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2013-2014 Master in
Petroleum Engineering and Operations

Well Unloading Technologies and

Selection Criteria
Author: Agozie Amadi Prince
San Donato Milanese 13-14-15 October 2014

Master in Petr.Engineering & Operations 2013-2014

Stage Subject
Well Unloading Technologies and Selection
Criteria
Author

Company Tutors

Agozie Amadi Prince

Elisa di Biase
Salvatore Privitera

Division
Dept.

eni S.p.A.
Upstream & Technical Services

University Tutor
Prof. Francesca Verga

TEOP

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San Donato Milanese 13-14-15 October 2014

List of Content

Stage Subject
Well Unloading Technologies and Selection
Criteria
Project Scope
Theoretical concepts
Well Unloading Technologies description
Well Unloading Selection Criteria
Conclusions

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Project Scope
Technical Motivation
Manage the liquid accumulation (water and/or condensate) in
order to ensure the gas production
Current technology status
Industry is using different methods in order to mitigate
the liquid loading effects (i.e. foamer, velocity string,
wellhead compressor, plunger)
Main activities for the scope
Physical mechanisms literature review
Technologies evaluation and comparison
Selection guidelines

Industrial Impact and Expected Benefits

Ensure the gas production and extend the life of wells
affected by liquid accumulation

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List of Content

Stage Subject
Well Unloading Technologies and Selection
Criteria
Project Scope
Theoretical concepts
Well Unloading Technologies description
Well Unloading Selection Criteria
Conclusions

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Theoretical concepts
What is liquid loading
A well is suffering from liquid loading when its gas production rate has fallen
sharply off its intended decline curve and remains there due to the
accumulation of water or condensate at bottom of the wellbore

Drawbacks

Early well abandonment

Production decrease
Revenue falling
Cost rising

Unexpected mechanical
stress (slug flow)
Corrosion

ITALY TOTAL RECOVERED PRODUCTION ~ 500 kSm3/day (3.2 kboed, 100 k/d)

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Theoretical concepts
Identification of liquid loading
Water sources

Condensate sources

Associated Water
Water Produced from Another Zone
Aquifer water
Casing leak
Water coning

How to identify
liquid loading

Retrograde condensation

Theoretical models

Critical velocity
Well performance analysis

Monitoring actions

Production parameters analysis

Well history review

Diagnostic actions

P/T surveys
Surface / Downhole sampling
Other investigations (i.e. Logs)

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List of Content

Stage Subject
Well Unloading Technologies and Selection
Criteria
Project Scope
Theoretical concepts
Well Unloading Technologies description
Well Unloading Selection Criteria
Conclusions

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Well Unloading Technologies description

Gas wells Unloading techniques
Worldwide
Techniques applied by eni
Intermittent production

Cycles of re-pressurizations

Gas lift

Reducing liquid density

Foamer Applications

Reducing surface tension between gas &

liquid, and also the liquid density

Velocity String

Increasing gas velocity by reducing the

tubing flowing section

Wellhead Compression

Increasing gas velocity by reducing

wellhead pressure

Plunger lift
Downhole pumps (rod, PCP, ESP)

Artificially Liquid Lifting

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Well Unloading Technologies description

Foamer applications
Foam preferentially adsorbs at the interface, lowering the surface tension between
fluids (liquid and gas) and liquid density

Vg = 1.92

g )

g2

+ foamer

Turner equation

PROS
Cheap to apply
Tolerance of particulates
Versatile for different completions
and environments

CONS
Surfactant used may cause emulsion
problems
Wells with higher condensate may
not foam well.

