Abstract Autonomous inflow control valve (AICV) can make better and more carbon efficient oil wells. This paper publishes new experimental data for how an AICV handles ultra-light oil (0.8 centipoise), water and gas at full reservoir conditions. The paper also evaluates how phase segregation in the annulus outside the sand screens impact the effective zonal performance, and finally the impact of the tested valve on a typical thin oil rim infill target. To verify the single and multi-phase flow behaviour of the AICV, a full-scale flow loop test was performed at down hole conditions. To understand and estimate the effective performance of several AICVs in wells with open annulus outside the sand screens, a newly developed lower completion modelling tool was used. The model includes phase segregation for a given well geometry and boundary conditions, and the result is integrated into industry standard reservoir simulators. Both the tested valve and an inflow control device (ICD) of similar choke strength as the AICV are "zonally upscaled" and evaluated for several infill well scenarios. At various differential pressure the single- and multi-phase flow of oil, water, and gas rates were measured. The results show an AICV with high capacity for oil, while it chokes hard on both gas and water. The valve's performance was matched by the extended RCP function. The new lower completion modelling software calculates effective zonal performance accounting for phase segregation effects. As compared to the individual AICV performance, the effective zonal AICV-ensemble chokes harder for multi-phase flow. For the ICD's, the effective zonal performance change is opposite, with less choking at multi-phase flow. The effective zonal performance of the ICD-ensemble is well matched by the extended RCP function. The effective zonal performance of the AICV-ensemble cannot be matched by the same function, and a solution is to export the result as a pressure drop table. Test cases demonstrate the correctness of both methods. The infill well scenarios are inspired from a Norwegian oil field with thin oil rims and ultra-light oil. When compared with an ICD well, the well with AICVs reduce water production and increase oil recovery in all scenarios. New experimental AICV performance data for ultra-light oil (0.8 centipoise) at full reservoir conditions is published here for the first time. Further, a new lower completion modelling method that accounts for phase segregation in the annulus outside the sand screens is used in this study. This gives new insight to the effective zonal performance of both ICDs and AICVs and improves the production forecasts from wells with such technology.

Abstract In today's engineer's toolbox, a variety of inflow control technologies exist that can help to achieve the targets to enhanced oil recovery. Characterizing difference type of inflow control technology especially that performed during the well lifetime are challenging due to the fluids phase change during the well life. The nature of porous media, and complex interaction of fluid and rock in the reservoir often lead to mixture flow during most of the well life during production phase. Early water and gas breakthrough increase the challenge of understanding the mixture behavior flow from the reservoir to the well. Different inflow control technologies are used to enhanced oil recovery and choke the unwanted fluids (water/gas) compared to oil. It is essential to understand the performance of inflow control technology during the multiphase mixture production. The Fluid Performance Ratio (FPR) analysis for single phase flow has been presented in a paper previously. In this paper the multiphase mixture fluid methodology and workflow have been developed to compared different type of inflow control technology completion to understand the capability to reduce unwanted water and gas production in multiphase flow along the wellbore in the reservoir. Different inflow control technology and its flow performance are a function of both density and viscosity. The fluid composition affects the multiphase flow behavior differently for various devices, i.e., the pressure drop for mixture oil, water, and gas. Different designs have been tested in laboratory with single phase and multiphase flow that replicates downhole operating conditions. The multiphase fluid performance ratio will compare the performance difference in choking of multiphase fluids mixture for oil/water and oil/gas and express the multiphase fluid performance ratio in percentage. Experimental flow loop results illustrate a significant difference in multiphase behavior of oil/water and oil/gas between conventional ICDs and AICVs. AICV with dynamic flow area shows more effective control of mixed fluid during breakthrough resulting in improved oil recovery and limiting the unwanted water and gas more effectively. Case studies shown and demonstrating the mixture production behavior. Comprehensive guidelines on the multiphase fluid performance ratio analysis have been developed to compare different type of inflow control technology completion to understand the capability in multiphase fluid mixture to reduce unwanted water and gas production along the wellbore in the reservoir. The continued development of a new characterization method for multiphase flow performance ratio has helped to unveil the benefits of characterizing and differentiating between inflow control technologies.

Many horizontal oil wells will after a time start producing unwanted fluids. Autonomous inflow control valves may help to choke these unwanted fluids and consequently improve carbon efficiency. This paper publishes new experimental data describing how an autonomous inflow control valve manages medium-light oil (6 cp), water, and gas at reservoir conditions. A further objective is to evaluate how this valve might impact well performance under various conditions. To verify the single-and multiphase flow behavior of the valve, extensive flow loop experiments were performed. Initial testing was done in a model fluid laboratory, while a more extensive test was performed at reservoir conditions (i.e., with formation water, reservoir oil, and hydrocarbon gas at the given reservoir temperature and pressure). To explore and understand the impact of this valve for various reservoir scenarios, a simple conceptual reservoir model with realistic boundary conditions was used. At various differential pressures, the single-phase oil, water, and gas rates were measured. Performance at varying water and gas fractions was measured to get an improved understanding and knowledge of multiphase flow occurring in a well. The results show clearly that the valve will choke gas and water effectively, both at single-phase and multiphase flow conditions. The reservoir and model fluid evaluations show consistent results. The valve shows roughly a monotonic decreasing total rate with decreasing oil fraction, implying that the valve will always prioritize sections with the largest oil fraction. A mathematical model match of the valve performance is possible via the 10-parameter extended autonomous inflow control device (AICD) equation that enables practical evaluation of the valve in industrystandard reservoir simulators. Various scenarios are explored with a conceptual reservoir model, and the autonomous inflow control valve shows its capacity to reduce water production and enable a more gradual and controlled increase in gas/oil ratio for most scenarios. The autonomous inflow control valve shows its largest potential to reduce unwanted fluids and increase oil recovery when used in segmented reservoirs. In cases with uncertain aquifer and/or gas cap strength, or large variation in effective permeability, the valve will make an infill well more robust as it autonomously adapts to reality, chokes unwanted fluids, and consequently enables more carbon-efficient reservoir management.

In reservoirs with extra heavy oil and bitumen, thermal methods are used to reduce the viscosity, in order to extract the oil.Steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) is a thermal method where continuous steam injection is used.In this method, two horizontal wells are placed in parallel.The upper well injects steam and the lower well produces oil and condensed water.The continuous steam injection creates a chamber with uniform temperature.Heavy oil and bitumen reserves in Western Canada, which exceed 175 billion barrels, are becoming increasingly important petroleum sources due to the technical success of the SAGD processes.This study includes Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling and simulations of a horizontal oil well with SAGD.The simulations are performed with inflow control devices (ICD) and autonomous inflow control valves (AICV) completion.In the SAGD processes, it is important that the residence time for steam in the reservoir is high enough to ensure that all the injected steam condenses in the reservoir to reduce the amount of steam injection and thereby making the SAGD process more energy effective.The simulations are carried out with ICD completion to delay the steam breakthrough and with AICV completion to prevent breakthrough of steam and water to the well.The numerical results showed that a most of the steam was produced together with the oil when ICD completion was used.AICV was able to close for steam and water, and the steam was thereby forced to condense in the reservoir, resulting in better utilization of the condensation energy.