Temperature prediction of two phase flow in wellbore using modified heat transfer model: An experimental analysis. (25th February 2019) - Hou, Zhaokai
Highlights: Heat transfer for various flows in wellbore was investigated experimentally. New models of convective heat transfer coefficient were proposed. Wellbore temperatures of gas-liquid two phase flow in wellbore were analyzed. Abstract: Temperature prediction of the multiphase flow in wellbore is a foundation for controlling the wellbore pressure, while the convective heat transfer coefficient is one of the key parameters for calculating wellbore temperature. In this paper, the heat transfer for the single phase flow and gas-liquid two phase flow in wellbore was investigated experimentally. A series of new correlations of calculating the convective heat transfer coefficient for various flows (including single flow, bubbly flow, intermittent flow and annulus flow) were proposed, which show a better agreement with the experiments than the other model. Moreover, the wellbore temperature was analyzed using modified heat transfer model. The effects of drilling fluid displacement, inlet temperature, geothermal gradient and formation gas intruding velocity on wellbore temperature were obtained, which can support the wellbore pressure control during drilling and production.