Professional Documents
Culture Documents
flow than for gas-lift wlth the same total gas-l~quid ciding what short-cuts and approximations are local-
ratios, because for natural flow more of the g a s ly practicable.
would be in solution, and the ratios are small enough The liquld inflow performance of a well at any
that the g a s in solution could be an appreciable part stage in i t s decline may be defined by ~ t static s
01 the total available. I n any c a s e , i t may only be pressure (in pounds per square inch) and maxirnunl
sald that no fimi differences between gas-lift and inflow rate when the increment of inflow per unit of
two-phase natural flow have been observed; and the pressure or productivity index (PI, measured in bar-
results here presented involving foam flow are de- r e l s per day per pound per square inch) i s a con-
rived from flowing-well data and would therefore tend stant. The gas-liquid ratio (GLR measured in thou-
to represent foam-flow g a s requirements conserva- sand cublc feet per barrel)may be, for practical p u r
tively. poses, constant. Under such simple conditions the
The present purposes are to explain flowing and inflow perforn~ancecan be depicted a s shown in Fig.
gas-lift well performance i n the light of what is now 1. Individual-well inflow-performance trends may be
known of vertical flow, and to provide procedures depicted a s shown in Fig. 2. T h i s latter type of
and empirical correlations which have been usefully graph i s useful in predicting both the timing and
applied over a period of years i n solution of prac- character of lifting changes needed to mantain pro-
tical problems. It i s believed that the p a p h i c a l pro- duction and implement the local reservoir policy.
cedures suggested are ~ l d e l yadaptable. I'he gra- The relation between the midpoint pressure and the
dient data, however, should be used with care and liquld inflow rate (inflow performance relationship,
or IPH, a s mentioned later) i s not always a straight
are oflered in the hope that they may encourage de-
line a s shown in Fig. 1, but may be concave to the
velopment of more specific data in forms readily
origin a s shown in Fig. 3. Even l f this curvature i s
adaptable to field use.
marked, it is posslble by study of a group of such
A PRIhlARY DISTINCTION curves from a given field tp develop a locally appli-
T o develop an understanding of the behavior of cable nrethod of predicting the IPH from the well's
flowing and gas-lift wells, l t is essential first to static pressure and a single drawdown deterniina-
recognize that there i s one s e t of conditions affecting tion.
f l o ~of gas-liquid mixtures into a bore hole, an en- Gas-liquid ratio control i s a principal factor i n
tirely different s e t of conditions affecting flow of development of reservoir policy. Hatios in practice
mixtures from the bottom to the top of the well, and are affected by cumulated withdrawals; and, at any
a third s e t affecting flow through beans at the s u r - one stage of withdrawal, they are altected by pro-
face. We may designate the first a s "inflow perform- duction rates, a s has been pointed out by H. J.
ance, 1 9 the second a s "vert~cal-lift perforn~ance," S u l l i ~ a n . Generally,
~ of all factors bearing upon
and the third a s "bean performance." future well performance, the gas-liquid ratio is the
Inflow Perfornlance least predictable.
Knowledge of individual well inflow performance
i s a basic necessity in equipping and operating 011
wells for n~aximumprofit under any s e t of imposed Lu
Y
conditions. i? 5 2000
@ GROSSLIOUID IPR
Fig. 2-Graph of Individual-well Inflow-performance
Trends DETERMINATIONS
n o d s of flow, a two- or three-week shutdown can depth-pressure gradient for each s i z e of pipe, each
cause from 20 to 40 percent permanent reduction of rate of liquid flow, and each gas-liquid ratio.*
the inflow capacity of a well tapping a depletion- Depth-Pressure G r a d ~ e n t s
type reservoir even if the water cut i s no greater The depth-pressure gradient i s the basic unit of
than 5 percent. Thus, differential depletion i s a fac- two-phase vertical flow, and solution of individual
tor requiring close consideration in many fields if well problems i s largely a matter of having avail-
the operator's equity in operating wells i s to be pro- able a representative family of gradient curves cov-
tected. ering suitable ranges of tubing s i z e s , rates of liquid
Generally, the rate of liquid inflow increases a s flow, and gas-liquid ratios.
