Research on a New Method for Intermittent Production of Horizontal Wells in Low-Permeability Gas Field

Weigang Du, Yongsheng An (), Suo Yang, Liyong Guan, Yangfeng Sun and Runshi Huo
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Weigang Du: Tianjin Branch of CNPC Offshore Engingeering Co., Ltd., Tianjin 300451, China
Yongsheng An: MOE Key Laboratory of Petroleum Engineering, China University of Petroleum, Beijing 102249, China
Suo Yang: Tianjin Branch of CNOOC (China) Co., Ltd., Tianjin 300459, China
Liyong Guan: Tianjin Branch of CNPC Offshore Engingeering Co., Ltd., Tianjin 300451, China
Yangfeng Sun: MOE Key Laboratory of Petroleum Engineering, China University of Petroleum, Beijing 102249, China
Runshi Huo: MOE Key Laboratory of Petroleum Engineering, China University of Petroleum, Beijing 102249, China

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 14, 1-11

Abstract: With the development of drilling technology in recent years, an increasing number of horizontal wells have been widely used in low-permeability gas fields. Although horizontal wells are much more productive than vertical wells, fluid accumulation can occur when the formation energy drops and the gas flow rate in the wellbore is not sufficient to remove the loaded fluid from the wellbore. Intermittent production is a good method for preventing liquid loading, but thus far, there is no difference between the open and closed working system of horizontal wells and that of vertical wells, and there is a certain misunderstanding here. In this work, experiments were conducted on the opening process and closing process of a horizontal well, and it was found that the loaded fluid in the horizontal wellbore is a large source of water. It enters the vertical section during the opening process, thereby raising the liquid level and storing the fluid loaded in the vertical section during the closing process, which is difficult to unload. Combined with the experimental results, the production dynamics of a horizontal well with intermittent production was analyzed, and the well opening process and well closing process were divided into four stages. On this basis, a new multifrequency well opening method for intermittent production of horizontal wells was proposed to unload the liquid in horizontal wellbore. The field application case shows that this method can effectively eliminate the drawbacks caused by using conventional methods and increase the average gas production in one cycle by 46%.

Keywords: intermittent production; horizontal wells; low-permeability gas field; multifrequency opening method (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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