New Software Release

Product overview

The Pipesim™ steady-state multiphase flow simulator is SLB’s flagship well and network modeling software for steady-state multiphase flow simulation. Together with the Olga™ dynamic multiphase flow simulator, SLB provides a complete software solution for design and optimization of production systems.

The product is suitable for use by production, process, and flow assurance engineers and those involved in multiphase flow simulation.

These notes accompany the release of Pipesim 2025.2 from SLB. The notes describe changes in Pipesim 2025.2 relative to Pipesim 2025.1. This document should be read by all users of the program. The complete program documentation consists of the Pipesim Help, the release notes, and the installation guides.

The SLB Software Support Hub provides useful information about the product, and a knowledge base.

In Europe, North America, and major parts of South America and Asia, Pipesim 2025.2 is now also available on the Delfi™ digital platform as part of Domain profiles on Delfi.

Release updates

Enable ESP head and rate derating factors as sensitivity variables

Prior to this release, the ESP head and rate derating factors were only part of the ESP performance input parameters and were not exposed as sensitivity parameters. These factors are now available in the list of ESP sensitivity variables. This enhancement improves the user experience for matching an ESP-lifted well model with actual field data.

Upgrade of the Olga-S flow model to Olga-S 2025.1

The list of available flow correlations is updated to include Olga-S 2025.1. This version introduces new closures for the turbulence parameters in the HD stratified flow model, representing the scaled apparent turbulent eddy viscosity on either side of the gas-liquid and liquid-liquid interfaces. Similar closures are commonly implemented in many computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models. The turbulence parameters account for turbulent momentum mixing at the interfaces, linking the turbulent fields across the gas and liquid layers, while also providing boundary conditions for turbulent flow within each layer. Turbulence parameters govern the shape of velocity distributions, directly influencing wall and interfacial frictions, which are critical factors in determining holdup and pressure drop.

Removal of old Olga-S correlations

The following old Olga-S correlations are deprecated and removed from the interface:

• Olga-S v 6.2.7 2-Phase
• Olga-S v 6.2.7 3-Phase
• Olga-S v 7.2 2-Phase
• Olga-S v 7.2 3-Phase
• Olga-S v 7.3.1 2-Phase
• Olga-S v 7.3.1 3-Phase

Upgrade to Multiflash 7.5

Pipesim 2025.2 comes with Multiflash 7.5 installed by default. The new version incorporates all changes that are included in versions 7.2, 7.3, and 7.4. For more information, refer to the Multiflash user interface.

Expose the effective horizontal well length

Pipesim 2025.2 exposes the effective horizontal well length as a new input parameter for the following horizontal distributed Inflow Performance Relationship (IPR) methods:

• Distributed PI
• Joshi (steady state)
• Babu and Odeh (pseudo-steady state)

The parameter is also exposed as a sensitivity variable in various simulation tasks, which helps in calculating the optimal horizontal well length.

Emulsion viscosity configuration improvements

In Pipesim 2025.2, a new global parameter, “Maximum emulsion viscosity inversion watercut”, has been added on the simulation settings tab to control the inversion watercut value that is specified on the viscosity tab for each black oil fluid. The new parameter eliminates the need to use engine keywords to increase the global limit that is higher than 90%. In addition, the local fluid inversion watercut has been added for the emulsion viscosity method: “user-defined table”. Pipesim simulator will extrapolate the viscosity ratio in the user-defined table, up to the specified inversion watercut.

PythonToolkit improvements

The following enhancements are available in Pipesim 2025.2 for the PythonToolkit:

• Advanced well model support:
• Support for selecting Olga-S 2025.1 flow model
• Support for maximum emulsion inversion watercut in the simulation settings
• Support for horizontal well length for single distributed completion
• Python environment upgraded to 3.12.9

Fixed issues and minor enhancements in Pipesim 2025.2

Pipesim 2025.2 includes several bug fixes and improvements. Some of them are listed below.

• Fixed an issue in running system analysis task with multi-sensitivity variables on consecutive pipes. Previously, multiple sensitivities on consecutive pipe inner diameters did not update the inner diameter value for the 3rd and next pipes. Instead, second pipe diameter has been used for all next pipe sections.
• Fixed sonic downstream velocity report for choke in output file. Previously, there was a mismatch between the console and the output file report.
• A viscosity issue on Lohrenz-Bray-Clark model is fixed after the Multiflash update.
• Improved packer visualization in well diagram for advanced well. Previously, you could observe different visualization artifacts.
• Default output in the console has been cleaned up. All warnings are reported in verbosity level two and higher.
• Fixed a flowing volume fraction issue in the composition details report. Previously, the flowing volumes for oil and water phases in the spot report were incorrect.
• Fixed an issue to run gas lift well with injection valve system when fluid comes to the tubing through the sliding sleeve. Previously, this well configuration triggered error message: Pipe I.D. is too small or undefined.
• Overall heat transfer coefficient (U value) calculation messaging was unified with Pipesim Engine verbosity levels. Previously, you could see convergence warning messages with an error less than 0.001%.
• Fixed an issue with incorrect total network water rate when a source has a Water Gas ratio of zero (WGR=0). Now, water is considered up to the saturation point. Previously, the gas and oil phase disregarded water and water components (like methanol), if Watercut (WCUT) or WGR=0.
• Fixed an issue with unit conversion in simulation results for back pressure IPR constant C. Previously, unit conversion in results visualization could cause Pipesim simulator to crash.
• Added dual string model support where the long tubing produces from completion, and short tubing is used to inject fluid in long tubing through FCV.
• Improved branch naming for advanced well as part of network model.
• Fixed vertical flow performance (VFP) task for the case when a junction is treated as a source. Previously, the VFP table did not sensitize the gas ratio and the water ratio for this scenario.
• A new case study model, CSW_116_Hydraulic Fracture Oil Well, has been added.
• A new tutorial, Integration of gas lift production and injection networks, has been added.
• Validation ranges have been updated for the following parameters:
• Reservoir pressure
• N exponents in Fetkovitch IPR
• Slope N in back pressure IPR
• Fracture width in trilinear IPR
• Documentation improvement:
• Added a description of engine keyword RCOMPCRV.
• Enhanced the description and added equation to black oil mixing subject.
• Added PLOT subcode description to the ESP keyword.
• Fixed coefficient naming for Forchheimer IPR.
• PythonToolkit improvement:
• The issue with junction property TREATASSOURCE has been fixed. Previously, the property change did not change the object status.
• VSCodium has been updated.
• Documentation has been updated.

Users

The product is suitable for use by production, process and flow assurance engineers and those involved in multiphase flow simulation.