the operating pressure in a well i s reduced, and the h e are not concerned here with any detailed anal-
absolute maximum'liquid inflow would result if zero y s e s of the physical phenomena which cause the
absolute pressure could be maintained at the bot- pressure gradients observed or derived from practi-
tom of the well. T h i s condition, of course, cannot cal field information. However, it is of interest to
be attained, and l e a s t of all in a flowing well, be- know that a single gradient curve represents a se-
cause a pressure drop in the tubing from the bottom quence of different types of flow. I hus, starting a t
to the top of the well is necessary to sustain verti- the upper end of a gradient like that for 200 bbl per
:a1 flow. A large pressure at the bottom of a well day in 2.875-111. tubing w ~ t h1.0 Mcf per bbl gas-
facilitates vertical outflow but discourages lateral liquid ratio, a s shown at A in Fig. 5, mist flow will
inflow. In this sense, the pressure requirements for predominate a t the lowest pressures, modified pro-
inflow and those for vertical lift are opposed to one gressively by an upwardly moving oil film which
another, and, in particular c a s e s , when an effective clings to the inside surface of the pipe and increases
compromise can no longer be made by adjustment of in thickness with depth. T h i s film, combined with
controllable factors, flow must cease. For any steady mist flow in the center of the pipe, has been de-
flowing condition, the sum of 1 , the effective pres- scribed a s annular flow. A s relative depths Increase,
sure dfop from the drainage radius to the bore, 2, the film becomes s o thick and wavy that it occa-
the pressure drop i n the vertical column, and 3, the sionally bridges across the section, resulting In
pressure drop across tbe bean (or orifice) at the sur- slug f l o ~ .At still greater depths, slug flow merges
face is substantially equal to the difference between . into foam flow, and this finally merges into single-
the well's static pressure and the flow-line pressure. phase flow a t the pressure beyond which all of the
Vertical-lift Performance gas is in solution.
All we need know about two-phase vertical flow Fig. 5 illustrates the use of a gradient curve in
i s how much pressure i s required to lift the well determining the tubing pressure from the intake pres-
liquid a t a given rate from a given depth with a giv- sure, or the intake pressure from the tubing pressure,
e n gas-liquid ratio through tubing of a given size. for a given production rate and ratio for a well of any
T h i s problem i s more complicated than the problem depth. For instance, as shown a t t) in Fig. 5, 5,000-
of single-phase flow in surface pipelines because ft wells with 2.875-in. tubing producing 200 bbl per
we are dealing w ~ t hthe flow of a gas-liquid mixture, day with 1.0 Mcf per bbl will have an intake pressure
and because the input pressure must be sufficient of about 440 psi if the tubing pressure at the surface
is one atmosphere (zero gage and, a s
not only to overcome flow resistance in the pipe and
the bean a t tbe surface, but must in addition be suf- shown a t C, they will have an intake pressure of
ficient to support the total weight of the compress- about 1,750 psi if the tubing pressure i s 800 psi.
ible mixture in the pipe. In single-phase horizontal Similarly, as shown a t D in Fig. 5, an 8,000-ft well
flow, the total pressure drop for a given flow rate for the same conditions having an intake pressure of
can be represented a s so. many pounds per square *Grad~entspresumably are a l s o affected by many other factors
inch per thousand feet of length. No such conven- lncludlng 11qu1d surface tenslon, v ~ s c o s ~ tand y gravlty, flow-
ient can be used for vertical two-phase lng temperatures, g a s gravlty, and gas-l~quids o l u b ~ l ~ t ~How-
es.
