SPE Formation Evaluation, Vol.12, No.3, 175-181, 1997
Influence of wellbore hydraulics on horizontal well pressure transient behavior
In this paper, we discuss the influence of wellbore hydraulics in a horizontal wellbore on horizontal well pressure transient behavior. A finite-conductivity solution is obtained by a semianalytical method that incorporates three-dimensional (3D) flow in a reservoir and fluid flow inside a wellbore ranging from laminar to turbulent-flow regimes. On the basis of the finite-conductivity solution, finite-conductivity pressure transients are presented in terms of type curves, pressure derivatives, production distribution along a wellbore, and a pressure difference between the two ends of a wellbore. Furthermore, we provide a quantified criterion that allows us to approximate finite-conductivity solutions to an infinite-conductivity solution with respect to the following parameters: a formation flow capacity, a wellbore length, a wellbore radius, a relative pipe roughness, and the Reynolds number at the downstream end of a wellbore.