Well Performance Improvement By Identifying And Preventing Liquid Loading Using An Integrated Asset Operation Model Framework For Gas Condensate Wells

Abstract All producing wells experience reservoir pressure depletion which will ultimately cause production to cease. However, the accumulation of wellbore liquid known as liquid loading can reduce production at a faster rate bringing forward the end of well life. In theory, there are many works written on liquid loading in unconventional wells however, these assumptions are challenged when implemented in the field. The aim of this paper is to investigate the relationship between empirical and mechanistic methods used to determine liquid loading critical rates for volatile oil and gas condensate wells, improving liquid loading forecast workflow for future wells. The study was carried on a wide Pressure, Volume, and Temperature (PVT) window with varying compositions ranging from gas condensate to volatile oils. Wells with liquid loading exhibit sharp drops and fluctuations in production. Due to the wide variation in composition however, correlations used must be varied whilst accounting for both composition and horizontal configuration of the well. Using Nodal Analysis methods, Inflow Performance Relationships (IPR) and Vertical Lift Profile (VLP) curves were created from different correlation models fitted for multiple wells selected for this study to optimize well performance. By combining theoretical analysis and field practices for estimating liquid loading critical rate, the appropriate workflow was determined for the volatile oil and gas condensate wells. When comparing the critical rate for liquid loading calculated from theoretical methods against actual rates seen in the field, an inconsistency was observed between the two values for several wells. By establishing a relationship between field estimate and theoretical calculations, liquid loading was forecasted with greater certainty for varying PVT windows. When the liquid loading rate is determined earlier on, the production efficiency can be improved by deploying unloading measures, increasing the well’s producing life, and ultimately alleviating economic losses. By investigating, we were able to establish a suitable process to predict liquid loading critical rates for volatile oil and gas condensate wells. This workflow can be utilized by production engineers to arrange for liquid loading mitigation increasing well life and improving well economics.

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Mature Field Revitalization: Extending Late Life of Mature Gas Condensate Wells by Modelling Complex Multilateral Wellbore Flow Dynamics and Validating Results With a Field Pilot

10.2118/207501-ms ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Harshil Saradva ◽

Siddharth Jain ◽

Christna Golaco ◽

Armando Guillen ◽

Kapil Kumar Thakur

Keyword(s):

Late Life ◽

Gas Condensate ◽

Expected Improvement ◽

Development Theory ◽

Well Performance ◽

Gas Wells ◽

Liquid Loading ◽

Wide Range ◽

Wellbore Flow ◽

The Impact

Abstract Sharjah National Oil Corporation (SNOC) operates 4 onshore fields the largest of which has been in production since the 1980's. The majority of wells in the biggest field have a complex network of multilaterals drilled using an underbalanced coiled tubing technique for production enhancement in early 2000s. The scope of this project was to maximize the productivity from these wells in the late life by modelling the dynamic flow behaviour in a simulator and putting that theory to the test by recompleting the wells. A comprehensive multilateral wellbore flow study was undertaken using dynamic multiphase flow simulator to predict the expected improvement in well deliverability of these mature wells, each having 4-6 laterals (Saradva et al. 2019). The well laterals have openhole fishbone completions with one parent lateral having subsequent numerous sub-laterals reaching further into the reservoir with each lateral between 500-2000ft drilled to maximize the intersection with fractures. Complexity in simulation further increased due to complex geology, compositional simulation, condensate banking and liquid loading with the reservoir pressure less than 10% of original. The theory that increasing wellbore diameter by removing the tubing reduces frictional pressure loss was put to test on 2 pilot wells in the 2020-21 workover campaign. The results obtained from the simulator and the actual production increment in the well aligned within 10% accuracy. A production gain of 20-30% was observed on both the wells and results are part of a dynamic simulation predicting well performance over their remaining life. Given the uncertainties in the current PVT, lateral contribution and the fluid production ratios, a broad range sensitivity was performed to ensure a wide range of applicability of the study. This instils confidence in the multiphase transient simulator for subsurface modelling and the workflow will now be used to expand the applicability to other well candidates on a field level. This will result in the opportunity to maximize the production and net revenues from these gas wells by reducing the impact of liquid loading. This paper discusses the detailed comparison of the actual well behaviour with the simulation outcomes which are counterproductive to the conventional gas well development theory of utilizing velocity strings to reduce liquid loading. Two key outcomes from the project are observed, the first is that liquid loading in multilaterals is successfully modelled in a dynamic multiphase transient simulator instead of a typical nodal analysis package, all validated from a field pilot. The second is the alternative to the conventional theory of using smaller tubing sizes to alleviate gas wells liquid loading, that high velocity achieved through wellhead compression would allow higher productivity than a velocity string in low pressure late life gas condensate wells.

