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Gas Well Deliquification Workshop

Sheraton Hotel, Denver, Colorado

February 23 – 25, 2015

Flow Assurance Principles Applied to Unconventional Gas

Well Deliquification

Rob Sutton, Consultant

Steve Pohler , Marathon Oil Company

Dr. Cem Sarica, U of Tulsa

The Classic Flow Assurance Problem

• Gas-Water

– Hydrate Formation

– Salt/Scale Precipitation

• Oil

– Paraffin Deposition

– Asphaltenes

– High Viscosity

– Emulsions

• Multiphase Flow Issues

– Slugging

– Corrosion

– Erosion

Feb. 23 - 25, 2015 2015 Gas Well Deliquification Workshop

Denver, Colorado

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Talk Overview

• Unconventional Horizontal Gas Wells – Barnett

– Fayetteville

– Haynesville

– Marcellus

– Woodford

• Deliquification Solution – Drill Toe Up Wells

– Potential Consequences

2015 Gas Well Deliquification Workshop

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3 Feb. 23 - 25, 2015

Flow Assurance For Unconventional Gas Wells

• Gas-Water

– Hydrate Formation

– Salt/Scale Precipitation

• Oil

– Paraffin Deposition

– Asphaltenes

– High Viscosity

– Emulsions

• Multiphase Flow Issues

– Slugging

– Corrosion

– Erosion

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------------------------------------------------ Feb. 23 - 25, 2015


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Note: Potential problems vary with play & producing conditions. Consider this for other evaluation scenarios.

Complex Well Geometries


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Undulations that

cross 90° create traps

TUFFP Unified Model Flow Pattern Map

0.001

0.01

0.1

1

10

100

0.01 0.1 1 10 100 1000Superficial Gas Velocity, ft/sec

Su

pe

rfic

ial L

iqu

id V

elo

cit

y, ft

/se

c

Slug

Annular

Dispersed Bubble

Stratified

Ga

s

Op

era

tin

g

En

ve

lop

e

TUFFP Unified Model Flow Pattern Map

0.001

0.01

0.1

1

10

100

0.01 0.1 1 10 100 1000Superficial Gas Velocity, ft/sec

Su

pe

rfic

ial L

iqu

id V

elo

cit

y, ft

/se

c

Slug

Annular

Dispersed Bubble

Stratified

Ga

s

Op

era

tin

g

En

ve

lop

e

Typical Flow Patterns in Lateral

6

-5° Hole Angle +5° Hole Angle


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Lateral Orientation


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Toe Elevation & Tubing Placement

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Traps

• Contribute to liquid slugging

• Accumulation site

– Liquids

– Debris

– Sand

– Scale

– Salt

– Corrosion

Gas Flow Thru Trap


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Trap Count


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Trap Location


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Trap Near

Toe

No Traps

Multiple Traps

Lateral Length


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Trap Location


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Trap Location


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Fraction of Lateral Beyond 1st Trap


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Formation Water Salinity


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Salinity Profile with Time


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Play Depth


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Low Pressure Water Vapor Content


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Relative Water Vapor Content (500 psi)


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Vaporization & Salt Plugging Potential


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Assumptions: • Reference to low temperature, low

salinity Fayetteville at 500 psi

• Downhole temperature (see Slide 19)

• Vaporization & vaporization contrast

(see Slide 20)

• Water salinity & salinity contrast (see

Slide 17)

• Same gas & water rates

• Same trap geometry

Conclusions

• Reviewed major unconventional gas plays

– Play Depth (Pressure and Temperature)

– Produced Water Salinity

– Well Configurations

• Horizontal Well Deliquification Solutions

– Toe Up Lateral Orientation

• Multiphase Flow Patterns – Downward flow regime: Stratified

– Uphill flow regime: Slug

• Traps – Accumulation site for water and debris – Isolate a significant portion of lateral


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Conclusions

• Natural Gas

– Undersaturated at low BHP

– Water vapor content depends on pressure & temperature

• Water Evaporation

– Concentrates salts leading to salt/scale precipitation

• Flow Assurance Principles

– Ensure proper long term producibility of lateral

– Examine other aspects of well

• Ensure deliquification, slugging & corrosion mitigation

goals are attained

• Reservoir inflow impairment Feb. 23 - 25, 2015


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Conclusions

• Plays with higher water salinity and higher

temperature are more problematic

– Greater potential for salt/scale deposits

– Higher water vaporization potential

– Reduced time frame for apparent problems

• Solution to problem

– Avoid traps in toe-up wells

– Avoid low bottomhole pressure operations

– Utilize equipment to keep water moving in the lateral


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Copyright

Rights to this presentation are owned by the company(ies) and/or author(s) listed on the title page. By submitting this presentation to the Gas Well Deliquification Workshop, they grant to the Workshop, the Artificial Lift Research and Development Council (ALRDC), and the Southwestern Petroleum Short Course (SWPSC), rights to:

– Display the presentation at the Workshop.

– Place it on the www.alrdc.com web site, with access to the site to be as directed by the Workshop Steering Committee.

– Place it on a CD for distribution and/or sale as directed by the Workshop Steering Committee.

Other use of this presentation is prohibited without the expressed written permission of the author(s). The owner company(ies) and/or author(s) may publish this material in other journals or magazines if they refer to the Gas Well Deliquification Workshop where it was first presented.


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Disclaimer

The following disclaimer shall be included as the last page of a Technical Presentation or Continuing Education Course. A similar disclaimer is included on the front page of the Gas Well Deliquification Web Site.

The Artificial Lift Research and Development Council and its officers and trustees, and the Gas Well Deliquification Workshop Steering Committee members, and their supporting organizations and companies (here-in-after referred to as the Sponsoring Organizations), and the author(s) of this Technical Presentation or Continuing Education Training Course and their company(ies), provide this presentation and/or training material at the Gas Well Deliquification Workshop "as is" without any warranty of any kind, express or implied, as to the accuracy of the information or the products or services referred to by any presenter (in so far as such warranties may be excluded under any relevant law) and these members and their companies will not be liable for unlawful actions and any losses or damage that may result from use of any presentation as a consequence of any inaccuracies in, or any omission from, the information which therein may be contained.

The views, opinions, and conclusions expressed in these presentations and/or training materials are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Sponsoring Organizations. The author is solely responsible for the content of the materials.

The Sponsoring Organizations cannot and do not warrant the accuracy of these documents beyond the source documents, although we do make every attempt to work from authoritative sources. The Sponsoring Organizations provide these presentations and/or training materials as a service. The Sponsoring Organizations make no representations or warranties, express or implied, with respect to the presentations and/or training materials, or any part thereof, including any warrantees of title, non-infringement of copyright or patent rights of others, merchantability, or fitness or suitability for any purpose.

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