Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Model for Predicting Wellhead Oil-Burning Efficiency at Bench and Intermediate Scales
Abstract
While wellhead burning has been an oil field hazard for generations, the oil exploration community has begun to view it as a potential spill response tool. Presently, there are significant gaps in the validated science to reliably and accurately predict the burn efficiency of a wellhead. A coupled, multi-physics spray combustion model has been developed and validated with multi-scale experiments for some aspects of wellhead burning behavior. Spray measurement and sub-scale burn efficiency measurement methods have been developed and applied to determine the behaviors that drive low wellhead burn efficiency. Analysis of potential wellhead spray conditions revealed that the worst-case discharge scenario may not create the worst-case spill scenario because lower flow rates produce thicker wellbore films, which lead to lower burn efficiencies. Additional topics are recommended for continued research to provide the experimental and analytical foundations for improved computational model development.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 26, 2022
- Accession Number
- AD1158091
Entities
People
- A. Skiba
- Brian T. Fischer
- Christopher J. Pfuetzner
- David A. Kessler
- Rohit J. Jacob
- Steven G. Tuttle
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory