Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology, Vol.40, No.5, 39-47, 2001
Advanced two-phase well control analysis
Pressure responses during well control operations can be analysed using the coupling solution of the conservation of mass equations, the conservation of linear momentum equation, and the equation of state. For a realistic well control simulation, a computer model should include the effects of well geometry, well control methods, formation parameters, bubble rise velocity, and mud compressibility on well stabilization. Typical numerical problems encountered in two-phase well control modelling are numerical dissipation, difficulty of selecting appropriate time step and grid sizes, negative liquid velocity, and divergence due to distinct two-phase flow maps. Among these numerical problems, the numerical dissipation is the most prominent and it should be handles properly for an accurate two-phase well control simulation. An unsteady state two-phase well control model is developed and compared successfully with the Nickens model, the Santos model, and a single-phase model. However, an exact match is very difficult because of different two-phase correlation models used and complexity of two-phase flow. Wellbore geometry, gas;velocity, formation permeability, and handled of numerical dissipation are found to be important factors in the prediction of the pressure behaviour of the kick fluids.