Hi John.
<<The flow regime at bottom hole most closely resembles two phase liquid flow (water and supercritical HC).>>
Interesting, this flow regime is what I intuitively would expect. It is consistent with a reservoir saturated with two dense and "immiscible" fluids. We can not, IMO, simply be dealing with a dense hydrocarbon phase saturated with a dense water phase. If reservoir fluids co-existed in this later state, then the blowout should have produced water from day one as should have BKP#1 on production test.
Do you agree ??
<<The Z factor is 1.68 for the HC>>
I had estimated 1.73 for Carneros gas and 1.85 for the Phacoides in BKP#1. I'm glad to hear that I'm at least ball park with your calc. Is yours for Carneros or Phacoides reservoir conditions ??
<<My program seems to believe that water will be in the liquid state although I would have a hard time arguing against a dense phase. The HC is definately dense phase.>>
I prefer to visualize two dense fluids and have trouble comprehending the "liquid water". But, admittedly, I have serious difficulty arguing for\against any fluid state at these conditions !!! <gg>
<<Beggs and Brill doesn't go up to the pressures and temperatures we need to simulate this well.>>
Nothing I know of does, and that's the essence of the whole problem.
<<It does work well, however, on a well I am familiar with which has 5000 psig FBHP and 2000 psig FTP 40 BBls/MMscf 10.7 brine and very similiar hydrocarbon composition to ELH. Basically, it acts like liquid until you drop below the critical pressure. After that, you have a three phase flow system (water/condensate and gas) which is pretty tough to predict.>>
Yes, but those are VERY different conditions, John. At ELH the fluid(s) are hitting the surface choke at a higher P then you have downhole in your case history. Also, at ELH pressure should remain well above critical throughout the entire string. There should be no 3 phase considerations, anywhere in the tubing at all. It should be quite a different animal and the pressure drop per ft should not be near as severe, IMO, but who knows.
Presumably BKP will have used their multirate flow test data from BKP#1 as empirical data to "calibrate" their own "pressure drop model". They should be in a far better position to size their tubing string then I am in any event.
Thanks for generously sharing your thoughts\results and have a great day.
Later,
grayhairs |