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Automated Intelligent Alarms to Monitoring and Identify Liquid Loading Challenge for Giant Depletion Gas Condensate Fields

10.2118/207563-ms ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ayesha Ahmed Abdulla Salem Alsaeedi ◽

Manar Maher Mohamed Elabrashy ◽

Mohamed Ali Alzeyoudi ◽

Mohamed Mubarak Albadi ◽

Sandeep Soni ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Continuous Production ◽

Rate Sensitivity ◽

Gas Production ◽

Production Optimization ◽

Gas Condensate ◽

Critical Parameters ◽

Well Performance ◽

Liquid Loading ◽

Related Data

Abstract Depleted well monitoring is a crucial task to ensure continuous production without facing substantial issues that withhold the production, such as liquid loading. Utilizing an integrated digital production system and custom intelligence alarms functionality can help identify and analyze this bottleneck using physics-based model estimations that can help users take preventive actions, leading to saving cost, time, and effort. This paper demonstrates the identification of the liquid loading using custom intelligence alarms and an automated framework. Initially, a representative compositional well model is added to the digital twin solution enabling the automated well analysis workflow. Subsequently, custom intelligence alarms guidelines are configured to keep the well's performance and production rates under supervision with a notification capability when parameters violate the guidelines. Along with various well performance parameters being analyzed, two critical parameters for liquid loading debottlenecking, critical unloading velocity and the In-situ velocity, are investigated in the system for each well as the function of depth along well's completion. Moreover, advanced dashboards report the analysis output in an informative manner, guide users’ engineering judgment to take preventive decisions. As a result of the custom intelligence alarm, gas condensate wells suffering from liquid loading were predicted and identified. Based on the production parameter and target monitoring, these wells were unable to produce their expected mandate resulting in violating the set of production parameters guidelines. Identified wells were run through production gas rate sensitivity analysis using the analytical tool, and in conclusion, the optimal production rate was calculated. Producing the well below this critical rate causes the In-situ velocity to drop below critical unloading velocity. Additionally, using the tuned and calibrated network model, the operating choke was identified to maintain the stable flow in the well and avoid further liquid loading. This choke size was provided to field operation for implementation and saved the cost and man-hour spent during the flowing gradient surveys. The case study demonstrates significant production improvements observed for these wells, thereby significantly reducing cost and time. Using the integration of the latest production optimization platforms and custom intelligence alarm provides tools to identify wells that are currently experiencing liquid loading challenges and healthy wells that might come under the liquid loading category in the course of production, thus helping in taking proactive remedial action. Furthermore, the integrated framework provides erosional velocity-related data, which acts as a guideline while optimizing gas production.

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The Application of a 2-D Compositional, Radial Model To Predict Single-Well Performance in a Rich Gas Condensate Reservoir

10.2118/14413-ms ◽

1985 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

T.J. Clark

Keyword(s):

Gas Condensate ◽

Well Performance ◽

Condensate Reservoir ◽

Single Well ◽

Radial Model

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Forecasting the Water Flooding for the Production Wells of a Gas Condensate Field with a Fractured Reservoir Type

10.2118/206578-ms ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Pavel Dmitrievich Gladkov ◽

Anastasiia Vladimirovna Zheltikova

Keyword(s):

