(361e) Using a CFD-DEM Modeling Approach to Address Upstream Oil Production Challenges

During horizontal oil well completion, there is an important stage that guarantees the integrity and operation during the oil production known as gravel packing. This operation allows an annulus to be formed between the well walls and production column which can be filled by particulate material, frequently sand. When the operation is not controlled, there is a problem called ?premature filling? which can impair well production. Another important issue that should be adequately addressed is the existence of natural fractures found during drilling and completion of hydrocarbons wells. These fractures may drain the drilling fluid and prevent controlled production. Looking for better understanding of these fluid-particle flow processes, Petrobras, ESSS and DEM Solutions are developing a new simulation approach based on the combination of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and discrete element model (DEM) techniques. This presentation provides details on the modeling methodology and simulation results using ANSYS-FLUENT® and EDEM® software packages.