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APPENDIX A

LIQUID LOADING PROGRAM MANUAL


A.1 Purpose of the Program

This program was developed to calculate the critical gas velocity in gas wells.
With required input data, the user can determine the inception of liquid loading with
different models. This program was programed in .net framework using c sharp. Note
that .net framework (4.0 or 4.5) is needed to run this program. We will describe how to
use this program below.

A.2 Program Structure

The program consists of two tab pages: single well page and multiple wells page,
as can be seen in Figure A.1. In the single well page, the user can analyze a single well;
while in the multiple wells page, the user can process batch data.
We will start with the single well calculation. There are only two buttons in this
page, Calculation button and Exit button. The input data area is on the upper left part
of the page, where all the necessary information is needed to determine the critical gas
velocity. Input data needed for the calculation is liquid density, gas gravity (gas density),
surface tension, surface or bottom hole pressure and temperature, tubing size, gas
production rate, liquid/gas ratio (or liquid production rate), and inclination angle. The
default value for input data will be shown in the textbox when the user runs the program
for the first time. If uncertain about any input data, the user can use the default value.
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For the unit, the user can choose field unit, SI unit or user defined unit. By default, the
input data unit is the field unit. The unit can be changed by clicking appropriate button.
The value of the input data will automatically change if the unit is changed. The input
value in the textbox will be saved and will be available the next time the program is run.


Figure A.1: Single Well Calculation Page

Once all input data is ready, the user will click the Calculation button to see the
results. The results are shown in Figure A.2. Now we can see the calculation results of
the droplet model and the film model. In the droplet model, critical gas velocity from
Turners equation and Colemans equation will be presented. Note that, in the results, the
user can also convert the units between SI unit and field unit. For the film model, results
from Barneas model and our new model will be shown.
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On the lower right area of this page, a flow pattern map is plotted with different
transition boundaries. In the plot, we show Turners boundary, Barneas boundary and
the new models boundary. Also, current gas velocity is plotted as a blue square. To the
left of the boundaries is loading region, and unloading region is on the right. In Figure
A.2, this gas well is plotted on the left of the boundaries, so this well should have a liquid
loading problem. The user can also choose to plot only one boundary by choosing
prediction methods.


Figure A.2: Single Well Calculation Results
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Figure A.3: Single Well Calculation Data

In addition to the plot, the user is able to obtain the calculation results in a
spreadsheet, as shown in Figure A.3. This spreadsheet lists all the methods and
corresponding critical velocities (in both SI and field units). The loading status of the
current condition is shown in the last column. For this well, liquid loading is predicted
by all the models.
A snapshot of the multiple wells calculation page is shown in Figure A.4. There
are three buttons, which are Choose Input, Calculation and Exit. The
Calculation button is greyed out since data input is needed first. Basically, the input
data requirement is the same as the single well. It only needs to be provided in batch.
Clicking the Choose Input button, the user will see a window like Figure A.5. In this
window, the user can see what data is required and choose what type of data will be used.
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Please make sure the data unit is selected correctly, otherwise the calculation results will
be wrong.

Figure A.4: Multiple Wells Calculation Page

Figure A.5: Multiple Wells Input Window
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There are two ways of importing the data. The user can manually input or copy
and paste all the data into a spreadsheet on the left of the multiple wells page, as shown in
Figure A.6. Headers in the spreadsheet will be generated based on the input data
selection. Or the user can prepare a text file (.txt file) containing all the data and import it
into the spreadsheet, as shown in Figure A.7. An example of correct data input is shown
in Figure A.8.


Figure A.6: Input Spreadsheet for Multiple Wells
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Figure A.7: Input Text File for Multiple Wells


Figure A.8: Example of Input Data for Multiple Wells
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Next, clicking Calculation button, the user will see the predictions for all the
wells on the right of multiple wells page, as shown in Figure A.9. The user can see a plot
of current gas velocity versus predicted critical gas velocity. Points in the plot represent
the wells. Two regions are divided by a 45 degree line, which is a loading boundary.
Other methods can be chosen in the Select Methods box. Similar to single well case,
calculation results can be obtained by clicking the Data checkbox, as shown in Figure
A.10. Critical gas velocity and the loading status of the well are seen in calculation
results. User can also change the unit in the Select Unit box.

Figure A.9: Calculation Plots for Multiple Wells
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Figure A.10: Calculation Results for Multiple Wells

The user can save the results in the spreadsheet by clicking the Save Data
button. A window will pop up and the data will be saved into a text file (.txt file).