A study on different two-phase flow correlations used in geothermal wellbore modelling

Abstract

There are various flow correlations available to estimate the pressure drop associated with two-phase flow in a geothermal well. A number of previous studies on the different flow correlations have been conducted to assess their applicability in geothermal wellbore modelling. In this study, the performance of five flow correlations was evaluated and compared using discharge data from 39 geothermal wells that cover a wide range of wellhead conditions. The wellhead parameters were utilized to simulate the flowing pressure and temperature profiles using the wellbore simulator Simgwel. Different analyses were performed to identify which of these correlations would perform best depending on the condition of the fluid in the wellbore up to the wellhead.