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Well Unloading Technologies description

Foamer selection & treatments
Foamer selection

Injection treatments
Dropping soap sticks down the tubing
Batch treatments
Continuous Injection via Capillary String
Continuous Injection via Production annulus
Combined treatments

Fluid compositions
WCR
Specific gravity

Reservoir conditions (P&T)

Lab tests
Reactivity (height of foam)
Foam Stability (Half-time)
Compatibility with fluids
Compatibility with treating equipment
Foam breaker (Defoamer selection)

Batch injection

Capillary injection

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Well Unloading Technologies description

Velocity string
Velocity string can be defined as the installation of a wellbore tubular (usually from 1
to 3-1/2 in diameter) to modify the hydraulic characterization of an existing
completion tubing
Evaluation of the best tubing
size by Well Performance
Analysis in order to:
2 7/8 OD
Loading, low frictions

1 11/16 OD
No Loading, high
frictions

Maximize velocity (v > vT)

Minimize pressure losses

OPTIMUM SOLUTION
2 3/8 OD
No Loading, low frictions

PROS
Higher velocities for a given rate
Medium-long term solution
Good in tight gas reservoir

CT velocity string
Through tbg. installation
Tubing replacement

CONS
Requires special tools
High costs
Further loading will be more severe than original

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Well Unloading Technologies description

Wellhead Compressor
Used to lower the wellhead pressure to increase gas velocity, even lower
than flowline back pressure
CONS

PROS
Reduction of the THP and BHP (drawdown
increase)
Increasing & stabilization of production
rate
Wide operating range

Surface modifications needed

Maximum liquid production to be tolerated
Not compatible with solid production and
corrosive fluids
Not suggested for low productivity wells

Sensitivities on
WHP reduction to define

WHC characteristics (type, size)

Energy needed
Surface modifications

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L U B R I CA T O R

E L E CT R O N IC
C O N TR O LLE R

F L O W T EE
W / O -RI NG

Well Unloading Technologies description

Plunger lift

B YP A S S
VA L VE

BL EED

M O T O R IZ ED
VA L VE

VAL VE

M AS T E R
VA L VE

C A TC H E R
W /A R R IV A L
SE N S O R

E X T E R N AL
C A B LE

PL U N G ER

B U M P ER SP R IN G

T U B I N G ST O P

Plunger lift system is an intermittent lift method that uses only the
energy of the reservoir to produce the liquids.
L U B R I CA T O R

B L E ED

PROS

E L E CT R O N IC
C O N TR OLLE R

F L O W T EE
W / O -RI NG
B YP A S S
V A L VE

It is a rig-less operation
Cheap to apply & maintain
Requires no outside energy source

M O T O R IZ ED
VA L VE

VA L VE

M A ST ER
VA L VE

C A TC H E R
W /A R R IV A L
SE N S O R

EX T ER N AL
C A B LE

CONS
Not efficient in solid production wells
Limited by GLR, cannot work in low GLR
wells
Not efficient in highly deviated and
horizontal well

PL U N G ER

B U MP ER SP R IN G

T U B IN G ST O P

Continuous

Conventional

or

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Well Unloading Technologies description

Foamers application Case histories (water)
Benefit duration = 1 yr
PRE

POST

Gas rate (kSm3/d)

15

Liq rate (m3/d)

0.1

0.4

Batch injection

Cost ~ 80 k
Total Income ~ 1000 k
POT = 1 month

Benefit duration = 2.5 yrs

OD
Capillary
injection

PRE

POST

Gas rate (kSm3/d)

25

Liq rate (m3/d)

0.6

Cost ~ 250 k
Total Income ~ 6000 k
POT = 1 month

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Well Unloading Technologies description

Wellhead Compressor Case Histories (water)
10 installations in Italy since 2013

Benefit duration = 1.5 yr (on going)

Well A

PRE

POST

Gas rate (kSm3/d)

5*

18

Liq rate (m3/d)

0.8

1.5
* Cyclic production

Cost ~ 300 k
Total Income (till now) ~ 1600 k
POT = 2.5 month

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L U B R ICA T O R

E L E CT R O N IC
C O N TR O LL E R

F L O W T EE
W /O -RI NG

B L E ED

Well Unloading Technologies description

Plunger lift case histories (condensates)

