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X.L. Zhou
D.B. Bennion
D.W. Bennion
Hycal Energy ResearchLaboratoriesLtd
ABSTRACT
2.
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Interfacial tensioneffects
Viscosity ratio
The healing of fractures with its concomitant effect on
absoluJe permeability
dewpoint, the liquid will drop out and begin to collect in the
nearwellbore region. In so doing, producedhydrocarbonswill
containlessliquid than they shouldand thereforethe GOR will
be high. Thus,when oneasksthe question,"At what producing
rate should a well be sampled?",the only way that one can
adequatelyrespondis if one alreadyknows the characterof the
fluid and the dynamics of the production well. Since this
informationis not available,samplinggascondensate
reservoirs
in an optimal mannercan sometimesbe non-linearand include
sometrial and error.
How does it influence the overall characterizationif
one is producing in other than the optimal zone of the
production scenario? Figure 2 shows a typical response
obtainedwhen recombiningseparatorgasand liquid from a gas
condensatewell. In this case,the asteriskcorrespondsto the
separatorGOR which was observedin the field during the
sampling. As is often the case,the relationship in Figure 1
was not scopedduring sampling, and thereforeFigure 2 may
correspondto producing the well in the region to the right of
the vertical line in Figure 1. Figure 2 indicates that the
saturationpressureis higher than the reservoir pressureand
thereforesomethingis wrong. For systemslike this wherethe
deviation between the observed saturation pressureof the
recombinationandthe reservoirpressureis lessthan or equalto
1000 psi, one can normally trust that a manipulation of the
GOR will result in satisfying the necessarycondition for the
recombination. The necessarycondition is that the saturation
pressureof the recombinedsamplemust be equalto or lessthan
the reservoirpressureat reservoirtemperature. By decreasing
the GOR by adding additional separator liquid, one will
suppressthe dewpoint down to a level which meets the
reservoirpressurecriteria. Should the real dewpoint pressure
be lower than the reservoirpressure,one really hasno way of
knowing that unlessthe owner was preparedto return to the
field and measurethe GOR dependencyon the flow rate of the
system. One may also observesituationswhere,by increasing
the GOR slightly, the saturationpressuremay convergequickly
to the reservoirpressure. This is an option but, in light of the
fact that the gasphaseis more mobile thanthe liquid phase,this
is usually not the procedurewhich is followed.
Nevertheless, with the response as in Figure 2, the
modified GOR results in a saturation pressure equal to the
reservoir pressure and the recombined fluid properties can then
be measured including such things as overall composition,
constant composition expansion data as well as constant volume
depletion properties.
Figure 2 provides the best case scenario in terms of the
credence which can lend to the resulting recombination. The
modified GOR fluid still possessesall of the characteristics
which are consiStent with expectation with a slight modification
Secondly,asoneseessomeliquid phasecontamination
which requires a distinct drop in the GOR for the
recombination, one will often see a response where the
behaviour will change from a dewpoint to a bubblepoint.
Therefore,the implications of this decreasein GOR are very
serious.
Moreover, the approach to be taken for the
exploitation of such a reservoirmay also becomeobscuredin
that, ratherthan being a gascondensatesystem,it may become
a light oil system,therebybringing otherquestionsinto the fray
such as, "Would this be a better candidatefor a gas injection
process or waterflooding instead of primary depletion or
possibly a gascycling project?".
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SIMULATION APPLICATIONS
The ability to producerepresentative
experimentaldata
is inherentlyimportant. Nevertheless,this importancewould be
diminishedsignificantly if there was no ability to couplethese
datainto making forecastestimatesfor gascondensate
reservoir
performance.The constantvolume depletiondataarenormally
readily importedinto a simulationmodel. The ability, however,
to couple the fluid phase behaviour with the fluid flow
characteristics is more challenging from a simulation
perspectiveand one must be very awareof someof the factors
which needto be presentin a simulator. A quick review of
theseparameters,as mentionedearlier, are:
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to express appreciation to the
personnelat Hycal EnergyResearchLaboratoriesLtd. for their
time and effort in producing the experimentalresults for this
paper.
REFERENCES
2.
3,
Moses, P.L.:
"Engineering Applications of Phase
Behaviour of Crude Oil and CondensateSystems",JPT
(July 1986)pp. 715-723.
s,
CONCLUSIONS
Characterizationof the gas condensateis often a very
challengingendeavour.Many times the separatorGOR's
will be too high dependingupon whetherthe well is being
producedat too high or too Iowa flow rate.
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