Investigation of Flow Behavior of Slickwater in Large Straight and Coiled Tubing

2010 ◽  
Vol 25 (01) ◽  
pp. 70-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Subhash N. Shah ◽  
A.H. Ahmed Kamel
Keyword(s):  
Author(s):  
Zhongwei Huang ◽  
Gensheng Li ◽  
Shouceng Tian ◽  
Xianzhi Song ◽  
Mao Sheng ◽  
...  

2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.N. Shah ◽  
Y. Zhou ◽  
Naval Goel
Keyword(s):  

Author(s):  
Ahmed H. Kamel

This study involves experimental investigation of rheological and hydraulic characteristics of aqueous based polymeric and surfactant fluids in straight and coiled tubing. The fluids matrix includes guar, HPG, PHPA, welan, xanthan, and surfactant. Bohlin rheometer was used to evaluate rheological and viscoelastic characteristics. For hydraulic characteristics, small- and large-scale flow loops were used. It is observed that all fluids exhibit comparable non-Newtonian behavior and improved viscous and elastic properties. Among polymeric fluids, guar and welan provide better viscosity and suspension properties. Surfactant is significantly affected by the formation of rod-like micelles and other microstructures. Master curves for rheological and elastic properties are developed using the molecular theory approach. The foremost benefit of these curves is its dimensionless form that provides a unique technique to predict viscosity for all fluids. For hydraulic properties, friction losses in coiled tubing are significantly higher than in straight tubing due to centrifugal forces and secondary flows. Surfactant is more sensitive to shear field applied where different microstructures are induced and thus they exhibit better drag reduction characteristics than polymeric fluids especially in coiled tubing with larger sizes. However, in straight tubing, guar shows better drag reduction characteristics than surfactant and other polymers, which diminishes as tubing size increases. However, welan gum exhibits a comparable performance. Overall, all fluids are considered good candidates as fracturing fluids with specific features for each. Unique characteristics of each fluid is discussed and explained in more details within the context of the present paper.


2010 ◽  
Vol 132 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed H. Ahmed Kamel ◽  
Subhash N. Shah

This study involves experimental investigation on the flow properties of aqueous surfactant-based (SB) fluids in small and large-scale coiled tubing. It aims at understanding the viscoelastic properties and its effect on the flow behavior of SB fluids in coiled tubing. In spite of SB fluids wide use as friction reducer and/or fracturing fluid in the oil and gas industry, the flow data in large pipe sizes as well as coiled tubing are very scarce. Majority of the available flow data are gathered in straight pipes with small sizes. The scale-up of small-scale flow data is questionable due to the pronounced diameter effect. Furthermore, previous studies have correlated flow behavior of these fluids only through simple power-law model parameters. Limited work with polymeric fluids has been reported that includes fluid elasticity in scale-up procedure and it is nonexistent for highly elastic SB fluids. In this study, the properties of widely used Aromox APA-T, a highly active surfactant used as gelling agent in aqueous and brine base fluids, are thoroughly investigated. Rheological measurements are conducted using Bohlin rheometer for SB fluid concentration of 1.5 vol %, 2 vol %, 3 vol %, and 4 vol %. Flow data are gathered using 1.27 cm, 3.81 cm, 6.03 cm, and 7.30 cm OD coiled tubing with various curvature ratios. This study presents the first attempt to investigate the flow behavior SB fluids in large-scale coiled tubing. The results show that SB fluids exhibit non-Newtonian pseudoplastic behavior. Elastic and viscous properties of SB fluids are very sensitive to surfactant concentration. Friction losses in coiled tubing are significantly higher than those in straight pipes due to secondary flow effect. Increasing curvature ratio yields higher friction pressure loss. Also, small-scale data correlations using only simple power-law model fluid rheological parameters lead to erroneous results when scaled-up to large pipe sizes. New technique, based on the modified Deborah number, which includes fluid elasticity and pipe shear effect, has been developed to correlate data from the small laboratory-scale tubing and large field-scale pipes. Correlation to predict Fanning friction factor of SB fluids in coiled tubing as a function of Deborah number and fluid flow behavior index is presented. Correlation is validated by comparing predictions with the experimental data. It is shown that the new correlation accurately predicts friction factor of SB fluids and thus alleviates the scale-up issue.


2008 ◽  
Vol 130 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adedeji Asubiaro ◽  
Subhash N. Shah

This study involves experimental investigation of the hydraulic characteristics of aqueous based welan gum fluids of concentrations 1.4kg∕m3, 2.9kg∕m3, 5.7kg∕m3, and 8.6kg∕m3 in both straight and coiled tubings at 21°C, with particular emphasis on the effect of polymer concentration and coiled tubing curvature ratio. The flow loop available at the Well Construction Technology Center of the University of Oklahoma, consisting of 1.27cm straight and coiled tubings (with curvature ratios of 0.01, 0.019, and 0.031), was utilized. It was observed that for all welan gum fluids investigated, friction losses in coiled tubing were significantly higher than those in straight tubing. In addition, increasing coiled tubing curvature ratio brings about higher friction loss for all fluids investigated. Rheological data for these fluids were obtained using a Model 35 Fann viscometer. Friction pressure data gathered from flow experiments are analyzed and correlations for friction pressure loss prediction of welan gum fluids have been developed for both straight and coiled tubings. These correlations, which represent the industry’s first attempt in the fundamental investigation of friction loss prediction of welan gum fluids, are found to provide good accuracy when compared to the experimental data. Flow behavior of welan gum fluids is compared with 4.9kg∕m3 guar fluid. It is found that in both straight and coiled tubings, the guar fluid exhibited higher drag reduction when compared to the welan gum fluids investigated in this study.


2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (6) ◽  
pp. 619
Author(s):  
Rui Xu ◽  
Haitao Ling ◽  
Haijun Wang ◽  
Lizhong Chang ◽  
Shengtao Qiu

The transient multiphase flow behavior in a single-strand tundish during ladle change was studied using physical modeling. The water and silicon oil were employed to simulate the liquid steel and slag. The effect of the turbulence inhibitor on the slag entrainment and the steel exposure during ladle change were evaluated and discussed. The effect of the slag carry-over on the water-oil-air flow was also analyzed. For the original tundish, the top oil phase in the impact zone was continuously dragged into the tundish bath and opened during ladle change, forming an emulsification phenomenon. By decreasing the liquid velocities in the upper part of the impact zone, the turbulence inhibitor decreased considerably the amount of entrained slag and the steel exposure during ladle change, thereby eliminating the emulsification phenomenon. Furthermore, the use of the TI-2 effectively lowered the effect of the slag carry-over on the steel cleanliness by controlling the movement of slag droplets. The results from industrial trials indicated that the application of the TI-2 reduced considerably the number of linear inclusions caused by ladle change in hot-rolled strip coils.


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