ever, there 1s a reasonably c l o s e correspondence between re-
flow because the pressure drop per unit of length i s sults whlch have been obta~nedIn the 11ght-011 (25 t o 40 API)
not constant, but increases with depth. For this fields of Long Beach, Santa F e . Domlnguez, Ventura, Canal,
and T e n S e c t ~ o n ,and several forelgn fields, vv~thoutad~ustlng
reason, in proceeding to systematize field informa-
for such factors. Also, d has not been found necessary to cor-
tion on vertical flow for pressures l e s s than the rect grad~entsfor water cuts. However, the grad~entsare In-
bubble-point pressure, we find there i s a different adequate to predlct the effects of emulsions.
130 W. E. GILBERT
I
0
1 2 3
GAS I LIOUID RATIO IN M C F 1 B - 4 5
LlOUlD PRODUCTION IN B I D ----a
Fig. 6-The Two-phase Vertical-lift Function for 2.875-in. Tubing Set at 8,000 F t
(Tubing Pressure = Zero P S I Gage)
132 W. E. GILBERT
form.
F i g . 7-comparison of T u b i n g S i z e s for V e r t i c a l - l i f t
c. Now, I £ pumplng of the same mixture were main-
tained a t 400 bbl per day, because the l ~ q u l d from 5,000 F t w i t h Z e r o T u b i n g Pressure
alone would fill the pipe in l e s s than 45 min, depth wlth an educter of any s l z e or type and any
(2,000 x 1,440 400 x 172.7 = 41.7+), there given outlet pressure.
would be very llttle tlme for slippage of g a s l h e relative effects of the difierent tubing s l z e s
through the oil and the 480 hlcf per day of g a s are indicated In Fig. 7 (which was constructed from
(400 x 1.2 = 480) accompanying the oil would the gradlent curves of Fig. 23-28,30-33). In general,
soon produce an oil mlst around the top of the the smaller tubing s u e s offer the advantage of lower
pipe, the gas-oil volun~eratio at that point belng Intake pressures at comparatively low rates of flow,
about 213 volun~esper volume (480,000/400 x and therefore tend to prolong the flowing l ~ f eof low
5.614). The input pressure would be about 150 gas-l~quidratio wells. The smaller s i z e s , however,
psi. limit rates of Bow, especially for the higher gas-
d. Last, with an i n j e c t ~ o nrate of 4,000 bbl per liquid ratios.
day, slippage would be obviated by extreme tur- Annular flow i s not treated here. However, it may
bulence and the input pressure, increased by re- be mentioned that the poorer an annulus i s as a flow
sistance, would be about 230 p s ~ . section for slngle-phase flow, the more effective it
Similarly, if we hold the liquid rate constant and will be for two-phase flow In minimlzlng gas s l ~ p p a ~ e
increase the gas-llquid ratlo, the intake pressure and in improving g a s utilization in the slippage
decreases, from a starting point with zero g a s when range a s compared with a circular flow string of equal
the pressure 1s the sum of the l l q u ~ dwelght and the s e c t l o n d area.
l i q u ~ dflow r e s ~ s t a n c e ,to a mlnlmum, and then in-
creases steadily for greater ratios due to increasing Two-phase Bean Performance
resistance accon~panyinghigher fluid v e l o c i t ~ e s . "Bean" i s the 011-country term for the orifice used
'1 he observations sun~marizedin Par. 1 and 2 ap- on the tublng outlet to control the production rate
ply In general to two-phase v e r t ~ c a lflow from any of a flowlng well. Product~onmen are accustomed to
FLOWING AND G A S L I F T WELL P E R F O R M A N C E
eaamAL W U DATA
Fig. 11-Diagram illustrating Equilibrium Conditions
S I A K FUESlR€ # PSI = ZYI)
nu INROW RATE IN BID = YX) a t the Well Head
W l W U D RATK) IN M C F I B B L = 2
UOUDWGT INPSIPER 100 Fl = 3 8
(For same w e l l as shown I n Fig. 10)
ratlo. Both the tubing- outlet curve C and the bean
curve 13 change with each change in the gas-liquid
ratio after the manner shown a t B in F'ig. 12, but for
each ratio there IS a stable equil~briumpoint.
