Simulation of Downhole Heater

Phenomena in the Production

of Wellbore Fluids
Yugdutt Sharma,* SPE, Ovadla Shoham, SPE, and James P. Brill, SPE, U. of Tulsa

Summary. A model is presented for predicting the pressure and temperature profiles for gaslliquid flow in wellbores stimulated with
downhole heaters. The solution algorithm consists of coupling the momentum- and energy-balance equations for the wellbore fluids with
the transient behavior in the surrounding rock. The heater is treated as a source term in the energy-balance equation. The model is capable
of predicting wellbore thermal effects, such as reduction of fluid viscosity and increase of free gas. It can be used to simulate temperature
maintenance during well shut-in periods to prevent pour-point problems and paraffin or hydrate formation. An existing well with pro-
duction problems related to thermal effects was simulated by the model. Results indicate that wellbore temperatures can be controlled
by downhole heaters. Also, under certain conditions, an increase in production was predicted with such an application.

Introduction
Many problems encountered in the production of oil and gas could
be reduced by introduction of heat to increase the temperature of
the fluids. A review of thermal stimulation methods was given by
Farouq Ali, I who included electrical or hot water heaters, gas
burners, limited in-situ combustion, and hot water or steam injec-
tion. Increasing the fluid temperature results in several advantages.
Various reservoirs produce fluids that deposit semisolid asphaltic
hydrocarbons. These solids can plug the flow path either in perfora-
tions or in the piping system. 2 A similar phenomenon is the deposi-
tion of wax in tubing or flowlines, resulting in additional flow re-
sistance. Thermal stimulation can reduce this deposition and increase
well productivity.
An increase in temperature will also result in a reduction in oil
viscosity. This is important when highly viscous crudes are produced
where frictional pressure losses can be large. Another positive result
of heating is an increase in free gas, which in tum results in a lower
pressure gradient in the system.
Heating can also be used for temperature maintenance during well
shut-in periods to prevent pour-point problems. Hydrate formation
can also be prevented by thermal stimulation. Additional advantages
are thermal fractures, clay dehydration, and removal of residual
water.
An investigation of the use of electrical heaters to assist in the
production of viscous or waxy crudes has resulted in the develop-
ment of a simulation model for well flow analysis. The model allows
the simulation of the temperature profile in the flowing fluids, in-
cluding the effect of the electric heater. Evaluation of the two-phase-
flow pressure losses in the tubing and the effect of heating on the
production rate are also considered. PVT properties of the fluids
in the tubing were predicted with fluid property correlations, with
emphasis on the variations in the liquid viscosity and the solution
GOR with temperature. A significant reduction in the solution gas
can occur with heating. This reduction will increase the free gas
available, thereby making implementation of a gas-lift procedure
possible.
Mathematical Formulation
Determination of the flowing pressure traverse in tubing for the
simultaneous transport ofliquid and gas phases requires a knowledge
of the temperature variation with depth because the PVT properties
depend strongly on pressure and temperature. When the temperature
distribution is not known, coupling the heat-balance equation with
the mechanical-energy equation to calculate the pressure and tem-
perature changes simultaneously becomes necessary and requires
a double iterative procedure. Brill and Beggs 3 described the proce-
dure. When the temperature distribution is known or can be deter-
mined explicitly, a single iterative procedure that involves a standard
marching algorithm is used to evaluate the flowing pressure and
temperature profiles. The following sections show the development
of explicit equations for temperature prediction in the wellbore.
'Now at Petrobras R&D Center.
Copyright 1969 Society of Petroleum Engineers
Flowing-Temperature Determination. Two cases are analyzed in
this study. The first case considers no heater in the wellbore. A
solution for this configuration, developed by Ramey4 for injection
wells, is modified here for producing wells. This solution is then
extended in the second case for a wellbore with a heater.
Without Heater. The wellbore heat-transmission process is gov-
erned by the following equation 4 :
aT I (D,t)/aD+(lIA)T I (D,t)-(I/A)Tr(D)=O, ........... (I)
where A =(w mCpm /27r){ (lIUorto ) + [f(t)/k h ]} . . .......... (2)
The functionjU) represents the resistance for radial conductive
heat transfer in porous media. A discussion ofj(t) is given in Ap-
pendix B. The boundary condition for a producing well can be
written as
TI(D=O,t)=Tbh . ................................. (3)
Note that D=O represents the bottom of the producing well in
this equation. The geothermal temperature, represented as a linear
function of depth, is given by
Tr(D)=Tbh-gGD . ................................ (4)
Solution of the partial-differential equation given by Eq. I with
the boundary condition given by Eq. 3 yields
TI (D,t) = Tbh -gG{D-A[l-exp( -DIA)]). . ........... (5)
The solution assumes that the thermal properties of the earth and
the wellbore fluids are independent of temperature. Also, heat
transfer in the wellbore is assumed to be steady state, while heat
flow to the surrounding rocks is described by the transient radial-
heat-flow equation. The overall heat-transfer coefficient, Uo ' in-
corporates the resistance to heat flow by the flowing fluids, tubing
wall, fluid in the casing/tubing annulus, and casing wall.
With Heater. A heat balance on an element of the two-phase flow
mixture within the heater region yields
aTI (D,t)/aD+(1/A)T I (D,t)-SlwmCpm -(1/A) Tr(D) =0,
. . .................................... (6)
where S=rate of heat supply per foot by the heater. The assumptions
used in deriving Eq. I were also applied in determining the heat
balance represented by Eq. 6. The heater generally is not attached
to the entire tubing string. Therefore, part of the tubing surface,
usually near the bottom of the well, is always bare of the heater,
while the remainder is always in contact with the heat source. Eq. 6
is valid only for fluid flow within the heated pipe section. An appro-
priate boundary condition for this situation is given by
TI(D=O,t)=TFHU) . ............................... (7)
In this case, D=O represents the location of the heater base.
TFH(t), the temperature of the two-phase mixture at the entrance
to the bottom section of the heater, is evaluated with Eq. 5. The
geothermal temperature for this case is given by
Tr(D)=TGH-gGD, ............................... (8)