Well A

Plunger lift Installed

B YP A S S
VA L VE

M O T O R IZ ED
VA L VE

VA L VE

M A ST ER
VA L VE

C A TC HE R
W /A R R IV A L
SE N S OR

EX T ER N AL
C A B LE

PL U N GE R

B U MP ER SP R IN G

T U B IN G ST O P

Benefit duration = 1 yr
PRE

POST

Gas rate (kSm3/d)

2.5

Liq rate (m3/d)

Cost ~ 75 k
Total Income ~ 390 k
POT = 2 months

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List of Content

Stage Subject
Well Unloading Technologies and Selection
Criteria
Project Scope
Theoretical concepts
Well Unloading Technologies description
Well Unloading Selection Criteria
Conclusions

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Well Unloading selection criteria

Constraints
HSE
Logistic issues
Authorizations

Technical
Evaluation

Economic
Evaluation

FINAL
SELECTION

CAPEX, OPEX
Income, POT, ROI

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Well Unloading selection criteria

Technical evaluation matrix
Velocity String

Technical constaints

Liquid type

Reservoir
Parameters

Ranking
factors

Well/Completion
Parameters

Management

Plunger Lift

Wellhead
Compression

Foamer Batch

Foamer
via Capillary

Deviation < 3/100ft

No solid production
Uniform Tubing size
Gas rate < 700-875kScf/d
No solid production
GLR range: 1000-8000 scf/bbl
Deviation < 12/100ft
No corrosive fluids
Liquid rate < 20 bbl/d
Gas rate < 350kScf/d
GLR range: 1000-8000 scf/bbl Liquid rate range: 5-100 bbl/d
Actual tubing > 2 3/8" OD
(without surface
GLR 400 Scf/bbl/1000ft
Liquid rate range: 5-100 bbl/d
No corrosive fluids
modifications)
Liquid rate < 350bbl/d
No corrosive fluids
No corrosive fluids

Only Water

Only Condensate

Water +
Condensate

High Reservoir
Pressure

Low Reservoir
Pressure

Low Permeability

High Reservoir
temperature

Deep well (>

10,000 ft)

Large Tubing

Small Tubing

Restrictions in
tubing

sporadic

continuous

continuous

none

regular

Maintenance
frequency

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Well Unloading selection criteria

Economic evaluation table
POT (months)

Income (k)

ROI

Cost, k

Typical Benefit
duration,
months

Delta prod
5 kSm3/d

Delta prod
15
kSm3/d

Delta prod
5 kSm3/d

Delta prod
15 kSm3/d

Delta prod
5 kSm3/d

Delta prod
15 kSm3/d

Batch

80

3.1

1.0

153

459

1.9

5.7

Capillary String

250

36

9.8

3.3

918

2754

3.7

11.0

Plunger

100

24

3.9

1.3

612

1836

6.1

18.4

WHC

300

48

11.8

3.9

1224

3672

4.1

12.2

Velocity string not included; cost varies depending on the installation operation

Cost = average CAPEX + OPEX for Italy

* Gas price assumed equal to 0.17 /Sm3

Low cost

Short-term benefit

Approach
High cost

Long-term benefit

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List of Content

Stage Subject
Well Unloading Technologies and Selection
Criteria
Project Scope
Theoretical concepts
Well Unloading Technologies description
Well Unloading Selection Criteria
Conclusions

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Conclusions
Nowadays, gas well loading impact
is becoming more and more
important
when
dealing
with
mature & depleted gas fields

HSE and Logistics constraints have to be always taken into account

during the selection process

A proper understanding of the liquid accumulation problem and its

impact is fundamental to design the most suitable unloading
technique

The most suitable unloading technique to be applied must be

chosen after proper technical and economic evaluations

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Acknowledgements

I would thank eni for permission to present this work

and related results and TEOP colleagues for the
technical support and needed assistance.

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San Donato Milanese 13-14-15 October 2014

QUESTIONS?

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