Gas Well Deliquification (eBook)

Cover 1
Table of contents 6
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 18
1.1 INTRODUCTION 18
1.2 MULTIPHASE FLOW IN A GAS WELL 19
1.3 WHAT IS LIQUID LOADING? 21
1.4 PROBLEMS CAUSED BY LIQUID LOADING 22
1.5 DELIQUIFYING TECHNIQUES PRESENTED 23
1.6 SOURCE OF LIQUIDS IN A PRODUCING GAS WELL 25
1.7 REFERENCES 28
CHAPTER 2: RECOGNIZING SYMPTOMS OF LIQUID LOADING IN GAS WELLS 30
2.1 INTRODUCTION 30
2.2 PRESENCE OF ORIFICE PRESSURE SPIKES 31
2.3 DECLINE CURVE ANALYSIS 32
2.4 DROP IN TUBING PRESSURE WITH RISE IN CASING PRESSURE 33
2.5 PRESSURE SURVEY SHOWING LIQUID LEVEL 34
2.6 WELL PERFORMANCE MONITORING 36
2.7 ANNULUS HEADING 36
2.8 LIQUID PRODUCTION CEASES 40
2.9 SHOOTING FLUID LEVELS ON FLOWING GAS WELLS 41
2.10 SUMMARY 46
2.11 REFERENCES 47
CHAPTER 3: CRITICAL VELOCITY 48
3.1 INTRODUCTION 48
3.2 CRITICAL FLOW CONCEPTS 48
3.3 CRITICAL VELOCITY AT DEPTH 58
3.4 CRITICAL VELOCITY IN HORIZONTAL WELL FLOW 60
3.5 REFERENCES 62
CHAPTER 4: SYSTEMS NODAL ANALYSIS 64
4.1 INTRODUCTION 64
4.2 TUBING PERFORMANCE CURVE 66
4.3 RESERVOIR INFLOW PERFORMANCE RELATIONSHIP (IPR) 67
4.4 INTERSECTIONS OF THE TUBING CURVE AND THE DELIVERABILITY CURVE 71
4.5 TUBING STABILITY AND FLOWPOINT 73
4.6 TIGHT GAS RESERVOIRS 75
4.7 NODAL EXAMPLE„TUBING SIZE 76
4.8 NODAL EXAMPLE„SURFACE PRESSURE EFFECTS: USE COMPRESSION TO LOWER SURFACE PRESSURE 77
4.9 SUMMARY NODAL EXAMPLE OF DEVELOPING IPR FROM TEST DATA WITH TUBING PERFORMANCE 78
4.10 CHOKES 81
4.11 MULTIPHASE FLOW FUNDAMENTALS 83
4.12 SUMMARY 94
4.13 References 94
CHAPTER 5: SIZING TUBING 98
5.1 INTRODUCTION 98
5.2 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF SMALLER TUBING 98
5.3 CONCEPTS REQUIRED TO SIZE SMALLER TUBING 99
5.4 SIZING TUBING WITHOUT IPR INFORMATION 104
5.5 FIELD EXAMPLE 1„RESULTS OF TUBING CHANGE-OUT 105
5.6 FIELD EXAMPLE 2„RESULTS OF TUBING CHANGE-OUT 105
5.7 PRE- AND POST-EVALUATION 106
5.8 WHERE TO SET THE TUBING 111
5.9 HANGING OFF SMALLER TUBING FROM THE CURRENT TUBING 111
5.10 SUMMARY 113
5.11 REFERENCES 113
CHAPTER 6: COMPRESSION 116
6.1 INTRODUCTION 116
6.2 COMPRESSION HORSEPOWER AND CRITICAL VELOCITY 117
6.3 SYSTEMS NODAL ANALYSIS AND COMPRESSION 119
6.4 THE EFFECT OF PERMEABILITY ON COMPRESSION 122
6.5 PRESSURE DROP IN COMPRESSION SUCTION 123
6.6 WELLHEAD VERSUS CENTRALIZED COMPRESSION 124
6.7 DOWNSTREAM GATHERING AND COMPRESSION’S EFFECT ON UPLIFT FROM DELIQUIFYING INDIVIDUAL GAS WELLS 125
6.8 COMPRESSION ALONE AS A FORM OF ARTIFICIAL LIFT 126
6.9 COMPRESSION WITH FOAMERS 126
6.10 COMPRESSION AND GAS LIFT 126
6.11 COMPRESSION WITH PLUNGER LIFT SYSTEMS 127
6.12 COMPRESSION WITH BEAM PUMPING SYSTEMS 128
6.13 COMPRESSION WITH ESP SYSTEMS 130
6.14 TYPES OF COMPRESSORS 130
6.15 GAS JET COMPRESSORS OR EJECTORS 135
6.16 OTHER COMPRESSORS 137
6.17 SUMMARY 137
6.18 REFERENCES 138
CHAPTER 7: PLUNGER LIFT 140
7.1 INTRODUCTION 140
7.2 PLUNGERS 143
7.3 PLUNGER CYCLE 144
7.4 PLUNGER LIFT FEASIBILITY 146
7.5 PLUNGER SYSTEM LINE-OUT PROCEDURE 154
7.6 PROBLEM ANALYSIS 166
7.7 TWO-PIECE PLUNGER: TYPE OF CONTINUOUS FLOW PLUNGER 189
7.8 SELECTION OF PLUNGER 191
7.9 CASING PLUNGER FOR WEAK WELLS 204
7.10 PLUNGER WITH SIDE STRING: LOW PRESSURE WELL PRODUCTION 206
7.11 PLUNGER SUMMARY 207
7.12 REFERENCES 208
