Pressure drop prediction by a polynomial model for two-phase flow in vertical oil wells

In this paper, a polynomial model is developed to predict the pressure drop in oil wells with two-phase flow. The variables used in the model are gas-oil ratio production, oil production, tubing diameter, solution gas-oil ratio, oil formation volume factor, and oil viscosity. A polynomial model is presented to predict the pressure drop with a coefficient of determination of 0.9901. The residual analysis and level surfaces of the pressure drop against the polynomial model's input variables are presented to validate the model. A regression of the experimental and predicted pressure drops values using the polynomial model is presented. This model contributes to a simpler methodology for the calculation of pressure drops and the consequent application in the modeling of production curves in oil wells for NODAL analysis.