A model for coupling reservoir inflow and wellbore flow in fishbone wells

Abstract

A coupling model is proposed in this paper by using the Green Function and Newman's product principle, and the solution method is provided here as well. This model can be used to describe the reservoir inflow and wellbore flow for fishbone wells in an unsteady flow or pseudo-steady flow state. A case study indicates that the bottom hole pressure declines quickly in the unsteady flow period which is very short. The pressure drop per unit time remains unchanged under the pseudo-steady flow conditions. The distribution of flow rate along the main wellbore shows a wave shape under the unsteady flow condition, and the flow rate distribution in each branch is similar. The flow rate distribution along the main wellbore is irregular "U" shaped under the pseudo-steady flow condition, and the space-symmetrical branches have the same flow distribution pattern. In the initial production period, the flow rate increases significantly as the length of branches and the angle between branches and the main wellbore increase. As the production continues, the length and angle of branches have only a slight effect on the flow in fishbone wells. © 2012 China University of Petroleum (Beijing) and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.