Tubing Flow Rate Calculator

Work out tubing flow rate instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Tubing Flow Rate Calculator

Rearranging the Darcy-Weisbach equation for velocity gives v = sqrt(2 deltaP D / (f L rho)), and multiplying by the flow area gives volumetric rate. Tubing size dominates: because area scales with diameter squared and friction with the fifth power of diameter, a small increase in tubing ID gives a large rate gain.

Formula

Darcy-Weisbach rearranged

v = sqrt(2 x deltaP x D / (f x L x rho)); Q = v x flow area

Worked example

With the default values below, Tubing Flow Rate Calculator returns Flow Rate of 1,370.6. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Tubing Inside Diameterminimum 0.01 inches: 2.441 inches
Available Pressure Dropminimum 0 psi: 1,200 psi
Tubing Lengthminimum 0.01 ft: 9,000 ft
Fluid Densityminimum 0.01 lb/ft3: 52 lb/ft3

Results

Flow Rate: 1,370.6
Fluid Velocity: 2.7406
Tubing Flow Area: 0.032498
Friction Factor Assumed: 0.0200

Step by step

1Values used
2Darcy-Weisbach rearranged
3Flow Rate= 1,370.6
4Fluid Velocity= 2.7406
5Tubing Flow Area= 0.032498
6Friction Factor Assumed= 0.0200

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 6 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is tubing size so influential?

For a fixed pressure drop, capacity scales with roughly the 2.5 power of diameter. Upsizing from 2 3/8 to 3 1/2 inch tubing can nearly double rate on the same drawdown.

Is single-phase flow realistic in a well?

Rarely. Most producing wells are multiphase, needing a vertical lift performance correlation such as Hagedorn-Brown or Beggs-Brill. Use this for a first-order check only.