For any pumping artificial lift system in the petroleum industry, the free gas significantly affects the performance of the pump and the system above the pump. A model, though not a complete two-phase flow model, has been developed for the effective prediction of separation efficiency across a wide range of production conditions. The model presented is divided into two main parts, the single-phase flow-field solution and the bubble-tracking method. The first part of the model solves the single-phase liquid flow field using the computational fluid dynamics approach. Then, a simple bubble-tracking method was applied to estimate the down-hole natural separation efficiency for two-phase flow. A comparison between the results of the model and the experimental data was conducted. It shows a very good agreement with the experimental data for lower gas void fractions (bubble flow regime).
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November 2005
Research Papers
Use of a Bubble Tracking Method for Prediction of Downhole Natural Separation Efficiency
Bin Liu,
Bin Liu
University of Tulsa
, 600 S. College Ave., Tulsa, OK 74104
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Mauricio Prado
Mauricio Prado
University of Tulsa
, 600 S. College Ave., Tulsa, OK 74104
Search for other works by this author on:
Bin Liu
University of Tulsa
, 600 S. College Ave., Tulsa, OK 74104
Mauricio Prado
University of Tulsa
, 600 S. College Ave., Tulsa, OK 74104J. Pressure Vessel Technol. Nov 2005, 127(4): 479-486 (8 pages)
Published Online: June 9, 2005
Article history
Received:
August 19, 2004
Revised:
June 9, 2005
Citation
Liu, B., and Prado, M. (June 9, 2005). "Use of a Bubble Tracking Method for Prediction of Downhole Natural Separation Efficiency." ASME. J. Pressure Vessel Technol. November 2005; 127(4): 479–486. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.2043199
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