New Scale Prediction Approach Through Numerical Simulations

Abstract

One of the most concerns regarding the development of the Brazilian pre-salt cluster is due to scale issues. The huge carbonate reservoirs have a high potential for salt depositions while the produced fluid flow along the well. Furthermore, emerging wellbore configurations aiming the well construction cost reduction and improving reliability, also brings some drawbacks, such as the inability for downhole chemical injection in the open-hole full-eletric intelligent completion schemes, for instance. Scale prediction is worldwide traditionally performed using the formation water thermodynamical evaluation under static conditions through commercial softwares, leading to conservative results that may not distinguish the scaling risk of two different wellbore configurations. The approach neglects th geometry of completion accessories and the fluid dynamics, both substantial factors that influence precipitated-crystals process such as agglomeration and adhesion to the surface. This paper aims to show two different methodologies under development, in two different universities in Brazil, for enhancing scale prediction studies. Both uses Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) techniques to describe the fluid flow through a completion accessory applying an Euler-Lagrange approach is applied. The first approach coupled the CFD study to the Discrete Phase Method (DPM). The second approach coupled the CFD to the Discrete Element Method (DEM). Results are explored by applying these two methodologies.