Design and Analysis of a Composite Adaptive Inflow Control Device

Summary The problem of bottomwater coning in horizontal-well bottomwater reservoirs, which severely limits the production of crude oil, is inevitable in the middle and later stages of production, and has not yet been fully overcome. Aiming at this problem, we designed a new type of automatic inflow control device (AICD)—a composite-type AICD—based on the flow-limiting function of Tesla valves, combined with the principles of automatic phase separation, eddy pressurization, and partial flow-limiting pressurization. The flow separation principle of oil and water in AICD was analyzed through a mathematical model of fluid resistance, and the resistance forms of oil and water in AICD and the principle of limiting flow and increasing resistance to water were quantified through a resistance model. Through simulation calculation and experimental verification, the highest water/oil flow pressure drop ratio of the composite AICD is 6.7, and it is more suitable for heavy oil reservoirs. The research work in this article provides a theoretical basis for the application of composite AICD in horizontal-well bottomwater reservoirs.