CHAPTER 8: USE OF FOAM TO DELIQUIFY GAS WELLS 210
8.1 INTRODUCTION 210
8.2 FOAM ASSISTED LIFT (FAL) 213
8.3 METHODS OF APPLICATION OF SURFACTANTS 225
8.4 CAPILLARY LIFT TECHNOLOGY 227
8.5 REFERENCES 256
CHAPTER 9: HYDRAULIC PUMPING 258
9.1 INTRODUCTION 258
9.2 JET PUMPS 279
9.3 PISTON PUMPS 284
9.4 REFERENCES 298
CHAPTER 10: USE OF BEAM PUMPS TO DELIQUIFY GAS WELLS 300
10.1 INTRODUCTION 300
10.2 BASICS OF BEAM PUMP OPERATION 301
10.3 PUMP-OFF CONTROL 305
10.4 GAS SEPARATION TO KEEP GAS OUT OF THE PUMP 309
10.5 HANDLING GAS THROUGH THE PUMP 331
10.6 INJECT LIQUIDS BELOW A PACKER 339
10.7 OTHER PROBLEMS INDICATED BY THE SHAPE OF THE PUMP CARD 341
10.8 SUMMARY 344
10.9 REFERENCES 345
CHAPTER 11: GAS LIFT 348
11.1 INTRODUCTION 348
11.2 CONTINUOUS GAS LIFT 350
11.3 INTERMITTENT GAS LIFT 350
11.4 GAS LIFT SYSTEM COMPONENTS 352
11.5 CONTINUOUS GAS LIFT DESIGN OBJECTIVES 353
11.6 GAS LIFT VALVES 354
11.7 GAS LIFT COMPLETIONS 357
11.8 GAS LIFT WITHOUT GAS LIFT VALVES 367
11.9 SPECIFICS OF GAS LIFTING GAS WELLS 369
11.10 SUMMARY 374
11.11 REFERENCES 375
CHAPTER 12: ELECTRIC SUBMERSIBLE PUMPS 378
12.1 INTRODUCTION 378
12.2 THE ESP SYSTEM 379
12.3 WHAT IS A GASSYŽ WELL? 382
12.4 COMPLETIONS AND SEPARATORS 385
12.5 SPECIAL PUMP (STAGES) 389
12.6 INJECTION OF PRODUCED WATER 391
12.7 ESP HYBRID SYSTEMS AND LOW LIQUID VOLUME ESP 393
12.8 SUMMARY 398
12.9 REFERENCES 398
CHAPTER 13: PROGRESSING CAVITY PUMPS 400
13.1 INTRODUCTION 400
13.2 PROGRESSING CAVITY PUMPING SYSTEM 401
13.3 WATER PRODUCTION HANDLING 403
13.4 GAS PRODUCTION HANDLING 404
13.5 SAND/COAL FINES PRODUCTION HANDLING 405
13.6 CRITICAL TUBING FLOW VELOCITY 410
13.7 DESIGN AND OPERATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS 410
13.8 PUMP LANDING DEPTH 413
13.9 RESTRICTED OR NO-FLOW SCENARIOS 413
13.10 PRESENCE OF CO2 414
13.11 CORROSION INHIBITORS 415
13.12 CYCLIC HARMONICS 416
13.13 PC PUMP SELECTION 417
13.14 ELASTOMER SELECTION 419
13.15 SUMMARY 419
13.16 REFERENCE 420
CHAPTER 14: COAL BED METHANE 422
14.1 INTRODUCTION 422
14.2 CBM ECONOMIC IMPACT 423
14.3 CBM RESERVOIRS 424
14.4 CBM PRODUCTION 430
14.5 REFERENCES 439
CHAPTER 15: PRODUCTION AUTOMATION 440
15.1 INTRODUCTION 440
15.2 BRIEF HISTORY 442
15.3 AUTOMATION EQUIPMENT 445
15.4 GENERAL APPLICATIONS 472
15.5 UNIQUE APPLICATIONS FOR GAS WELL DELIQUIFICATION 482
15.6 AUTOMATION ISSUES 530
15.7 CASE HISTORIES 550
15.8 SUMMARY 555
15.9 REFERENCES 556
APPENDIX A: DEVELOPMENT OF CRITICAL VELOCITY EQUATIONS 562
A.1 INTRODUCTION 562
A.2 EQUATION SIMPLIFICATION 565
A.3 TURNER EQUATIONS 565
A.4 COLEMAN ET AL. EQUATIONS 566
A.5 REFERENCES 566
APPENDIX B: DEVELOPMENT OF PLUNGER LIFT EQUATIONS 568
B.1 INTRODUCTION 568
B.2 MINIMUM CASING PRESSURE 568
B.3 MAXIMUM CASING PRESSURE 570
B.4 SUMMARY 571
B.5 REFERENCE 571
APPENDIX C: GAS FUNDAMENTALS 572
C.1 INTRODUCTION 572
C.2 PHASE DIAGRAM 572
C.3 GAS APPARENT MOLECULAR WEIGHT AND SPECIFIC GRAVITY 573
C.4 GAS LAW 574
C.5 Z FACTOR 575
C.6 GAS FORMATION VOLUME FACTOR 577
C.7 PRESSURE INCREASE IN STATIC COLUMN OF GAS 578
C.8 CALCULATE THE PRESSURE DROP IN FLOWING DRY GAS WELL: CULLENDER AND SMITH METHOD [5] 579
C.9 PRESSURE DROP IN A GAS WELL PRODUCING LIQUIDS 581
C.10 GAS WELL DELIVERABILITY EXPRESSIONS 582
C.11 REFERENCES 586
Index 588