SPE Production Engineering, August 1989 309

 TABLE 1-DATA FOR WELL USED 0
\
IN SIMULATED CASE STUDY \
\
\
Depth, ft [m) 5,553 [1692.5) \
1000 \ 15
Casing 10, in. [cm) 4.090 (10.39) \
Tubing 10, in. [cm) 1.995 [5.07) \ 0
\
Geothermal temperature at bottom, OF [0C) 127 [52.8) \
Geothermal temperature at surface, OF [0C) 15[-9.4) \
2000 \
Static fluid level, ft [m) 0(0) \
Dynamic fluid level, ft [m) 400 [121.9) \
HEATER
Oil specific gravity 0.82 ;:: \ BOTTOM
~ \
Viscosity of oil at 70F [21C), cp [mPa' s) 5.5 [5.5) \
3 ~ 3000
Oil flow rate, STB/D [stock-tank m /h) 330 (2.2) a.. \
Water flow rate, STB/D (stock-tank m 3 /h) 157 [1.05) ILl \
0 \
GOR, scf/STB [std m 3 /stock-tank m 3 ) 281 [50.6) \
\
4000 GEOTHERMAL \
PROFILE~
where TGH=geothermal temperature at the base of the heater \
\
(D=O). The solution of the system of equations given by Eqs. 6 \
through 8 yields \
5000 \
\
SA [SA
T1(D,t)=--+TGH-ga(D-A)+ TFH(t)---
wmCpm wmCpm 6000
0 50 100 150 200
TEMPERATURE (OF)
-TGH-gGA }XP(-DIA), .................... (9)
Fig. 1-Effect of a heater on temperature profile.
which allows determination of the flowing temperature in the heated
tubing section. Derivation of Eq. 9 is presented in Appendix A.
Determination of the heat balances represented by Eqs. 1 and 6
assumes that the two-phase flow exists as a homogeneous mixture. in the tubing. Brill and Beggs 3 thoroughly discussed these correla-
This is a simplification in the model development. The simultaneous tions and their applications.
flow of liquid and gas results in a distribution of the two phases
(flow pattern), which is determined by the operating flow rates, PVT Properties. Evaluation of pressure losses during two-phase
pipe diameter and inclination angle, and fluid physical properties. flow requires determination of fluid properties at in-situ conditions.
The mechanistic processes associated with the flow structures vary In this analysis, correlations are used to predict densities, viscosities,
from one flow pattern to another. Consequently, the heat -transfer surface tension, FVF, specific gravities, bubblepoint pressure, so-
process will depend strongly on the flow structure present in the lution GOR, compressibility, and compressibility factor. These
tubing under the operating conditions. Incorporation of models to correlations were developed for specific ranges of conditions.
describe the heat-transfer process for all these flow patterns Therefore, caution must be exercised when they are used to predict
(homogeneous, bubble, churn, slug, and annular) requires a more fluid properties.
sophisticated heat-transfer model. The state-of-the-art technology
in multiphase flow allows the development of these heat-transfer
Numerical Algorithm
models, but the scope of the present work does not demand such
a level of sophistication. ' A standard matching algorithm 3 for numerical integration of the
two-phase-flow pressure-gradient equation is used in this study for
Flowing-Pressure Detennination. Correlations derived for upward calculating pressure traverses in the wellbore. The temperatures
vertical two-phase flow are used to determine pressure gradients required in this algorithm are determined from Eq. 5 or 9.