The relationship between bean s i z e and produc-
tion rates i s of the type shown at A in Fig. 12. Two
similar curves derived from wells where several
bean s i z e s were used over a short period of time
(6 months or l e s s ) are shown In Fig. 13. Neither of
these wells could be expected to maintain steady
flow a t rates of l e s s than 50 bbl per day, although
they both would produce satisfactorily a t h ~ g h e r
rates. The reason for t h i s limitation l i e s in the fact
that the differential pressure, available to increase
product~onwhen the rate of flow temporarily drops
below the stable equilibrium rate, progressively
dlmlnishes a s the bean s i z e i s reduced below the
bean s i z e which provides maximum tubing pressure.
Thus, considering the bean-performance intersec-
tions with the tubing-pressure curve for 1,600 cu ft
per bbl at B In Fig. 12, a ''/,,-in. bean provides
Fig. 10-Diagram of Flowing-well Performance
upon the direction of the initial displacenlent. T h i s Fig. 12-Effect of Gas-liquid Ratio on E q u i l i b r i m
limited explanation assumes a constant gas-liquid Production Rates
FLOWING AND G A S L I F T WELL PERFORMANCE 135
large difl'erential pressures are available to prevent drawal a s shown in Fig. 14, and curves such a s
sustained increases of production rate, but the dif- those shown at B in Fig. 6 are superimposed, an
ferential available to prevent decreases of produc- estiniate can be made of flowing life. A procedure
tion rate becomes s n ~ a l l e ra s the bean s l z e i s re- for this purpose was developed by h. J. hoodward.*
duced. For a 6/,-in. bean, the tubing and bean per- In Fig. 14, prepared by hlr. hoodward, the IPR's
forniance curves nearly coincide and reductions in (shown a s straight lines on the left side of the fig-
rate of flow cannot be prevented. If thls s i z e of bean ure) and the gas-liquid ratio against cumulative
were applied to the well represented, the well would withdrawals (shown a t A in the figure) provide the
"head up and die." Flow rates, below the practical essential well data. A number of curves for the In-
minimum for one tublng- s i z e , can only be maintain- take pressures necessary to sustaln lift with 200
ed by use of smaller tubing, or by flow~ngthe well psi tubing pressure for a s e r i e s of gas-liquid ratios
intermittently for short periods a t relatively high *Shell 011 Company
Headrng Cycle:
1. Because of the bypassing of gas Into the annulus, the llquid level IS slowly belng lowered, annulus o i l
IS belng displaced Into the tub~ng.
2. The w e l l 1s st111 producing at a low rate and the tublng column IS heavy because gas 1s beingdlverted
into annulus and o i l from the annulus is belng dlverted Into the tubing.
3. The welght of the tubing column IS belng reduced because no further gas can be stored In the annulus.
T h ~ sfurther reduces the Intake pressure, and
4. Allows gas from the annulus t o "blow around." For a short tlme the well 1s gas-lifted w ~ t hannulus
gas a t a hlgh rate, and thls reduces the Intake pressure t o ~ t slowest value. The w e l l gas is NOT
belng used t o best advantage.
5. The extra annulus gas has been dissipated and fluid, because of the low Intake pressure, IS flowlng
at a high rate Into both the tublng and the annulus. The tubing column IS becomlng heavler and the out-
flow rate IS d i m i n ~ s h i n ~ .
6. F l u l d IS st111 flowlng Into the well at a faster rate than ~t will flow out of the w e l l w i t h the exlsting In-
take pressure.
7. The rate of outflow IS again In balance wlth the rate of inflow, and bypassing of gas into the annulus
starts repetltlon of the cycle.
Observatrons.
