Estimating Flow Patterns and Frictional Pressure Losses of Two-Phase Fluids in Horizontal Wellbores Using Artificial Neural Networks

Abstract Underbalanced drilling achieved by gasified fluids is a very commonly used technique in many petroleum-engineering applications. This study estimates the flow patterns and frictional pressure losses of two-phase fluids flowing through horizontal annular geometries using artificial neural networks rather than using conventional mechanistic models. Experimental data is collected from experiments conducted at METU-PETE Flow Loop as well as data from literature in order to train the artificial neural networks. Flow is characterized using superficial Reynolds numbers for both liquid and gas phase for simplicity. The results showed that artificial neural networks could estimate flow patterns with an accuracy of ±5%, and frictional pressure losses with an error less than ±30%. It is also observed that proper selection of artificial neural networks is important for accurate estimations.

[1]  Geoffrey E. Hinton,et al.  Learning representations of back-propagation errors , 1986 .

[2]  James P. Brill,et al.  Multiphase Flow in Wells , 1987 .

[3]  Khalid Aziz,et al.  A Mechanistic Model for Multiphase Flow in Pipes , 2000 .

[4]  R. Lockhart.  Proposed Correlation of Data for Isothermal Two-Phase, Two-Component Flow in Pipes , 1949 .

[5]  Ghassan H. Abdul-Majeed,et al.  Liquid holdup in horizontal two-phase gas—liquid flow , 1996 .

[6]  El-Sayed A. Osman,et al.  Artificial Neural Network Models for Identifying Flow Regimes and Predicting Liquid Holdup in Horizontal Multiphase Flow , 2004 .

[7]  Simon Haykin,et al.  Neural Networks: A Comprehensive Foundation , 1998 .

[8]  A. Dukler,et al.  A model for predicting flow regime transitions in horizontal and near horizontal gas‐liquid flow , 1976 .

[9]  Jeffrey L. Elman,et al.  Finding Structure in Time , 1990, Cogn. Sci..

[10]  C. S. Kabir,et al.  TWO-PHASE FLOW IN VERTICAL AND INCLINED ANNULI , 1992 .

[11]  D. C. Groeneveld,et al.  Effect of flow obstructions on the flow pattern transitions in horizontal two-phase flow , 1983 .

[12]  N.C.J. Ros,et al.  Vertical flow of gas and liquid mixtures in wells , 1963 .

[13]  J. P. Brill,et al.  Liquid Holdup in Wet-Gas Pipelines , 1987 .

[14]  James P. Brill,et al.  A Comprehensive Mechanistic Model for Two-Phase Flow in Pipelines , 1990 .

[15]  James P. Brill,et al.  A Study of Two-Phase Flow in Inclined Pipes , 1973 .

[16]  Shahab D. Mohaghegh,et al.  Virtual Measurement in Pipes, Part 2: Liquid Holdup and Flow Pattern Correlations , 1995 .

[17]  M. J. D. Powell,et al.  Radial basis functions for multivariable interpolation: a review , 1987 .

[18]  Geoffrey E. Hinton,et al.  Learning representations by back-propagating errors , 1986, Nature.

[19]  Ovadia Shoham,et al.  Upward Vertical Two-Phase Flow Through an Annulus—Part I: Single-Phase Friction Factor, Taylor Bubble Rise Velocity, and Flow Pattern Prediction , 1992 .

[20]  Stuart L. Scott,et al.  A Neural Network Model for Prediction of Liquid Holdup in Two-Phase Horizontal Flow , 2004 .

[21]  M. Sadatomi,et al.  Two-phase flow in vertical noncircular channels , 1982 .

[22]  Teuvo Kohonen,et al.  The self-organizing map , 1990, Neurocomputing.

[23]  Rolv Rommetveit,et al.  An Experimental and Theoretical Study of Two-Phase Flow in Horizontal or Slightly Deviated Fully Eccentric Annuli , 2000 .