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1. 2. 3. 4.

Tubular flow through 2-inch tubing Tubular flow through 2 1/2-inch tubing Annular flow through 2 x 4 1/2- tubing-casing diameters Annular flow through 2 1/2 x 5 1/2-inch tubing-casing diameters

Figure 2

For each curve, a higher flow rate results in a higher bottomhole pressure, and the performance curves shift to the right with increases in the cross-sectional area available for flow. This means that for a given bottomhole pressure, there is a significant flow rate increase with increasing tubing diameter. The intersection of each tubing performance curve with the IPR curve specifies the maximum production rate for the given GLR and surface tubing pressure. (If the desired production rate is lower than this value, it is possible to use smaller production tubing with a performance curve that intersects the IPR curve at a higher bottomhole pressure.) In this example, the highest production rates would be attained through annular flow.

GAS INJECTION RATE


The gas injection rate frequired for continuous gas lift is estimated as follows: (qgas)inj = 0.001x (GLR2 -GLR1)qliquid where (qgas)inj = gas injection rate, MCF/D

(2)

GLR2 = producing gas-liquid ratio above the point of gas injection, SCF/Bbl GLR1 = natural producing gas-liquid ratio (i.e., below the point of gas injection), SCF/Bbl qliquid = desired liquid production rate, B/D For example, assume that a well's IPR and pressure traverse relationships indicate that it can produce 850 B/D of fluid at a GLR of 1490 SCF/Bbl, and that the formation GLR is 452 SCF/Bbl. The required gas injection rate would be (qgas)inj = 0.001 x (1490 -452)850 = 882.3 MCF/D A preliminary step in any gas lift system design is to inventory current and anticipated future gas volumes. The injection gas will probably come from field production operations (usually from a high-pressure separator). Additional makeup gas may be available from local gathering systems or pipelines.

GAS INJECTION PRESSURE


The surface gas injection pressure that the system requires will depend on the gas lift design parameters for individual wells, including the expected production rates, gas lift GLRs and the depths of the operating valves. Keep in mind that increasing the producing GLR increases flowline pressure losses and can affect separator performance. Gas injection pressure requirements are based on the injection pressure required to open the operating valve. This pressure is greater than the surface injection pressure by an amount equal to the gas gradient times the injection depth. For a tubing installation under static conditions, we may express the pressure gradient in the tubing-casing annulus as

(3)

where (Pinj)valve is the injection pressure at the operating valve, (Pinj)surf is the minimum operating injection pressure at surface D is the valve depth We may obtain this gradient using the following equation, which is based on a mechanical energy balance and the real gas law (Economides et. al, 1994):

(4)

where

= gas gravity (air = 1) zavg = compressibility factor at average temperature and pressure Tavg = average temperature, R = F +460

Because the compressibility factor depends on pressure and temperature, we must use an iterative procedure to determine the unknown pressure. Where the casing pressure at the injection point is known, we may obtain (Pinj) surf by trial-and-error as follows: 1. 2. 3. Assume values for (Pinj) surf and zavg at an arithmetic average pressure. Use this value of zavg to calculate a new (Pinj) surf value from Equation 2. Repeat steps 1 and 2 until the values of (Pinj) surf and zavg remain consistent within an acceptable margin.

(This same procedure applies if (Pinj) valve is the unknown quantity and (Pinj) surf is known) Gilbert (1954) introduced a simple approximation for Equation 3, in which he assumed = 0.7, zavg = 0.9 and T = 600R, and then applied a a Taylor Series expansion:

(5)

An existing compressor, a high-pressure separator or gas from outside sources may provide sufficient pressure for gas injection. If not, then the system design will have to be based on the surface pressure that is available, or additional compression capabilities will have to be built into the system.

LOCATION AND DESIGN OF THE OPERATING VALVE


In a tubing installation, lift gas from the surface enters the production tubing through the operating valve. The operating valve is placed such that the gas injection pressure at the valve depth, minus the pressure differential across the valve, is equal to the flowing production pressure at that depth. Depending on the gas lift GLR, we can place the operating valve at any of several depths. It requires less compression horsepower to inject gas at a high pressure and low rate than it does to inject it at a low pressure and high rate. Thus, a gas lift design operating at a low GLR requires a higher operating pressure and a lower compression horsepower. By selecting the lowest operating GLR, we can minimize the horsepower and gas volume requirements for a given production rate. If the available gas volumes or injection pressures are limited, that limitation should be considered in the design. If, on the other hand, we are constrained only by the physical limit GLR, then our design recommendations will be governed by the above guidelines and by the economics of gas injection. The design of the operating valve depends on the type of operation and any anticipated fluctuation in flow rate, producing GLR and water cut. To provide a constant GLR when there are varying production rates, the operating valve should exhibit the gas throughput characteristics of a throttling valve. The capability to adjust the valve through wireline operations allows modification of the design to accommodate changing conditions. Tubing diameters should be specified to give the lowest operating GLR for the target production rate. This will minimize horsepower requirements, surface operating pressure, and the volume of injected gas.

System Design Example


Consider a well for which we want to establish a production rate of 600 B/D, and for which we have the following information:

Depth: 5600 ft to midpoint of perforations (MPP) Average reservoir pressure = 1750 psi at MPP Target production rate = 600 B/D (32 API oil; 20% water cut) Formation (current) GLR = 180 SCF/Bbl Pwf required for target rate = 914 psi, based on IPR analysis Average reservoir temperature = 147 F Average surface temperature = 65 F Tubing size: 2 3/8 inch OD Required tubing head pressure: 100 psi Assume a pressure differential of 100 psi across the operating valve

DESIGN OBJECTIVE
We want to incorporate this well into an existing gas lift system. The injection line pressure is 800 psi, and the injection pressure available at the wellhead will be 750 psi. Our goal at this stage of the design is to determine (1) the depth of the operating valve and

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