Multiphase Flow Boosting Without Using a Mechanical Multiphase Pump – Use of Innovative Surface Mounted Technology for Boosting Production from Inactive Multiphase Wells

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed AlShmakhy ◽  
Ahmed Faoud Shokry ◽  
Najam A Beg ◽  
Syed M Peeran

Abstract Depleting reservoir pressures of mature fields or wells backing out due to high production line pressures can cause severe restriction in production from many oil wells, eventually leading to a complete cessation of production. These wells, however, still have considerable hydrocarbon reserves that can be recovered. Conventional methods to bring such marginal or inactive wells back into production involve power hungry multi-phase pumps or well intervention techniques such as N2 injection, workover, redrilling and artificial lift systems. Such methods are highly expensive and may require substantial infrastructure, especially on offshore satellite platforms which have limited facilities and space. Multi-Phase Surface Jet Pumps (MPSJPs), innovatively combined with novel compact separation, provide a surface mounted, compact, maintenance free and simpler method for boosting production from inactive multi-phase wells, without consuming any electrical power or fuel gas and avoiding any well intervention. Multi-Phase Surface Jet Pumps (MPSJPs) are passive devices which use the energy of existing high pressure single/multi-phase fluids to reduce the Flowing Wellhead Pressure (FWHP) of low pressure multi-phase wells and boost their pressure to the downstream production header pressure. This patented system involves the use of a compact in-line separator upstream of the MPSJP to separate the gas & liquid phases and use the predominant liquid phase as the high-pressure motive fluid. MPSJPs can be used on their own or in combination with other boosting systems (e.g. ESPs, gas lift etc.). The applications also include revival of watered out, idle oil and gas wells. Results from multiple worldwide applications have shown that MPSJPs can successfully boost production from low producers as well as revive dead wells that have not been flowing for a period of time. Wellhead pressures have been considerably reduced and production increases have ranged from 20% to 40% per well. The advantages that MPSJPs offer over conventional technologies such as Multi-phase pumps, ESPs and well intervention techniques are several. MPSJPs are surface mounted (so well intervention is not required), comparatively low cost, have no moving parts, consume zero fuel gas/electrical power, have low footprint and use already available fluid energy. They are tolerant to variations in flow conditions, gas volume fractions (GVF) and associated slugging. They reduce the CO2 footprint by not consuming power and provide a radical, innovative, economical and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional methods. This paper discusses the use of MPSJPs and cites various case studies. The design and operational criteria are also highlighted.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saransh Surana

Abstract Reservoir uncertainties, high water cut, completion integrity along with declining production are the major challenges of a mature field. These integrated with dying facilities and poor field production are key issues that each oil and gas company is facing these days. Arresting production decline is an inevitable objective, but with the existing techniques/steps involved, it becomes a cumbersome and exorbitant affair for the operators to meet their requirements. In addition, incompetent and flawed well data makes it more challenging to analyze mature fields. Although flow rate data is the most easily accessible data for mature fields, the absence of pressure data (flowing bottom-hole or wellhead pressure) remains a big obstacle for the application of conventional production enhancement and well screening strategies for most of the mature fields. A real-time optimization tool is thus constructed by developing a hybrid modelling technique that encapsulates Kriging and Fuzzy Logic to account for the imprecisions and uncertainties involved while identification of subsurface locations for production optimization of a mature field using only production data. The data from the existing wells in the field is used to generate a membership function based on its historical performance and productivity, thereby generating a spatial map of prospective areas, where secondary development operations can be taken up for production optimization.


SPE Journal ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (05) ◽  
pp. 2033-2046 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hu Jia ◽  
Yao–Xi Hu ◽  
Shan–Jie Zhao ◽  
Jin–Zhou Zhao

Summary Many oil and gas resources in deep–sea environments worldwide are often located in high–temperature/high–pressure (HT/HP) and low–permeability reservoirs. The reservoir–pressure coefficient usually exceeds 1.6, with formation temperature greater than 180°C. Challenges are faced for well drilling and completion in these HT/HP reservoirs. A solid–free well–completion fluid with safety density greater than 1.8 g/cm3 and excellent thermal endurance is strongly needed in the industry. Because of high cost and/or corrosion and toxicity problems, the application of available solid–free well–completion fluids such as cesium formate brines, bromine brines, and zinc brines is limited in some cases. In this paper, novel potassium–based phosphate well–completion fluids were developed. Results show that the fluid can reach the maximum density of 1.815 g/cm3 at room temperature, which makes a breakthrough on the density limit of normal potassium–based phosphate brine. The corrosion rate of N80 steel after the interaction with the target phosphate brine at a high temperature of 180°C is approximately 0.1853 mm/a, and the regained–permeability recovery of the treated sand core can reach up to 86.51%. Scanning–electron–microscope (SEM) pictures also support the corrosion–evaluation results. The phosphate brine shows favorable compatibility with the formation water. The biological toxicity–determination result reveals that it is only slightly toxic and is environmentally acceptable. In addition, phosphate brine is highly effective in inhibiting the performance of clay minerals. The cost of phosphate brine is approximately 44 to 66% less than that of conventional cesium formate, bromine brine, and zinc brine. This study suggests that the phosphate brine can serve as an alternative high–density solid–free well–completion fluid during well drilling and completion in HT/HP reservoirs.


