Frictional Pressure Drop - Economides and Nolte Formula
Frictional Pressure Drop - Economides and Nolte calculates frictional pressure drop for hydraulic fracturing workflows in production engineering.
How engineers use this formula
Use this formula when the listed inputs (rho, q, mu, L, D) are known and the assumptions behind the cited hydraulic fracturing relationship match the engineering case being checked.
Assumptions
- Input values are representative for the well, reservoir, fluid, or equipment case being evaluated.
- The declared units match the field-unit constants used in the formula.
- The cited formula applies to the selected petroleum engineering workflow.
Limitations
- The calculation does not replace a full engineering model or operating procedure.
- Accuracy depends on the source correlation, assumptions, input quality, and unit consistency.
Common mistakes
- Mixing unit systems without converting the inputs.
- Using default example values as field recommendations.
- Applying the formula outside the source assumptions.
Default example
Using the default inputs, DeltaP_f equals 5,761.853378 psi.
1.05
30
20
10000
4
Inputs
rho
g/cm3Fluid Density
q
bbl/minInjection Rate
mu
cPFluid Viscosity
L
ftTubing Length
D
inTubing Diameter
Outputs
DeltaP_f
Frictional Pressure Drop
q
Injection Rate
rho
Fluid Density
mu
Fluid Viscosity
L
Tubing Length
D
Tubing Diameter
Source and review
reviewedPetroleum Production Engineering: A Computer-Assisted Approach, Guo, B., Lyons, W.C., Ghalambor, A. (2007)
Guo, B., Lyons, W.C. and Ghalambor, A. 2007. Petroleum Production Engineering: A Computer-Assisted Approach, Page 16/246.
Source