Modeling and analysis of plunger lift for water removal from tight gas wells /
Many tight gas wells produce at rates below their potential, due to water loading. Plunger lift is often applied to remove produced water, reduce bottomhole pressure, and increase both gas production rate and ultimate recovery. Previous authors have discussed dynamic models of the plunger lift pro...
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| Format: | Thesis Book |
| Language: | English |
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[Place of publication not identified] :
[publisher not identified] ;
2000.
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://proxy.library.tamu.edu/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=727726321&sid=1&Fmt=2&clientId=2945&RQT=309&VName=PQD |
| Summary: | Many tight gas wells produce at rates below their potential, due to water loading. Plunger lift is often applied to remove produced water, reduce bottomhole pressure, and increase both gas production rate and ultimate recovery. Previous authors have discussed dynamic models of the plunger lift process. These previous models did not consider transient reservoir performance. Because transient reservoir performance was neglected, previous models have only limited applicability to tight gas wells. This dissertation presents a study of the application of plunger lift to the problem of water removal from tight gas wells. A new numerical simulation model was developed which includes gas flow in the reservoir, annulus storage effects, and dynamic modeling of plunger lift cycles. The most significant advance in the state of the art is the incorporation of reservoir simulation to allow the effects of transient reservoir performance on the plunger lift process to be modeled. The new model was successfully used to determine the amount of time required to unload a well for cases where significant water has accumulated in the wellbore and must be removed to increase gas production rate. The new model was also successfully used to determine optimal operational practices for plunger lift, which result in maximum daily gas production. Analysis of the plunger lift process using the new simulation model indicates that previous simpler models can significantly underestimate gas production for tight gas wells with plunger lift for water removal. |
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| Item Description: | Vita. "Major Subject: Petroleum Engineering". |
| Physical Description: | xii, 95 leaves : illustrations ; 28 cm. Issued also on microfiche from University Microfilm Inc. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references (leaves 72-76). |