A Comprehensive Evaluation of Reservoir Inflow and Wellbore Behavior in Intelligent Wells

Intelligent well technology is a relatively new technology that has been adopted by many operators in recent years to improve oil and gas recovery. Because of its complexity, accurate modeling of the reservoir and wellbore performance in the multilateral well application is critical to optimize well production. Little work has been performed on understanding the flow behavior through the main component of the intelligent well, the inflow control valve. This study presents a comprehensive model to quantify the reservoir and well performance in the horizontal laterals of the intelligent multilateral well. Moreover, it combines this model with equations to evaluate the flow rate and pressure profile through the inflow control valves. As a result of this study, the well performance of intelligent wells can be predicted and optimized.