Training
Gas Well Deliquification and Production Optimization
- 2 days / 16 hours in person or virtual
- 3 days / 24 hours virtual (Gas-Lift & Deliquification Applications: 8 sessions of 3 hours)
- Level: Intermediate (Gas Well Deliquification and Production Optimization); Intermediate to Advanced (Gas-Lift & Deliquification Applications)
Synopsis
Ever-increasing demands related to cost savings and efficiency improvement require that existing as well as planned gas production assets are fully and optimally utilized. Most gas wells produce liquid in the form of water or condensate. If this liquid is not removed from the wellbore in a timely manner, gas production suffers dramatically and eventually ceases altogether. In the case of coal-bed methane (CBM) wells, removal of water releases adsorbed methane from the coal seam. Thus, liquid loading impacts the productivity of most gas assets.
Deliquification, an effective way of removing liquid from the wellbore, requires deployment of artificial lift and production optimization techniques for most of a gas well’s productive life. Careful selection, design and operation of the artificial lift system is extremely important for profitability. Efficient and cost-effective production workflows involve field management using digital oilfield concepts. Understanding these production concepts is a must to profitably exploit existing assets fully.
The objective of the course is to:
- Provide an awareness of the fundamentals of production from gas wells by introducing fluid flow, flow correlations, PVT/Black Oil, and discussing the inflow performance relationship (IPR), vertical lift performance (VLP), nodal analysis, and pressure gradient curves.
- Introduce liquid loading in gas wells and the need for deliquification.
- Introduce artificial lift for gas wells, with plunger lift and capillary injection systems covered in detail.
- Introduce other means for deliquification such as surface compression, velocity strings and dead strings.
- Provide knowledge about the lift system, from downhole to the surface, and relevant components for plunger lift and capillary injection.
- Discuss challenges facing lift applications.
- Explore the importance of downhole monitoring and surface measurements.
The course is also offered in a gas-lift focused virtual variant, Gas-Lift & Deliquification Applications. Gas-lift is one of the predominant forms of artificial lift used for lifting liquids from conventional, unconventional, onshore and offshore assets. Proper application of gas-lift to loaded-up gas wells can be one of the most effective ways to improve the profitability of a gas well portfolio. Gas-lift and its various forms (intermittent lift, gas-assisted plunger lift) allow life-of-well lift possibilities when selected and applied properly. This variant gives trainees a thorough understanding of gas-lift technology and related application concepts.
Most oil and gas wells require artificial lift at some point, and for most of the life cycle, to achieve production objectives. There are at least eight forms of artificial lift technologies available in the market. Each lift system’s applicability often overlaps with other lift systems, and it is important to understand the positioning and strength of a particular lift form. Unlike mechanical methods of lifting, gas-lift performance relies heavily on understanding the interdependence between reservoir, wellbore and surface installations. The gas-lift variant focuses on gas-lift applications and related system analysis (often called NODAL analysis) concepts. While providing instruction at an intermediate level, the training arms attendees with sufficient detail to participate in the informed decision-making process. Its main objectives are to:
- Provide a thorough introduction to the theory of gas lift.
- Demonstrate the advantages and limitations of gas-lift systems.
- Acquaint the student with system evaluation, design, installation and operation concepts.
It covers the main components, application envelope, and relative strengths and weaknesses of gas-lift and its different forms, such as intermittent lift and gas-assisted plunger lift for producing oil wells, and deliquification of gas wells. A unique feature is a discussion on digital oilfield and machine learning as applicable to gas-lift optimization. PROSPER or SNAP software is used to demonstrate the effective use of NODAL analysis.
Learning outcomes
- A thorough treatment of the liquid loading and deliquification problem, including artificial lift techniques for production optimization of gas and CBM wells.
- The basics of the main deliquification options, from completion changes and surface compression to capillary injection and plunger lift.
- Challenges facing lift applications.
Who should attend
- Production engineers and field operators
- Reservoir engineers
- Completion engineers
- Drilling and facilities engineers working in integrated project teams
- Anyone interested in learning about selection, design, analysis and optimum operation of artificial lift and related production systems
- Project and asset managers interested in expanding their understanding of the effects of deliquification and the impact of artificial lift on the performance of their assets
- Gas-lift variant: production, reservoir, completion, drilling and facilities engineers, and anyone interested in the implications of gas-lift systems for their fields and reservoirs
Prerequisites
- Gas-lift & deliquification variant: understanding of petroleum production concepts.
Course outline
Two-day format (Gas Well Deliquification and Production Optimization)
- Day 1: Introduction to Systems Analysis & Gas Well Loading Problem
- Pre-test
- Multiphase flow
- PVT properties
- Inflow / Outflow Performance and sensitivity analysis
- Gas well loading and deliquification problem
- Completion selection for deliquification
- Dead string
- Velocity string
- Surface compression and multiphase pumping
- Day 2: Introduction to Artificial Lift, Capillary Systems, Plunger Lift
- Artificial Lift Systems: Basics, Why/What/How
- Capillary Injection Systems
- Applications, pluses/minuses
- Chemical delivery
- Selection considerations
- Special applications in shale, long perforations
- Plunger Lift
- Applications, pluses/minuses
- Bottom hole and surface setup: plungers, BHA, lubricator
- Selection and special applications
- Surveillance
Virtual format (Gas-Lift & Deliquification Applications)
- Modules 1 & 2
- Introduction
- Artificial Lift: When / Why / What of lift mechanisms; types
- How gas-lift is the same as and different from other lift forms; relative market position
- Well Performance: review of fundamentals
- Systems/NODAL analysis
- Reservoir performance: Productivity Index and Inflow Performance Relationship (IPR)
- PVT analysis
- Multiphase flow
- Flow correlations and mechanistic models; flow regimes/maps
- Pressure gradient curves
- VLP: Vertical Lift Performance
- Gas-Lift
- Types; application; advantages, limitations
- Equipment: downhole and surface
- Gas-lift production rate and well evaluation basics: operating point analysis
- Modules 3 & 4
- Gas-Lift Valve Mechanics
- Valve classifications: IPO, PPO, Pilot, Dummy
- Continuous flow unloading sequence
- Importance of true valve performance
- Gas-Lift Installation Design
- Overview of IPO design methodology; valve spacing and valve sizing
- Design and optimization
- Gas-Lift Valve Mechanics
- Modules 5 & 6
- Gas Well Deliquification Options
- Plunger lift
- Gas-lift well life cycles
- Gas-assisted plunger lift (GAPL)
- Plunger-assisted gas lift (PAGL)
- Intermittent gas-lift basics and overview of design
- Gas Well Deliquification Options
- Modules 7 & 8
- Injection infrastructure: compression and sizing
- Well unloading procedure and guidelines
- Gas-lift troubleshooting and diagnostics
- Digital oilfield and ML introductions as applicable to gas-lift
Formats and customization
- Gas Well Deliquification and Production Optimization: 2 days or 16 hours, in person or virtual, Intermediate level.
- Optionally a workshop component can be incorporated that uses client-supplied software and well data to solve field problems. This requires three days of consulting work prior to the training.
- Gas-Lift & Deliquification Applications: virtual course, 3 days or 24 hours, Intermediate to Advanced level. Conducted over 8 sessions of three hours each across two consecutive weeks at a mutually convenient time. It could also be taught over six sessions of four hours each over two consecutive weeks.
- Software: PROSPER or SNAP is used in the gas-lift variant to demonstrate NODAL analysis. For the general course, appropriate software tools are optionally used to show how lift components are designed and analyzed.