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Description
Advanced reservoir simulators usually work on comprehensive datasets that accurately define many physical properties of geological formations. It is important to emphasize that most of the advanced reservoir simulators typically generate output at the depth of the production liner, and the flow within the wellbore is not considered. The article presents a simple tool for determining fluids' wellhead properties based on the reservoir conditions, well construction, geological profile and operation schedule of the well. The wellbore flow algorithm was developed using Python and uses the finite difference method in the cylindrical coordinates (2D model) to calculate unsteady heat exchange between the fluid and the rock matrix. The algorithm has a built-in library that can determine a set of basic fluid properties (density, dynamic viscosity, heat capacity, convective heat transfer coefficient), considering temperature, pressure, and mineralisation in a high range of application, based on formulations taken from recent literature review. As a result of simulation, user obtain not only the wellhead temperature but also the temperature distribution of the rock formation near the borehole - both as a function of time. Generated data are exported to excel file and charts are generated to visualise the process. The program does not require advanced knowledge of Python. Most user interaction with the program is done via Excel files and a couple of basic parameters set in the main file in Python. User can define production schedule by setting the bottomhole temperature, pressure and flow of geothermal brine that may change over time. The code can be adapted for both production and injection well. For user who are more advanced in programming, open source code can be customized as needed.
The authors sought to create a user-friendly calculator that converts the parameters of brine entering the well into the wellhead values, taking into account the operational conditions of the well. Detailed user guide and documentation of calculator is under development as well as the programme code itself. The tool is being developed as part of the GeoModel project [https://geomodel.pl/en/] aimed at supporting sustainable management of low and medium temperature geothermal resources.
