WELLBORE MODELLING OF DRY STEAM PRODUCTION FROM A MULTI-LATERAL GEOTHERMAL WELL

Abstract

Multi-lateral wells are commonly used in the oil and gas industry worldwide. A multi-lateral well has the same form as a standard well but has one or more fork holes from the same wellhead. By adopting the techniques from oil and gas the geothermal industry has recently been utilizing multi-lateral wells for their production and injection strategies. One of the ways to understand the fluid behavior inside a multi-lateral well is to carry out wellbore modeling. In this project, a multi-lateral dry steam production well is studied. The dry steam acts as a single-phase fluid in a homogeneous state, and the calculation of pressure drop can be made with a simple equation. The junction between the original hole and the forked hole is the crucial location in the wellbore as it is the point where steam from the original hole and the forked hole mix and flow up to the wellhead. A multi-lateral well will have an improved production capacity compared to a single well. Based on this study, a modified equation is given for the productivity capacity of a multi-lateral well, providing an improved method for predicting its performance.