T h l s IS not an efficient type of flow because i t produces a large proportion of the o i l wlth a deficient
supply of gas and a small proportion of the o i l w ~ t han excess supply of gas.
The usual practice of beanlng a well back t o a low rate of flow t o avoid t h ~ stype of surging is not effi-
c ~ e n t ,and In many Instances results in avoidable reduction of Income.
T h l s type of flow IS c h a r a c G r ~ s t ~ofc the latter part of the flowlng l ~ f eof wells i n most areas, but i s also
characterlst~cof many relatively new low g a s - l ~ q u ~ratlo d wells.
Heading actlon of t h l s klnd can be mlnirnlzed by use of tubing-casing packers, but where packers are
not already ~nstalled,use of casing-actuated intermitters may be preferable.
were superimposed over the IPR lines and the well's Heading of the second type (sometimes called
flowing progress was interpolated using the gas- 66
annulus headingw) occurs when I, bubbles of free
liquid ratio data given. Rhen the well's progress g a s at the intake are b ~ genough to escape entrain-
curve becomes tangent to the IPR, flow must cease. ment ~ i t hthe liquid entering the intake, and 2, the
By constructing sinlilar graphs for other tubing s i z e s , gas-liquid ratio i s materially s n ~ a l l e rthan the gas-
it was concluded that this well would flow 120,000 lift optimum for the average producing rate of the
bbl in 415 days with use of 3.5-in. tubing; 135,000 well. Fig. 15 provides diagrams illustrating heading
bbl i n 505 days with 2.875-in. tubing; and 265,000 of this type, and Eig. 16 illustrates the control
bbl in 1,370 days with 2.375-111. tubing. Any serious function of an intermitter in this connection.
errors in tubingsize selection can be avoided by T h i s type of intermitting does produce oil from
applications of this procedure. the well head by "jerks," but it regularizes inflow,
In connection with Howing life, it may be men- and with suitable adjustment, it reduces the range
honed that observed rates of decline during natural of velocities through the liner screen a s compared
flow are usually unreliable a s indices of the decline with unregulated heading. A normally closed motor
of well inflow capacities. Consequently, misappli- valve is preferable for operating a well at a low p e r
cations can result from assuming that flowing de- centage of i t s full flowing capacity and a normally
cline i s representative of the decline to be expected open valve should be used for n~axin~um-rate oper-
on mechanical Ilft. T h e reason for this l i e s in the ation.
fact that flowing i s a high-rate lifting method and Casingtubing packers obviate annulus heading
requires greater lifting pressures as rates are re- i f installed at the intake, but do not serve the func-
duced. Examples can easily be drawn from practice. tion of an intermitter in regularizing production a t
Iiowever, in the hypothetical case of Fig. 14, it will rates below the minimum stable-flow rate; and i f not
be seen that the well starts out flowing about 57 p e r installed when the well is completed, the danger of
cent (625~100/1,100) of its initial maximum-rate damaging the well by killing it with mud or water
capacity, and at the end of i t s flowing life, it i s to install a packer may make alternative use of an
only producing about 14 percent (75 x 100/540) of intermitter more attractive. Incidentally, the only
i t s residual maximum-rate capacity. functlon of a packer in this case IS to gulde bubbles
UNSTEADY FLOW into the tubing, which fact may suggest new forms
A working knowledge of unsteady flow i s a nec- which are equally eflective and still permlt ready
essary tool in maintaining desired production rates means of circulating- to kill the well, if necessary,
and in avoiding unnecessary stoppages, particularly without moving the tubing.
in the latter s t a g e s of flowing life.
