Simulation Research on Unsteady Helical Flow of Well Liquid in Surface-Driven Progressive Cavity Pump Well

Single surface-driven progressive cavity pump (pcp) is mainly applied in viscous crude well and polymer flooding one. The liquid flowing in those wells complies with power law pattern. Well liquid in the annulus between the pumping rod and tubing of pcp well presents helical flow under the action of rapidly rotating pumping rod and pcp pressure difference. At present in most research, this flow was considered as the axial flow of Newtonian fluid. For this, unsteady mathematical model of power law fluid in annulus helical flow between pumping rod and tubing of surface-driven pcp well was established. Finite difference method was adopted to solve the equation of motion. And numerical solution was obtained. Flow field parameters were analyzed with sensitivity.