker coating on bottom.
• Liquid flows along the pipe walls.
• Gas flow in the center of the tubing.

• Slug Flow:
• At higher velocities, liquid waves reach top of the tubing cutting off the cross-section to gas.
• The difference in momentum of the phases (due to different phase velocities) results in sudden
pressure changes when the path closes.
• Shocks and vibrations occur.
• This flow regime should be avoided if possible.
29
• Plug Flow:
• Gas bubbles expand as pressure decreases.
• Gas bubbles begin to coalesce to form plugs.
• Due to buoyancy, plugs flow toward the top of the tubing.

• Wavy Flow:
• Begins at higher velocities.
• Waves and ripples appear at the phase boundaries.
• Waves tunnel in the direction of the liquid.

• Stratified Flow:
• Due to buoyancy, phases completely separate into two continuous phases.
• Interface between phases is relatively smooth.
• This flow regime on occurs at low velocities.
30
 Pressure Drop Correlations for Multiphase flow Models
• TPR models for multiphase flow wells fall into two categories:

(1) Homogeneous-flow models

(2) Separated-flow models

• Homogeneous-models: treat multiphase as a homogeneous mixture and do not

consider the effects of liquid holdup (no-slip assumption). The dispersed and
the continuous phases are combined together and modelled as a new,
continuous phases.
• Cichhiti 1960
• Duckler et al 1969
• Poettman and Carpenter 1952
• Hasan and Kabir 2002
31
• Separated-flow models: The effects of liquid holdup (slip) and flow regime are
considered;

• Lockhart and Martinelli correlation (1949)

• Duns and Ros correlation (1963)
• Hagedorn and Brown method (1965)
• Hagedorm and Brown Correlation 1965
• Ansari et al 1964
• Hasan and Kabir 2002

32
 Poettman and Carpenter Correlation
• Assuming no slip of liquid phase, Poettmann and Carpenter (1952) presented a
simplified gas-oil-water three-phase flow model to compute pressure losses
in wellbores by estimating mixture density and friction factor.
• The procedure permits the calculation of the bottomhole pressure of flowing oil
wells knowing only surface data.
• Generally applies to 2-3/8 in. to 3-1/2 in. OD tubing and flow greater than
400 bpd, with minimum slippage.
• The liquid viscosity, is not incorporated.
• No slip, no flow pattern consideration.
• The only correlation required is for the two-phase friction factor.

33
34
TPR – Poettmann-Carpenter Flow Model

35
Example - Poettmann and Carpenter

36
Solution

37
Pressure Transverse Calculation Using Gradient Curves

(Gilbert)

38
• Note: For a given flowrate, wellhead pressure and tubing size there is a particular pressure distribution along the
tubing, starting its traverse at the wellhead pressure and increasing downward toward the intake of the tubing.
• The pressure-depth profile is called a pressure traverse.

Gilbert (originator) noted that the main parameters in vertical multiphase flow are;
• Pipe dimeter
• Oil rate
• Gas/liquid ratio.

• Other parameters that might have an effect on pressure gradient include;

• Liquid surface tension
• Viscosity
• Densities
• Flowing temperature
• Gas/liquid solubility
• Water cut
39
40
 Tubing Intake (Bottomhole Flowing Pressure) Prediction Using
Gradient Curve
1. Start at the top of the gradient curve at the
specified wellhead pressure.
2. Proceed vertically down to the GLR curve.
3. Proceed horizontally (left) and read equivalent
depth.
4. Add the equivalent depth to the length of tubing
(depth to perforation).
5. Proceed horizontally to the GLR curve.
6. From this point, proceed vertically upward and
read a tubing intake pressure for the given flow
rate.
7. Repeat for assumed flow rates.

41
42
 Example

Assume various flow rates (200, 400, 600, 800 stb/d) and determine the tubing intake
pressure/ flowing bottomhole pressure
43
44
45
46
47
Solution

48
 Natural Flow
• The interception of the IPR and TPR curves determine the rate of stable flow
that can be expected from the particular well.
• At the wellbore (i.e at perforation), the available pressure-wellbore flowing
pressure-determined by the TPR equals the required pressure-tubing intake
pressure-determined by the TPR.
• The equilibrium rate and pressure constitute what is called the natural flow
point.
• The equilibrium rate is called natural flow rate.

49
50
Dead Well

51
• Natural flow rate and pressure usually change with reservoir depletion,
depending on the variation in IPR and TPR, resulting from changes in reservoir
pressure and flow characteristics.
• To offset the natural decline in rate, it is possible to change equipment or
operating criteria to maintain the desired rate of production.
• Lowering the wellhead pressure by choke manipulation or lowering the
separator pressure.
• Artificial lift techniques can be employed.
• Stimulation can be done.

52
Effect of Wellhead Pressure

53
54