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Processes
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Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) Simulations in Gas and Petroleum Engineering
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Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) Simulations in Gas and Petroleum Engineering

A special issue of Processes (ISSN 2227-9717). This special issue belongs to the section "Chemical Processes and Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 April 2026 | Viewed by 111

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Miguel Asuaje

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Energy and Automatization, Universidad Metropolitana UNIMET, Caracas 1073, Venezuela
2. Energy Conversion and Transport Department, Universidad Simón Bolívar, Caracas 1080, Venezuela
Interests: turbomachines; CFD; multiphase flow; oil and gas
Dr. Nicolás Rios Ratkovich

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Los Andes, Bogotá 11171, Colombia
Interests: computational fluid dynamics (CFD); fluid mechanics; multiphase flow in pipes; bubble columns; heat and mass transfer; membrane bioreactors (MBRs)

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce that I have been appointed to the role of Guest Editor for a newly launched Special Issue of Processes (MDPI, SCI indexed), entitled "Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) Simulations in Gas and Petroleum Engineering”. I warmly invite you to submit your research contributions to this exciting Special Issue.

Currently, advances in computational power and numerical techniques have established CFD as a fundamental tool for analyzing, optimizing, and innovating engineering technologies in the oil and gas industry. This Special Issue focuses on combining CFD with design optimization, turbulence modeling, multiphase flows, and data-driven approaches, including AI-enhanced methods and simulations.

Scope and Topics

This Special Issue aims to showcase cutting-edge modeling strategies that enhance our understanding of fluid flow behavior in gas and petroleum engineering applications. We welcome the submission of original research articles, comprehensive reviews, and technical communications that address, but are not limited to, the following topics:

Oil and Gas Production and Transportation:

  • Multiphase flow modeling in pipelines and wellbores;
  • CFD analysis of electrical submersible pumps (ESPs) handling viscous fluids and emulsions;
  • Progressive cavity pump (PCP) performance under single- and two-phase flow conditions;
  • Heavy oil transportation and pipeline flow optimization;
  • Severe slugging phenomena in pipeline-riser systems;
  • Viscous fingering in oil reservoirs and enhanced oil recovery (EOR).

Turbomachinery and Equipment Design:

  • CFD-based design and optimization of centrifugal pumps for petroleum applications;
  • Pumps designed for heavy oil production enhancement;
  • Performance analysis of artificial lift systems;
  • Heat and mass transfer in multiphase flows.

Advanced Modeling Techniques:

  • Machine learning and AI-enhanced CFD methods;
  • Surrogate modeling and reduced-order modeling techniques;
  • Experimental validation of numerical models;
  • Data-driven approaches for flow prediction;
  • Coupling CFD with population balance models (PBMs).

Specialized Applications:

  • Inflow control devices (ICD and AICD) for water production control;
  • Gas–liquid separators and downhole equipment;
  • Cooling systems and heat exchangers in petroleum facilities.

We look forward to receiving your valuable contributions.

Prof. Dr. Miguel Asuaje
Dr. Nicolás Rios Ratkovich
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Processes is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • computational fluid dynamics
  • multiphase flow
  • oil and gas production
  • pumps, compressors, and equipment
  • CFD modeling
  • petroleum engineering
  • heavy oil
  • artificial lift systems
  • digital twins in oil and gas
  • sustainable oil and gas energy systems
  • flow assurances

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

28 pages, 8549 KB  
Article
Numerical Study on Lost Circulation Mechanism in Complex Fracture Network Coupled Wellbore and Its Application in Lost-Circulation Zone Diagnosis
by Zhichao Xie, Yili Kang, Chengyuan Xu, Lijun You, Chong Lin and Feifei Zhang
Processes 2026, 14(1), 143; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr14010143 - 31 Dec 2025
Abstract
Deep and ultra-deep drilling operations commonly encounter fractured and fracture-vuggy formations, where weak wellbore strength and well-developed fracture networks lead to frequent lost circulation, presenting a key challenge to safe and efficient drilling. Existing diagnostic practices mostly rely on drilling fluid loss dynamic [...] Read more.
Deep and ultra-deep drilling operations commonly encounter fractured and fracture-vuggy formations, where weak wellbore strength and well-developed fracture networks lead to frequent lost circulation, presenting a key challenge to safe and efficient drilling. Existing diagnostic practices mostly rely on drilling fluid loss dynamic models of single fractures or simplified discrete fractures to invert fracture geometry, which cannot capture the spatiotemporal evolution of loss in complex fracture networks, resulting in limited inversion accuracy and a lack of quantitative, fracture-network-based loss-dynamics support for bridge-plugging design. In this study, a geologically realistic wellbore–fracture-network coupled loss dynamic model is constructed to overcome the limitations of single- or simplified-fracture descriptions. Within a unified computational fluid dynamics (CFD) framework, solid–liquid two-phase flow and Herschel–Bulkley rheology are incorporated to quantitatively characterise fracture connectivity. This approach reveals how instantaneous and steady losses are controlled by key geometrical factors, thereby providing a computable physical basis for loss-zone inversion and bridge-plugging design. Validation against experiments shows a maximum relative error of 7.26% in pressure and loss rate, indicating that the model can reasonably reproduce actual loss behaviour. Different encounter positions and node types lead to systematic variations in loss intensity and flow partitioning. Compared with a single fracture, a fracture network significantly amplifies loss intensity through branch-induced capacity enhancement, superposition of shortest paths, and shortening of loss paths. In a typical network, the shortest path accounts for only about 20% of the total length, but contributes 40%–55% of the total loss, while extending branch length from 300 mm to 1500 mm reduces the steady loss rate by 40%–60%. Correlation analysis shows that the instantaneous loss rate is mainly controlled by the maximum width and height of fractures connected to the wellbore, whereas the steady loss rate has a correlation coefficient of about 0.7 with minimum width and effective path length, and decreases monotonically with the number of connected fractures under a fixed total width, indicating that the shortest path and bottleneck width are the key geometrical factors governing long-term loss in complex fracture networks. This work refines the understanding of fractured-loss dynamics and proposes the concept of coupling hydraulic deviation codes with deep learning to build a mapping model from mud-logging curves to fracture geometrical parameters, thereby providing support for lost-circulation diagnosis and bridge-plugging optimisation in complex fractured formations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) Simulations in Gas and Petroleum Engineering)
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