Petroleum Reservoir Evaluation and Development ›› 2023, Vol. 13 ›› Issue (3): 340-347.doi: 10.13809/j.cnki.cn32-1825/te.2023.03.009

• Comprehensive Research • Previous Articles     Next Articles

CFD simulation of flow characteristics of shale gas horizontal wells with different inclination

QIU Xiaoxue1(),ZHONG Guanghai1,LI Xiansheng2,CHEN Meng3,LING Weitong1   

  1. 1. Shale Gas Research Institute, PetroChina Southwest Oil & Gasfield Company, Chengdu, Sichuan 610051, China
    2. Research Institute of Geological Exploration and Development, Chuanqing Drilling Company, PetroChina, Chengdu, Sichuan 610051, China
    3. School of Geosciences and Technology, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610500, China
  • Received:2022-03-24 Online:2023-06-26 Published:2023-06-26

Abstract:

Accurate characterization of the flow characteristics of shale gas horizontal wells is the key basis for quantitative evaluation of production performance and further guidance of development program optimization design. In order to explore the gas-liquid two-phase flow law of shale gas horizontal wells at different inclination angles, a three-dimensional simulation wellbore model with the pipe diameter of 0.124 m, pipe length of 10 m and inclination angles of 0°, 5°, 10°, 15°, 20°, 30°, 45°, -5°, -10°, -15°, -20°, -30°, -45° respectively is constructed. The volume model is used to track the gas-liquid interface. The characteristics of gas-liquid two-phase flow in wellbore are dynamically monitored. The flow pattern, velocity and holdup distribution characteristics of wellbore with 300 m3/d liquid volume and 500 m3/d gas volume are obtained by simulation experiments under various well inclination angles, and the influence law of well inclination angle on gas-liquid two-phase flow characteristics of shale gas horizontal wells is deeply analyzed. The results show that the flow pattern of up-dip pipe(well angle is larger than 0°) is characterized by slug flow, and the average fluid velocity changes in a single-peak form with the increase of well angle, and the peak appears when the well angle is 15°. The flow velocity at the gas-liquid interface is the lowest, and the bottom water holdup is larger with lower well angle is than that with higher well angle, and reaches the maximum value when the well angle is 10°. The flow pattern of down-dip pipe(well angle is less than 0°) is characterized by stratified flow, and the average fluid velocity is linearly increasing with well inclination angle. The flow velocity at gas-liquid interface is between the top and bottom value, and the bottom water holdup decreases with the increase of well inclination angle.

Key words: shale gas, horizontal well, well inclination angle, volume model, flow pattern, average flow velocity

CLC Number: 

  • TE319