2012 ◽  
Vol 445 ◽  
pp. 917-922 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saman Davoodi ◽  
Amir Mostafapour

Leak detection is one of the most important problems in the oil and gas pipelines. Where it can lead to financial losses, severe human and environmental impacts. Acoustic emission test is a new technique for leak detection. Leakage in high pressure pipes creates stress waves resulting from localized loss of energy. Stress waves are transmitted through the pipe wall which will be recorded by using acoustic sensor or accelerometer installed on the pipe wall. Knowledge of how the pipe wall vibrates by acoustic emission resulting from leakage is a key parameter for leak detection and location. In this paper, modeling of pipe vibration caused by acoustic emission generated by escaping of fluid has been done. Donnells non linear theory for cylindrical shell is used to deriving of motion equation and simply supported boundary condition is considered. By using Galerkin method, the motion equation has been solved and a system of non linear equations with 6 degrees of freedom is obtained. To solve these equations, ODE tool of MATLAB software and Rung-Kuta numerical method is used and pipe wall radial displacement is obtained. For verification of this theory, acoustic emission test with continues leak source has been done. Vibration of wall pipe was recorded by using acoustic emission sensors. For better analysis, Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) was taken from theoretical and experimental results. By comparing the results, it is found that the range of frequencies which carried the most amount of energy is same which expresses the affectivity of the model.


Author(s):  
Griffin Beck ◽  
Melissa Poerner ◽  
Kevin Hoopes ◽  
Sandeep Verma ◽  
Garud Sridhar ◽  
...  

Hydraulic fracturing treatments are used to produce oil and gas reserves that would otherwise not be accessible using traditional production techniques. Fracturing treatments require a significant amount of water, which has an associated environmental impact. In recent work funded by the Department of Energy (DOE), an alternative fracturing process has been investigated that uses natural gas as the primary fracturing fluid. In the investigated method, a high-pressure foam of natural gas and water is used for fracturing, a method than could reduce water usage by as much as 80% (by volume). A significant portion of the work focused on identifying and optimizing a mobile processing facility that can be used to pressurize natural gas sourced from adjacent wells or nearby gas processing plants. This paper discusses some of the evaluated processes capable of producing a high-pressure (10,000 psia) flow of natural gas from a low-pressure source (500 psia). The processes include five refrigeration cycles producing liquefied natural gas as well as a cycle that directly compresses the gas. The identified processes are compared based on their specific energy as calculated from a thermodynamic analysis. Additionally, the processes are compared based on the estimated equipment footprint and the process safety. Details of the thermodynamic analyses used to compare the cycles are provided. This paper also discusses the current state of the art of foam fracturing methods and reviews the advantages of these techniques.


2015 ◽  
Vol 93 (9) ◽  
pp. 1025-1030 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nagu Daraboina ◽  
Christine Malmos Perfeldt ◽  
Nicolas von Solms

Low dosage kinetic hydrate inhibitors are employed as alternatives to expensive thermodynamic inhibitors to manage the risk of hydrate formation inside oil and gas pipelines. These chemicals need to be tested at appropriate conditions in the laboratory before deployment in the field. A high pressure micro differential scanning calorimeter HP-μDSC VII (Setaram Inc.) containing two 50 cc high pressure cells (maximum operating pressure 40 MPa; temperature range –40 to 120 °C) was employed to observe methane hydrate formation and decomposition in the presence of hyperactive antifreeze protein from Rhagium mordax (RmAFP) and biodegradable synthetic kinetic inhibitor Luvicap Bio. A systematic capillary dispersion method was used, and this method enhanced the ability to detect the effect of various inhibitors on hydrate formation with small quantities. The presence of RmAFP and Luvicap Bio influence (inhibit) the hydrate formation phenomena significantly. Luvicap Bio (relative strength compared to buffer: 13.3 °C) is stronger than RmAFP (9.8 °C) as a nucleation inhibitor. However, the presence RmAFP not only delays hydrate nucleation but also reduces the amount of hydrate formed (20%–30%) after nucleation significantly. Unlike RmAFP, Luvicap Bio promoted the amount of hydrate formed after nucleation. The superior hydrate growth inhibition capability and predictable hydrate melting behavior compared to complex, heterogeneous hydrate melting with Luvicap Bio shows that RmAFP can be a potential natural green kinetic inhibitor for hydrate formation in pipelines.


