Multi-Phase (Oil-Water) Loop Flow Test for Helical and Hybrid Passive Inflow Control Devices

Abstract

To address the need for better understanding of multiphase fluid flow behavior through passive inflow control devices (PICDs), two-phase (oil-water) full-scale flow loop testing on helical and a new ICD design, "Hybrid" has been completed. The primary testing objective was to generate a comprehensive two-phase (oil-water) data set of flow performance curves for the helical ICD and the hybrid ICD. The test included a broad range of flow tests with varying viscosities, water cuts and pressures. The results are presented in an innovative manner using isobaric plots (isobars lines with trend lines for each viscosity value) and Reynolds number vs. Flow Coefficient plots, which can be used to easily compare different ICD performances. Test results confirm that for oil-water flow, a viscosity break point for the helical ICD occurs at 2 centipoise (cP) of medium oil. Below this break point the helical ICD does not promote water production in two-phase flow. Above this viscosity break point, the helical ICD exhibits a physical phenomenon where, at water cuts above 30%, the total flow increases at any given pressure drop promoting water flow. With regards to two-phase oil-water fluid flow, the hybrid ICD performs independently of viscosity for the range tested (up to 200 cP - maximum flow viscosity tested at the lab).The hybrid ICD consistently creates more resistance to water flow than to oil flow, causing total flow to gradually decrease at constant pressure as water cut increases. This effect was more apparent at higher pressure regimes. The functional break point of the hybrid ICD is determined to be above 200 cP. Introduction A comprehensive two-phase (oil-water) data set of flow performance curves for the helix inflow control devices (ICDs) and hybrid ICDs was conducted through extensive laboratory testing to identify the threshold viscosity, and to quantify single and multiphase model validity. These test results confirm that the threshold viscosity is 2 centipoise (cP). At viscosities greater than 2 cP, the test results confirm previously published findings that the helix design exhibits preferential production of water for a given pressure drop in a two-phase flow. Additionally, results verify that the helix ICD behavior exhibits correlation to the single phase model but requires a correction due to non-constant flow coefficient, and does not exhibit correlation when the fluids are multiphase, especially at higher viscosities.

Design of flow control devices in steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) completion

“…While FCD performance has been reasonably well characterized for controlling water breakthrough, no public data exists for FCD performance for fluids at or near saturation temperature as would exist in a SAGD process (Riel et al 2014;Vachon et al 2015). Limited information exists for FCD performance with any sort of gas-phase fluid Lauritzen and Martiniussen 2011;Least et al 2014Least et al , 2013Lee et al 2013;Peterson et al 2010). For a SAGD injector, steam splitters have a limited run history, but not in conjunction with any sort of production control and with little to no performance characterization (Kyanpour and Chen 2013;Medina 2015).…”

“…For fully developed flow in a horizontal pipe, the pressure drop may be expressed as (Lauritzen and Martiniussen 2011;Lee et al 2013):…”

“…As a result, this geometry has one of the better characterized pressure drop response to a multiphase fluid. Lee et al (2013) have suggested that multiphase performance may be accurately described by Eq. 6, where the pressure drop across a hybrid FCD is dependent on a unique friction factor term (ff mixture ) that is a function of the dimensionless Reynolds number.…”

Flow Control Devices in SAGD Completion Design: Enhanced Heavy Oil/Bitumen Recovery Through Improved Thermal Efficiencies

“…As a result, this geometry has one of the better characterized pressure drop response to a multiphase fluid. Lee et al (2013) Like the fluidic diode, the hybrid FCD has no moving parts to introduce additional operational risk. This geometry, unlike the fluidic diode, has demonstrated viscosity insensitivity up to 300 cP.…”

“…This empirical regression to multiphase data is intended to capture the physics of water and gas coning, not the steam breakthrough events of SAGD production (Lee 2013). Furthermore, the data used to generate these empirical constructs relies on nitrogen gas to serve as the gas phase.…”