There are two principal sources of unsteady flow: CASING AND TUBING PRESSURES
1, segregation of free g a s from liquid in the rising hhen g a s bubbles are large enough to escape en-
fluid column, and 2, segregation of free g a s from trainment with liquid entering the tubing, the annu-
liquid at the tubing intake. lus fills with gas and the casing pressure becomes
Fornlatlon heading, which is evident in L a P a z a sensitive indicator of flowing performance. An em-
F'ield, Venezuela, n ~ a ybe excluded from usual con- pirical formula for estimating intake pressures from
sideration inasmuch a s it cannot occur unless the casing pressures i s given in Fig. 17. Bubble s i z e s a t
well i s tapping a fissured or cavernous reservoir. the intake, of course, cannot be measured directly.
Heading of the first type i s observable even in However, an engineer armed with simultaneous meas-
settled pumping wells operating wlth low-liquid urements of casing and intake pressures can easily
volumetric-pump efficiencies and i s a relatively un- determine whether or not the casingpressures of the
important phenomenon. It causes relatively small, wells in llis area are useful in estimating intake pres-
and often irregular, pressure changes of short cy- sures. Gas g a d i e n t s are most likely to exist when
clical duration and has little effect on the continu- gas-liquid ratios are on the high side and productivi-
ity of production except in very weak flowing wells. t i e s are small. Two-phase g a d i e n t s are helpful in
It may accentuate unsteadiness of the second type. this connection, but are often l e s s accurate than
Also, its presence makes tubing pressures inferior casing-pressure data because they depend upon gas-
to casing pressures both a s indices of operation, liquid ratios which are l e s s reliable than pressure
and a s means of flow control. measurements.
FLOWING AND GAS-LIFT WELL P E R F O R M A N C E 139
p$-
pressure, it i s only necessary to plot the intake
pressure for each of a s e r i e s of rates. In each c a s e ,
TOTAL G L R
start on the optimum gradient (the one gradient in
each g a p h marked with an arrow in Fig. 23-28, 30-
33J at the given tubing pressure, measure down from
this point the depth of the well, and read the Intake
pressure. A s shown in E'lg. 19, the resulting curve,
A, outlines the highest-rate g a s lift possible w ~ t h
PERFORMANCE RATE WITH
FROM 5000 FT
2 875' the given tubing s i z e , tubing pressure, and depth;
I
WlTH 50 PSI
TUBING PRESSURE (ii) \I and the intersect~onof this curve w ~ t hthe IPH gives
the h ~ g h e s trate and lowest intake pressure attain-
able under the given c o n d i t ~ o n sin the particular
well. By plotting the gas-liquid ratio for each gra-
PRODUCTION IN B ID dient, an estimate, B, of the required total gas-liquid
ratlo i s obtained from which the well's gas-liqu~d
Fig. 19-Illustration of the Procedure Used for
Maximum-rate Gas-lift Estimates
Gas 11ft i s primarily a h~gh-ratemethod and can
be a final-lift method in wells tapping strong water-
d r ~ v e reservoirs, as illustrated by experience in
some Louisiana fields. It can have useful applica-
tions when allotted rates are n~ateriallysmaller than
inflow capacities. Use of g a s a s a means of liquid
11ft 1s always attended by. impos~tion
- of some back
pressure against the formation, even when packers
are used, and even when standing valves and con-
centric or eccentric induction tubes are used. but i t
PRESSURE H PS I GLR IN M C F l B
must also be observed that formation back pressures Ya 7- 1- 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
stands in need of a ready means oi estimating horse- he oil industry IS accustomed to thinking of con-
power requirements. P o s s ~ b al ~formula of the type servation in terms of barrels of liquids or material
given In Fig. 22 can be adapted to this purpose. recovered, yet often fails to realize that the conser-
Although n~anufacturersmay regard this suggestion vation of energy i s equally important. 1he conserva-
a s an over-simplification, they also may be Inclined tion of energy leads to a conservation of petroleum
to agree that some simplificat~onwould serve to pro- and increased recovery. 1herefore, the conservation
mote conlpressor s a l e s for gas lift In competition of nature's energy in producing oil becomes as im-
~ i t hother lifting means. 1he temperature of power portant a s any other phase of conservation or eco-
gas, because of ~ t low s specific heat, i s usually nomies.
