Orkiszewski Correlation

Application
This correlation is utilizes the work of Griffith and Wallis for bubble flow
and Duns and Ros for both transition and Annular Mist. In order for this
correlation to be accurate the pressure drop information must also be
accurate. Orkiszewski developed a correlation for the slug flow regime,
making the value considerably more accurate than the other
correlations. This correlation is deemed satisfactory for vertical wells
with a vast range of water-cut.
This correlation is applicable for the following types of flow
regimes:

Bubble
Slug
Transition
Annular mist
Method

Flow Regime

Griffith
Griffith & Wallis
Orkiszewski
Duns & Ros
Duns & Ros

Bubble
Slug (density term)
Slug (friction term)
Transition
Annular Mist

Limitations
This correlation, as with any, have limitations within which they provide
accurate results. The Orkiszeweski correlation is limited to two-phase
pressure drops across vertical pipes.
The main limitations to this method of correlation are tubing size, Oil
gravity and Gas-Liquid.
Tubing Size Limitation
The tubing size of a production well is important as it determines the
volume of hydrocarbon being produced along with many other
parameters. In order for the correlation to produce accurate results the
tubing size can only range within one and two inches. For values
recorded with a tubing size larger than two inches the Orkiszeweski
correlation will produce an over estimate of the pressure loss.
Oil Gravity
The oil gravity is a detrimental factor in determining the value of the
hydrocarbons, the oil gravity is typically measured in API degrees. The
lower the API gravity of an oil, i.e. the heavier the oil, the greater the
over-prediction in the correlation. The range in which the overprediction occurs between thirteen and thirty API. In order to ensure
accuracy with this correlation, it should only be applied to oils with an
API gravity of thirty and greater. The higher the API gravity, the greater
the accuracy of the correlation.
Gas-Liquid Ratio (GLR)

The gas-liquid ratio of a reservoir is representative of the total amount

of gas in the reservoir as a ratio to the total amount of liquid in the
reservoir, i.e. oil and water. This correlation holds accuracy up to a gasliquid ratio of up to 5000 after which the errors increase to over twenty
percent.
Conclusion
No single correlation can be applied to all types of flow regimes and be
considered to be most accurate, as such different correlations are
applied to different flow regimes according to the resulting lowest
margin of error. The Orkiszewski correlation is proven to be the most
accurate when examining the slug flow regimes. It is well suited for
vertical wells with a large range of water-cut, however the limitations
must be adhered to in order to provide the most accurate results.