Review of Multiphase Flow Models in the Petroleum Engineering: Classifications, Simulator Types, and Applications

Multiphase flow modeling is crucial for the oil and gas industry, enabling safer and more cost-effective subsea well development. In the past 60 years, there have been significant advancements in this field, addressing complex challenges in petroleum engineering. Different topics have been developed over time, some documented in literature while others require further research. The key question is the current level of development and capabilities of advanced simulators based on multiphase flow models. This paper classifies multiphase flow models and methods, including transient mechanistic models. In petroleum engineering, multiphase simulations utilize two primary methods: steady-state and unsteady-state (transient) methods. Steady-state methods are categorized into correlations and mechanistic models, depending on the formulation of the flow equation. Meanwhile, transient methods in the system code can be further classified into empirical slug specification models, slug-capturing models, and mechanistic models. This study also discusses the applications in oil engineering and lists applications in oil production engineering, specifically subsurface and surface systems. It covers steady-state and dynamic multiphase flow simulators in the oil industry, highlighting their continuous development for better simulations. The paper compares dynamic and steady-state multiphase flow simulators, discussing their applications and differences. The authors designed and constructed the tables, providing recommendations for unexplored research areas. The study concludes that there has been development in multiphase flow models and simulators, but there are still areas requiring further research.