Wellbore Multiphase Flow Modeling and Liquid-Loading Prediction

Oct 9, 2026 · 2 min read

Research / Area 1

Gas–liquid flow from the bottom hole to the surface passes through vertical, deviated and horizontal sections, with stratified, slug, churn and annular patterns whose pressure-drop and holdup behavior differ widely. Wellbore multiphase flow models are the common basis for artificial-lift design, liquid-loading diagnosis and production optimization; the group develops both steady-state and transient models.

Transient three-phase flow model compared with OLGA
Transient three-phase flow model compared with OLGA
Unified slug-unit model and flow-pattern verification
Unified multiphase model: slug-unit control volume and flow-pattern boundary verification

Steady state. A unified model built on the slug-unit control volume covers all inclinations and oil–gas–water three-phase flow, with improved closure relations for interfacial friction, emulsion rheology, slug holdup and translational velocity. It serves as the wellbore backbone of the plunger-lift, ESP and jet-pump models.

Transient and PINN. A transient drift-flux model for horizontal gas wells is benchmarked against OLGA, and physics-informed neural networks (PI-DeepONet, time-block XPINN) are used for fast computation. Liquid-loading onset is predicted with clustering and convolutional neural networks.

Representative papers

  1. Q Wang, H Zou, C Liang, S Zhang, H Jia, J Zhu. A combined approach for predicting liquid loading onset via clustering and convolutional neural networks. The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2026.
  2. J Yang, M Chen, H Wang, R Zheng, Z Li, H Zhou, J Zhu. Fast Calculation Method of Two-Phase Flow in Horizontal Gas Wells Based on PI-DeepONet. Processes 13 (10), 3363, 2025.
  3. H Zhu, Y Liu, D Tychus, D Zheng, SP Adiraju, TS Tatu, J Zhu, HQ Zhang. Sensitivity analysis on tailpipe design for mitigating terrain slug in horizontal wells. Geoenergy Science and Engineering 235, 212598, 2024.
  4. Z Wang, W Fu, H Li, J Zhu. Multiphase flow behavior in the deep-stratum and deep-water wellbores. Frontiers Media SA, 2023.
  5. H Wang, J Du, J Chen, G Cao, N Li, J Zhu, M Jia, X Yang. A New Method to Calculate Loading Liquid Water of Gas Wells in Qinghai Oilfield. International Petroleum Technology Conference, D032S052R001, 2023.
  6. H Jia, J Zhu, G Cao, Y Lu, B Lu, H Zhu. A model ranking approach for liquid loading onset predictions. SPE Production & Operations 37 (03), 370-382, 2022.
  7. SY Nahri, Y Chen, W Williams, O Santos, L Thibodeaux, J Zhu. Understanding the Phenomenon of Dissolved Gas Migration of Gas in Riser During Drilling Operations. International Conference on Offshore Mechanics and Arctic Engineering 58875 …, 2019.