SPE Journal
Volume 17, Number 1, March 2012, pp. 243-250

Summary

Water is produced along with heavy oil either during the primary production or during enhanced oil recovery. Therefore, cocurrent oil/water flow is a common occurrence in heavy-oil production and transportation. Production-system design is strongly dependent on accurate predictions of the oil-/water-flow behavior. The predictions of previous mechanistic models for pressure gradient and water holdup are tested with the data acquired, and significant discrepancies are identified, especially for horizontal flow (Vuong 2009). The model performance is largely dependent on the predictions of phase inversion, distribution, and interaction. On the basis of the new understandings from experimental observations, the Zhang and Sarica (2006) unified model is modified by adding a new closure relationship for water-wetted-wall fraction in stratified flow and a new interfacial shear model based on mixing-length theory. The new model is compared with both high-viscosity and low-viscosity oil-/water-flow experimental results, and significant improvements are observed.

© 2012. Society of Petroleum Engineers

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History

• Original manuscript received: 4 November 2010
• Meeting paper published: 20 September 2010
• Revised manuscript received: 10 March 2011
• Manuscript approved: 10 May 2011
• Published online: 16 January 2012
• Version of record: 13 March 2012