1000 1000

2000 510152025
2000 HEATER (WATT 1FT)

HEATER
~
I-'
BOTTOM ~
~ 3000 ~ 3000
a..
f!i
o ~ 15--~-O

4000 4000 WATT/FT.

5000 5000

60000L---~~'~~~~2--~--~3---L---4L-~~~5 6oo00~------~5~0~0------~10~0~0----~1~50~0~----~2~00'0
VISCOSITY OF LIQUID (CP) FLOWING PRESSURE (PSIA)

Fig. 2-Effect of a heater on liquid viscosity. Fig. 3-Effect of a heater on flowing pressure.

310 SPE Production Engineering, August 1989

 o

1000 1000 15 ---.-,.

WATT/FT.

2000 2000

P HEATER
L1.. BOTTOM
:z: 3000 i= 3000
Ii:UJ c..
UJ
Q Q

4000 4000

5000 5000

60000~--------~100~--------~20~0~--------3~00
600~50 -40 -30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30 40 50
SOLUTION GAS OIL RATIO (SCF/STB) EFFICIENCY (%)

Fig. 4-Effect of a heater on solution GOR. Fig. 5-Downhole heater efficiency.

PI is used to couple the reservoir with wellbore hydraulics. Thus,

the flow rate vs. bottomhole-pressure (BHP) behavior can be deter-
mined for a given reservoir pressure. The BHP is used as the so-
lution node. A Newton-Raphson iterative procedure is used to
accelerate convergence on flow rate. The target function and its
derivatives are determined numerically.
The simulator is written to account for different tubing sizes in
a single completion string, different casing sizes in the casing string,
and different rod sizes (for pumping wells) in the rod string. It can
be modified to address the situations of different geothermal gra-
dients and different fluids in the annulus.
Discussion of Results
The developed simulator was used to investigate the effects of down-
hole heaters on pertinent flow variables and fluid-flow properties.
Data for a simulation case study are given in Table 1. The well
is pumping a two-phase-flow mixture. Three runs were carried out
to study the phenomena associated with the inclusion of a downhole
heater. The first run assumed that no heater is included in the flow
string. In the other two cases, heaters (15 or 20 W/ft [49.2 or 65.6
W/m], each 2,500 ft [762 m] in length) are attached to the upper
part of the tubing string. While description of the downhole heater
equipment for field application is beyond the scope of this paper,
Afkharnpour 5 provided such a description. Variations in some of
the major fluid and flow variables for these three runs are presented
in Figs. 1 through 6.
Fig. 1 shows the flowing-temperature profiles, with and without
heaters. Significant increases in the temperature of the fluids can
be attained with the heaters. A knowledge of the nature of the crude
and the flowing-temperature profile without a heater will indicate
where such problems as wax deposition and hydrate formation are
most likely to occur in the tubing. A suitably sized heater positioned
along a predetermined interval can then be used to prevent these
problems.
Fig. 2 shows the reduction in the liquid viscosity with heat. The
oil used in the simulation study measured 5.5 cp at 70F [5.5 mPas
at 21C]. Although this is not a highly viscous crude, effects similar
to those shown in Fig. 2 are expected for fluids that display higher
viscosities. If water is present as a second liquid phase, the addition
of heat not only will increase the fluid temperature but also will
tend to break any emulsions that may exist. This will result in lower
apparent liquid viscosities and will enhance separation in surface
facilities.
Fig. 3 shows that for Run 1 the flowing BHP (BHFP) is reduced
by 16 psi [110.3 kPa]. Although the reduction is small, its effect
is significant in a high-PI well. Flow rate can be increased substan-
tially by slightly lowering the BHFP.
SPE Production Engineering, August 1989
