US 11,952,845 B2
Managing gas bubble migration in a downhole liquid
Jianxin Lu, Bellaire, TX (US); Michael T. Pelletier, Houston, TX (US); Dale E. Jamison, Humble, TX (US); Arash Haghshenas, Spring, TX (US); and Li Gao, Katy, TX (US)
Assigned to Landmark Graphics Corporation, Houston, TX (US)
Appl. No. 17/274,256
Filed by Landmark Graphics Corporation, Houston, TX (US)
PCT Filed Jun. 4, 2019, PCT No. PCT/US2019/035396
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Mar. 8, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/139415, PCT Pub. Date Jul. 2, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/785,935, filed on Dec. 28, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0355771 A1, Nov. 18, 2021
Int. Cl. E21B 21/08 (2006.01); E21B 44/00 (2006.01)
CPC E21B 21/08 (2013.01) [E21B 44/00 (2013.01); E21B 2200/20 (2020.05)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system comprising:
a processing device; and
a memory device including wellbore-simulation software that is executable by the processing device for causing the processing device to:
simulate changes in gas dissolution of a gas in a liquid flowing from a downhole location through a wellbore to a well surface over the course of a plurality of time steps by:
dividing the wellbore into a plurality of segments spanning from the well surface to the downhole location, each segment spanning a respective depth increment between the well surface and the downhole location; and
for each time step of the plurality of time steps:
determining a respective multiphase-flow regime associated with each segment of the plurality of segments based on a simulated pressure level, a simulated temperature, a simulated pipe eccentricity, and a simulated fluid velocity at the segment; and
determining how much of the gas is dissolved in the liquid at each segment of the plurality of segments based on the respective multiphase-flow regime at the segment; and
generate a display based on the changes in the gas dissolution in the liquid over the plurality of time steps.