Author(s):  
Cynthia K. McCurry ◽  
Robert R. Romanosky

This paper describes the experiences leading to successful sampling of hot, contaminated, coal-derived gas streams for alkali constituents using advanced spectrometers. This activity was integrated with a multi-phase, combustion test program which addressed the use of minimally treated, coal-derived fuel gas in gas turbines. Alkali contaminants in coal-derived fuels are a source of concern, as they may induce corrosion of and deposition on turbine components. Real-time measurement of alkali concentrations in gasifier output fuel gas streams is important in evaluating these effects on turbine performance. An automated, dual-channel, flame atomic emission spectrometer was used to obtain on-line measurements of total sodium and potassium mass loadings (vapors and particles) in two process streams at the General Electric fixed-bed coal gasifier and turbine combustor simulator facility in Schenectady, New York. Alkali measurements were taken on (1) slipstreams of high temperature, high pressure, minimally clean, low-Btu fuel gas containing entrained particles from the gasifier and (2) a slipstream of the exhaust gas from the combustor/turbine simulator. Alkali detection limits for the analyzer were found to be on the order of one part per billion. Providing a representative sample to the alkali analyzer at the limited flows required by the instrument was a major challenge of this activity. Several approaches and sampling hardware configurations were utilized with varying degrees of success during this testing campaign. The resulting information formed the basis for a second generation sampling system which has recently been successfully utilized to measure alkali concentrations in slipstreams from the described fixed-bed coal gasifier and turbine combustor simulator.


Author(s):  
Dr. Mohamed A. GH. Abdalsadig

As worldwide energy demand continues to grow, oil and gas fields have spent hundreds of billions of dollars to build the substructures of smart fields. Management of smart fields requires integrating knowledge and methods in order to automatically and autonomously handle a great frequency of real-time information streams gathered from those wells. Furthermore, oil businesses movement towards enhancing everyday production skills to meet global energy demands signifies the importance of adapting to the latest smart tools that assist them in running their daily work. A laboratory experiment was carried out to evaluate gas lift wells performance under realistic operations in determining reservoir pressure, production operation point, injection gas pressure, port size, and the influence of injection pressure on well performance. Lab VIEW software was used to determine gas passage through the Smart Gas Lift valve (SGL) for the real-time data gathering. The results showed that the wellhead pressure has a large influence on the gas lift performance and showed that the utilized smart gas lift valve can be used to enhanced gas Lift performance by regulating gas injection from down hole.


2011 ◽  
Vol 133 (04) ◽  
pp. 52-52
Author(s):  
Rainer Kurz

This article discusses the importance of gas turbines, centrifugal compressors and pumps, and other turbomachines in processes that bring natural gas to the end users. To be useful, the natural gas coming from a large number of small wells has to be gathered. This process requires compression of the gas in several stages, before it is processed in a gas plant, where contaminants and heavier hydrocarbons are stripped from the gas. From the gas plant, the gas is recompressed and fed into a pipeline. In all these compression processes, centrifugal gas compressors driven by industrial gas turbines or electric motors play an important role. Turbomachines are used in a variety of applications for the production of oil and associated gas. For example, gas turbine generator sets often provide electrical power for offshore platforms or remote oil and gas fields. Offshore platforms have a large electrical demand, often requiring multiple large gas turbine generator sets. Similarly, centrifugal gas compressors, driven by gas turbines or by electric motors are the benchmark products to pump gas through pipelines, anywhere in the world.


2021 ◽  
Vol 05 (01) ◽  
pp. 04-10
Author(s):  
Sabir Babaev ◽  
Ibrahim Habibov ◽  
Zohra Abiyeva

Prospects for the further development of the oil and gas industry are mainly associated with the development and commissioning of high-rate fields. In this regard, the production of more economical and durable equipment by machine-building enterprises, an increase in the level of its reliability and competitiveness, as well as further improvement of technological production processes, is of paramount importance. The evolution of technology in a broad sense is a representation of changes in designs, manufacturing technology, their direction and patterns. In this case, a certain state of any class of TC is considered as a result of long-term changes in its previous state; transition from existing and applied in practice vehicles to new models that differ from previous designs. These transitions, as a rule, are associated with the improvement of any performance criteria or quality indicators of the vehicle and are progressive in nature. The work is devoted to the study of the evolution of the quality of high-pressure valves during the period of their intensive development. Keywords: technical system, evolution of technology, high-pressure valves, shut-off devices, gate.


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