800r----,----~----_r--,_--,---__,
8..... 700
m
I-
!!!
w
I-
~
II::
600
~
0
..J
Ii.
0
:5
0
::::i
4000~--~5~--~IO~---1~5----~2~0----~2~5--~30
RATING OF HEATER (WATT/FT)
Fig. 6-Effect of a downhole heater on liquid flow rate.
One possible consequence of heating wellbore fluids is the release
of solution gas that would otherwise be dissolved in the liquid phase.
Fig. 4 shows that it is possible to reduce the pressure gradient slightly
and to produce the fluids by an induced gas-lift procedure caused
by the heater.
The heater efficiency is the ratio of the heat that goes into the
fluid to the heat supply. The efficiencies of the 15- and 20-W/ft
[49.2- and 65.6-W/m] heaters are shown in Fig. 5. The temperatures
between successive nodes determine the heat transferred to the fluid
in that interval. The rating of the heater will determine the heat
supplied to the interval. In this way, it is possible to determine where
the efficiency becomes negative, the point where the heater becomes
ineffective. This would occur at shallow depths where the geo-
thermal temperatures are much lower than the flowing temperatures,
indicating preferential heat flow to the surrounding rock.
A consequence of lowering of the BHFP is an increase in the
liquid flow rate. This effect is shown in Fig. 6. In the case of a
15-W/ft [49.2-W/m], 2,500-ft [762-m] -long heater, the BHFP is
reduced by 16 psi [110.3 kPa]. Although this appears small, the
increase by 57 BID [0.38 m 3 /h] in the liquid flow rate is a result
of the high PI. The phenomenon can be increased for high-viscosity
fluids.
311
Conclusions
A mathematical model with methodology similar to Ramey's4 was
developed to predict the flowing-temperature profile in a well with
a downhole heater. The heater is treated as a source tenn in the
heat-balance equation. It is assumed that steady-state heat conduction
occurs in the wellbore and that unsteady-state heat conduction occurs
in the surrounding rock. The temperature equation is used with two-
phase flow models in the development of a simulator that predicts
the flow variables for a given set of conditions. The explicit al-
gorithm eliminates the need for a double iterative process in the
evaluation of flowing-pressure traverses.
A simulation case study leads to the following conclusions.
I. The model can be used to simulate temperature maintenance
required to prevent pour-point problems and paraffin or hydrate
fonnation.
2. Wellbore thennal effects, such as the reduction of viscosity
and an increase of free gas, can be predicted by the simulator.
3. Lowering the BHFP by the downhole heater causes the liquid
flow rate to increase. The increase is more obvious in high-PI wells.
Nomenclature
A = variable defined by Eq. 2
C = constant of integration
Cpm = specific heat capacity at constant pressure of two-phase
mixture
D = depth
f(t) = function defined by Eq. B-6
F/ = integrating factor
g G = geothennal gradient
h = formation thickness
kh = thennal conductivity of fonnation
q = heat transfer rate
rD = dimensionless distance
rto = outside radius of tubing
r w = wellbore radius
Ar = radial distance into fonnation
S = rate of heat supply per foot by heater
t = time
tD = dimensionless time
T = flowing temperature
Tbh = bottomhole tempe~ature
TD = dimensionless temperature
TFH = flowing temperature at bottom of heater
TGH = geothennal temperature at base of heater
Tj = initial temperature in reservoir
Tr = geothennal temperature
T! = flowing temperature
Uo = overall heat-transfer coefficient
Wm = two-phase mixture mass flow rate
a = thermal diffusivity of earth
Ref.rences
1. Farouq Ali, S.M.: "Well Stimulation by Downhole Thenna\ Methods,"