Produced Water ◽

Fractured Reservoirs ◽

Gas Condensate ◽

Water Flooding ◽

Fractured Reservoir ◽

Well Performance ◽

Integrated Monitoring ◽

Field Development ◽

Water Gas ◽

Gas Ratio

Abstract As is known, fractured reservoirs compared to conventional reservoirs have such features as complex pore volume structure, high heterogeneity of the porosity and permeability properties etc. Apart from this, the productivity of a specific well is defined above all by the number of natural fractures penetrated by the wellbore and their properties. Development of fractured reservoirs is associated with a number of issues, one of which is related to uneven and accelerated water flooding due to water breakthrough through fractures to the wellbores, for this reason it becomes difficult to forecast the well performance. Under conditions of lack of information on the reservoir structure and aquifer activity, the 3D digital models of the field generated using the hydrodynamic simulators may feature insufficient predictive capability. However, forecasting of breakthroughs is important in terms of generating reliable HC and water production profiles and decision-making on reservoir management and field facilities for produced water treatment. Identification of possible sources of water flooding and planning of individual parameters of production well operation for the purpose of extending the water-free operation period play significant role in the development of these reservoirs. The purpose of this study is to describe the results of the hydrochemical monitoring to forecast the water flooding of the wells that penetrated a fractured reservoir on the example of a gas condensate field in Bolivia. The study contains data on the field development status and associated difficulties and uncertainties. The initial data were results of monthly analyses of the produced water and the water-gas ratio dynamics that were analyzed and compared to the data on the analogue fields. The data analysis demonstrated that first signs of water flooding for the wells of the field under study may be diagnosed through the monitoring of the produced water mineralization - the water-gas ratio (WGR) increase is preceded by the mineralization increase that may be observed approximately a month earlier. However, the data on the analogue fields shows that this period may be longer – from few months to two years. Thus, the hydrochemical method within integrated monitoring of development of a field with a fractured reservoir could be one of the efficient methods to timely adjust the well operation parameters and may extend the water-free period of its operation.

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The Limitation of Reservoir Saturation Logging Tool in a Case of a Deeper Reservoir Flow into a Shallower Reservoir Within the Same Wellbore

10.2118/207115-ms ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

P. Merit Ekeregbe

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Flow Condition ◽

Oil And Gas ◽

Static Condition ◽

Oil And Gas Industry ◽

Well Performance ◽

Liquid Loading ◽

Critical Rate ◽

Logging Tool ◽

Historical Production

Abstract Saturation logging tool is one key tool that has been successfully used in the Oil and Gas Industry. As important as the tool is, it should not be mistaken for a decision tool, rather it is a tool that aids decision making. Because the tool aids decision making, the decision process must be undertaken by interdisciplinary team of Engineers with historical knowledge of the tool and the performance trend of the candidate well and reservoir. No expertise is superior to historical data of well and reservoir performance because the duo follows physics and any deviation from it is attributable to a misnomer. The decision to re-enter a well for re-perforation or workover must be supported by historical production and reasonable science which here means that trends are sustained on continuous physics and not abrupt pulses. Any interpretation arising from saturation logging tools without subjecting same to reasonable science could result in wrong action. This paper is providing a methodology to enhance thorough screening of candidates for saturation logging operations. First is to determine if the candidate well is multilevel and historical production above critical gas rate before shut-in to screen-out liquid loading consideration. If any level is plugged below any producing level, investigate for micro-annuli leakage. All historical liquid loading wells should be flowed at rate above critical rate and logged at flow condition. Static condition logging is only good for non-liquid loading wells. The use of any tool and its interpretation must be subjective and there comes the clash between the experienced Sales Engineer and the Production/Reservoir Engineer with the historical evidence. A simple historical trending and analysis results of API gravity and BS&W were used in the failed plug case-study. Further successful investigation was done and the results of the well performance afterwards negated the interpretation arising from the saturation tool which saw the reservoir sand flushed. The lesson learnt from the well logging and interpretation shows that when a well is under any form of liquid loading, interpretation must be subjective with reasonable science and historical production trend is critical. It is recommended that when a well is under historical liquid loading rate, until the rate above the critical rate is determined, no logging should be done and when done, logging should be at flow condition and the interpretation subject to reasonable system physics.

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