A Computation Fluid Dynamic Model for Gas Lift Process Simulation in a Vertical Oil Well

Abstract

Continuous gas-lift in a typical oil well was simulated using computational fluid dynamic (CFD) technique. A multi fluid model based on the momentum transfer between liquid and gas bubbles was employed to simulate two-phase flow in a vertical pipe. The accuracy of the model was investigated through comparison of numerical predictions with experimental data. The model then was used to study the dynamic behaviour of the two-phase flow around injection point in details. The predictions by the model were compared with other empirical correlations, as well. To obtain an optimum condition of gas-lift, the influence of the effective parameters including the quantity of injected gas, tubing diameter and bubble size distribution were investigated. The results revealed that increasing tubing diameter, the injected gas rate and decreasing bubble diameter improve gas-lift performance.KEY WORDS: Continuous gas lift, two-phase flow, computational fluid dynamic (CFD), optimization.