Pet. Eng. (Oct. 1973) 25-35.
2. Chierici, G.L., SC\occhi, G., and Terzi, L.: "Pressure, Temperature
Profiles Are Calculated for Gas Flow," Oil & Gas J. (Jan. 7, 1980)
65-72.
3. Brill, J.P. and Beggs, H.D.: Two-Phase Flow in Pipes, U. of Tulsa,
Tulsa, OK (April 1979).
4. Ramey, H.J. Jr.: "Wellbore Heat Transmission," JPT(AprilI962)
427-34.
5. Afkhampour, K.H.: "A Novel Approach to Solving Downhole Fluid
Flow Problems by Use of an Electric Heating System," Proc., 32nd
Annual IEEG Pet. and Chern. Ind. Conference, Houston (Sept. 9-11,
1985) 225-35.
Appendix A-Derivation of Temperature
Equation With a Heat Source
A heat balance on the two-phase fluids flowing within the heated
section of the tubing yields
aT! (D.t)/aD + (lIA)T! (D,t) -SlwmCpm -(lIA) Tr(D) =0,
................................... (A-I)
312
where Tr(D)=TGH-gGD . ......................... (A-2)
The boundary condition is given by
T! (D=O,t)= TFH(t). . ............................ (A-3)
The solution procedure requires an integrating factor, F/ :
F/ =e(IIA dD =exp(DIA). . ........................ (A-4)
Multiplying Eq. A-I by F/ yields
exp(DIA)T1(D.t) = 1{exp(DIA)SlwmCpm +[(TGH-gGD)/A]
xexp(DIA) }dD+C(t). . .......................... (A-5)
Integration of Eq. A-5 results in
T!(D.t)=SAlwmCpm +TGH- gGD+gGA +C(t)exp( -DIA).
................................... (A-6)
Using the boundary condition given by Eq. A-3 yields
C(t) = TFH(t)-SAlwmCpm-TGH-gGA . ............. (A-7)
The temperature equation for fluid flow within the heated tubing
section can then be written as
T1(D,t)=SAlwmCpm + T GH- gG(D-A) + [TFH(t)-SAlwmCpm
-TGH-gGA]exp( -DIA) . .................. (A-8)
Appendix B-Derlvatlon of Time Function, fIt)
f(t) represents the surrounding rock resistance to radial conductive
heat transfer. When heat transfer associated with the production
of fluids occurs radially from the wellbore. Ramey's4 definition
of f(t) can be written as
f(t) = [21rk h (Tr - Tc))/(dqldD). . .................... (B-1)
Consider the solution to the transient, radial, conduction heat flow
problem in the reservoir given by
TD(rD,tD) = IhEi(rb/4tD)' ........................ (B-2)
This solution is for a constant-heat-flux, line-source wellbore and
an infinite reservoir. Eq. B-2 is similar to the line-source infinite-
reservoir solution for transient fluid flow with constant flow rate
at the wellbore. The dimensionless temperature, distance, and time
variables in Eq. B-2, respectively, are
TD =27rkhh[Tj - T(Ar))/q, ........................ (B-3)
rD=Arlrw , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (B-4)
and tD =atlr~. . .................................. (B-5)
A comparison ofEqs. B-1 and B-2 shows thatf(t) and TD(rD=
I, tD) have the same fonn. Thus, an approximation offU) is given
by
f(t) = IhEi(1I4tD)' ............................... (B-6)
An approximation to the exponential integral for large values of
tD is
f(t)=-Ih In(e'Y/4tD), ............................ (B-7)
where 'Y=0.572. Combining Eqs. B-5 and B-7 yields
f(t) = Ih In(r~/4at) -0.288, ....................... (B-8)
which can be used to approximate f(t) in Eqs. 5 and 9, with r w
replaced by rIo'
51 Metric Conversion Factors
bbl x 1.589 873 E-OI m3
cp x 1.0* E+OO mPas
ft x 3.048* E-OI m
OF (OF-32)/1.8 C
psi x 6.894757 E+OO kPa
scf/STB x 1.801 175 E-OI std m 3 / stock-tank m 3
Conversion factor is exact. SPEPE
Original SPE manuscript received for review Sept. 27, 1987. Paper accepted for publication
May 17, 1988. Revised manuscript received Sept. 6, 1988. Paper (SPE 16904) first presented
at the 1987 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition held in Dallas, Sept. 27-30.
SPE Production Engineering, August 1989