Advanced Petroleum

Production Engineering

Inflow Performance Relationship

(contd.)

Wellbore Performance (Lecture: 3)

Dr. Khandoker Hossain

IPR for two phase reservoirs
• Straight line IPR is valid only unsaturated/ undersaturated
reservoir where the pressure was above the bubble point
pressure, i.e. when only for oil reservoir.
• Below bubble point pressure gas escapes from the oil and
some of it occupies the pore space and reduces relative
permeability and viscosity.
• Thus the production rate is decreased for a specific
bottom hole pressure
• The lower the pressure the more the deviation of
flowrate.
IPR curve for two-phase flow
IPR model for two-phase flow
(Vogel’s equation)
Vogel’s
equation is
widely
used in the
industry

Where,
 IPR model for two-phase flow
(Fetkovich’s equation)
The Fetkovich
equation with two
constants is more
accurate than Vogel’s
equation IPR
modeling

Where,
IPR model for partial two phase oil
reservoirs

It happens when the bottom

hole pressure was initially
higher than the bubble point
pressure and letter on it
decreased to below bubble
point pressure.
• This Model is achieved by combining the IPR for single
phase and two phase reservoirs
Example 1 (Book: Boyun,P3/34)
Construct IPR of a vertical well in a saturated oil reservoir using the Vogel
equation. The following data are given:

Porosity: φ = 0:19
Effective horizontal permeability: k = 8.2 md
Pay zone thickness: h = 53 ft
Reservoir average pressure: = 5,651 psia
Bubble point pressure: pb =5651 psia
Fluid formation volume factor: Bo= 1.1
Fluid viscosity: µ=1.7 cp
Total compressibility: ct = 0.0000129 psi-1
Drainage area: A =640 acres
re =2,980 ft
Wellbore radius: rw = 0.328 ft
Skin factor: S = 0
Solution:
Steps:
• First calculate productivity index J* .
• Then calculate q max
• Then calculate flowrates for
different bottomhole pressure

Why for calculating the J*

this formula is used
although it is valid for
liquid phase?
Solution:
 Example 2 : (Book: Boyun,P3/35)
IPR of a vertical well in an undersaturated oil reservoir using the
generalized Vogel equation. The following data are given:
 Solution:
• Calculate the J* using straight line IPR
• Then use the generalized IPR model for partial
two phase reservoir

Flowrate at bubble point

pressure:
522 sbt/day
 Solution contd.

What is the maximum flowrate? If the well produces at

maximum flowrate then what is the amount of gas
produced?
Construction of IPR using Test Points
• When the parameters for calculating the
productivity index not available
• Measured values of production rate and
bottom hole pressure is used.
• If the tested flowing bottom-hole pressure is
greater than bubble-point pressure, the
model constant J should be determined by:
 Test point method contd.
• If the tested flowing bottom-hole pressure is less
than bubble-point pressure, the model constant J
should be determined using the generalized
Vogel’s equation:

Why?
 Example 3
• A well tested at a rate of 200 STB/d with a Pwf of
3220pisa. Bubble point pressure measured on
surface recombined fluid samples was 3980
psia,very close to measured Pi = 4000 psia
• Plot the IPR using the Vogel equation.

Bubble point pressure is close to Pi so from very

beginning the reservoir will be two phase
reservoir so using the two phase Vogel equation
IPR curve using Vogel equation
Example 4 (Book: Boyun P 3/36)
Construct IPR of two wells in an undersaturated oil reservoir
using the generalized Vogel equation. The following data are
given:
For well A
Once productivity index is calculated then calculate flowrates
for different bottomhole pressure using:
 For well B

What is the fundamental difference

between the problem example 3
and problem example 4?
Composite IPR of Stratifed Reservoirs

Self study: Book: Boyun/P 3/37

Future IPR
Self Study: Book: Boyun/p3/39
Well Bore Performance
Learning Objectives

• Understand sources of pressure loss in a

producing well
• Understand wellbore flow performance
• Understand tubing performance relationships
and compare with IPR
 Wellbore Performance: Why Important to study

• Wellbore performance analysis involves establishing a

relationship between tubular size, wellhead and bottom-
hole pressure, fluid properties, and fluid production rate.
• Understanding wellbore flow performance is vitally
important to production engineers for designing oil well
equipment and optimizing well production conditions.
• To determine the productive capability of a well,
estimates of the pressure drop in the wellbore.
• It is important to understand the intake pressure vs.
flowrates (tubing performance relationship, TPR)
relationship which helps to optimize the well productivity
Components Pressure loss in wellbore
• Friction loss
• Hydrostatic pressure loss
 Pressure loss for single liquid well
For single-phase liquid (e.g. undersaturated oil or water),
density is assumed constant and the hydrostatic gradient is
essentially constant.
Friction loss is flowrate dependent
Pressure loss in wellbore for gas flow
In gas wells, there is interdependence between flow rate,
flow velocity, density and pressure.
In general, increasing gas rate results in increasing total
pressure loss.
 Pressure loss in wellbore for multi-phase
flow
In multi-phase mixtures, friction loss and hydrostatic pressure
vary with rate (saturated oils or gas condensates – wet gas).
Pressure Traverse for different Flow in
a wellbore
 Pressure loss in wellbore for single phase
incompressible fluid flow
Applying energy balance equation we get

The first, second, and third term in

the right-hand side of the equation
represent pressure drops due to
Hydrostatic force, kinetic energy, and
friction, respectively.
 Fanning factor also could be
expressed as:

FM is Moody Friction Factor which

could be obtained from Moody
diagram

For NRe > 2100 or for turbulent flow use the Chen’s Correlation
Tubing performance relation curve (TPR)
development

• Get pressure loss for different flowrates for a

wellbore.
• Then for the desired value of the wellhead
pressure, calculate the required wellbore intake
pressure.
• Develop the TPR curve for the wellbore
Dry gas well

Average temp is arithmetic average

between two points
The average compressibility factor is
evaluated at the average temperature
and average pressure of the wellbore

In case of gas flow, usually the flow is

developed and independent of Reynolds
number
 Example 5

Develop the tubing performance relation of this well up to the rate of 24 MMscf/d
 Wellbore flow performance for
multiphase flow

For multiphase mixtures, the frictional pressure loss and

hydrostatic pressure component are calculated using
either:

– correlations based mainly on field observations, which

take the form of generalized pressure vs. depth
curves, called gradient curves (Gilbert 1954), or

– empirical pipe flow correlations

 Gradient Curve: application
•Gradient curves are still useful for rapid assessment of
wellbore pressure drop in multi-phase flow and for
illustrating the principles involved

• Gradient curves were developed by measuring the

pressure drop on various sizes of tubing in many
different fields with wells producing at various GOR’s.

• Recently developed gradient curves often use multiphase

flow correlations rather than field data as their
basis (e.g., Beggs text on Production Optimization)

•The disadvantage of the gradient curve is that it is available only

for few bore sizes and production rates
 Example: Use of gradient curve

A well produces from a formation at a depth of about 5000 ft.

The oil is relatively heavy and contains little solution gas,
thereby requiring gas lift to produce. The tubing is 3.5 inch
nominal diameter. Preliminary calculations indicate that 1000
scf/STB of gas can be injected at an economical cost. Added to
the solution gas of 200 scf/STB, the total GOR becomes 1200
scf/STB. If oil production rate is 200 STB/d:

1. Determine the required tubing intake pressure if

wellhead pressure is 500 psia.
2. Determine the available wellhead pressure when tubing
intake pressure is 2000 psia.
 Solution
Take the gradient curve for 3.5 inch tubing and 200 STB/d:
1. Find 500 psia along the top x-axis (at 0 depth).
Place a straight-edge at 500 psia and drop down vertically to intercept
the total GLR = 1200 scf/STB curve. Mark intersection as point A and
move horizontally to y-axis to read the zero datum depth
corresponding to wellhead pressure. Now add 5000 ft to the zero
datum by moving downward.

Now move horizontally to intersect GLR = 1200 and read vertically the
required intake pressure ~ 1250 psia.
 Solution
2. Enter x-axis at 2000 psia, representing tubing intake pressure.
Move vertically down to 1200 scf/STB. Move horizontally to
depth axis. Move up 5000 ft. Move back across to 1200 scf/STB
and vertically upward to read available wellhead pressure of
1000 psia.

Points to note about gradient curves

• The vertical axis represents distance travelled vertically from a given

point where pressure is known.
• The gradient dp/dH decreases with increasing GLR until a minimum
gradient is reached.
• If production is water-free, the GLR = GOR,else: GLR = GOR/(1+WOR).
 Development of tubing performance
relationship (TPR)
Fix either wellhead pressure or bottomhole pressure at a given
flow rate
• Estimate the pressure loss in the production tubing of a given
size using charts or correlations
• Calculate pressure at the other end of the tubing
• Assuming several different flow rates, relationship between Pwf
and q for a fixed wellhead pressure (for example) can be
developed
• Yields a Tubing Performance Relationship (TPR)
Read the Pin from the series of gradient curves
tubing.
 Important note

• Follow the book 1 and 2 mentioned in the

course outline to solve the exercise problems
(also solve examples) related to single phase
liquid and gas flow in wellbore.