This study examins the effect of influx into a two-phase, liuid-liquid flow system, as occurs in many horizontal wells. The purpose of the research was to analyze the pressure drop behaviour of oil-water flow in a physical pipe model with influx. A closed-loop pipe flow model was designed and constructed for the purpose of these experiments. Varying turbulent oil-water pipe flow and influx flow rates were generated using the apparatus, with the experiments recorded using photographic and video equipment. Comparative modeling of the experimental pressure drop and holdup data was performed using a widely recognized pipe flow correlation model. A pipe flow correlation method was developed for analysis of oil-water flows. The significance of the influx disturbance with respect to wellbore pressure drop was examined. An anlysis of the experimental results leads to the adaptation and development of field-scale predictive models for horizontal wellbore pressure drop and specific inflow profile. Based on the experimental results, it is concluded that: the pipe flow correlation method examind provides adequate pressure gradient predictions for oil-water flows; an accelerational model of pressure drop across a single perforation is inadequate in tis prediction capability for the experimental range used; and at sufficiently high perforation-to-axial flow velocity ratios, the dominant factor determining the pressure drop across a single performations is a constriction-disruption, or venturi-type effect.
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