controlled by well temperatures at points of appli- - ~
I h e author briefly mentions the use of the "in-
cation, and usually the gas-rate requ~rementi s esti- flow performance relationship," or IPH, which cor-
mated at standard conditions. responds to the well-knonn "productivity index"
or PI. In actual practice, the mass rate of inflow of
CONCLUSION
each phase i s usually replaced by the PI. Th'1s 1s
1he material presented here is ofleredas an i n t e r a good approximat~onwhere the water cut is not
in) report on a phase of production operations de-
large ( l e s s than 25 percent) or the gas-oil ratio i s
serving uider attention than i t has been accorded in
not excessive. What constitutes an excessive ratio
the past. It i s desired to thank the Shell Oil Com-
for calculations in which P I i s substituted depends
pany for making the presentation possible, and par-
upon temperature, pressure, and fluid characteris-
ticularly since this outline was con~pletedduring
tics. Certainly, P I i s meaningless for calculations
the w r ~ t e r ' sstay in their California area.
involving retrograde condensate wells which make
REFERENCES significant volumes of water.
'Versluys, J. klathematlcal Development of the Theory Cne question which occurred to nle is: Ahat effect
of Flowing b e l l s , Trans Am. Znst. Mtntng Met Engrs. has viscosity on the relationships developed7 It i s
(Petroleum Developnlent and Technology) 192 (1930). realized the Ten S e c t ~ o nField crude has low vis-
kloore, T . V. and Wllde, H. D: Experimental Measure-
ments of Shppage In Flow through Vertical P l p e s , Trans cosity, in the range of 0.5 to 5 centlpolses within
Anr. Znst Mrntng Met Engrs. (Petroleum Development the flow string, depending upon temperature and
and Technology) 296 (193 1). composition. I should like to ask the author ~f he
Kemler, Emory, and Poole, G. A. A Prellmlnary Inves-
tlgatlon of Flowlng PJells,Dnllrng and Productton Prac- has any data showing the effect of viscosity on the
trce, 140 (1936). charts prepared. \hat effect does viscosity have on
May, C. J and Laird, A. The Efficiency of Flowlng the equation for the bean s i ~ e - p r e s s u r e ;elation?
h e l l s , J . Znst. P e t Tech., 20, 214 (1934).
k a y , C. J Efficiency of F'lowlng 'Aells, Trans Am Znst hould the rapid change of slope in the viscosity-
Mrnrng Met Engrs (Petroleun~Developnlent and Tech- pressure curve at lower pressures explain the sen-
nology) 114, 99 (1935). sitivity of flow volume to changes in bean s i z e at
Poettmann, Fred H. and Carpenter, Paul G. The blulti-
phase Flow of Gas, 011, and Uater through Vertlcal Flow
these pressures? Perhaps the onussion of a vis-
S t r ~ n g swlth Appllcatlon t o the Deslgn of Gas-lift In- cosity function in the bean sue-pressure equation
stallatlons,Drtllrng and Productton Practrce, 257 (1952). would explain the author's point that the equation
'Shaw, S. F Gas-lrft Prrncrples and Practrces, Gulf
cannot be used at pressures l e s s than 70 percent
Publishing Company, Houston, T e x a s , 1939.
'Babson, E. C T h e Range of Appllcatlon of Gas-llft greater than l ~ n epressures. It w ~ l lbe r e c o g n i ~ e d
Methods, Drtllrnk and Productron Practrce, 266 (1939). that this i s the pressure range where bean s i ~ ies
Sullivan, R. J. Gas-011 Ratlo Control In Flowing R'ells,
Drrlltnh and Productron Practtce, 103 (1937).
most critical-a slight error often results in killing
the well.
DISCUSSION .
l'he author s t a t e s ". . rates of decline during
'A. C. Sheldon ( 1 he Ohio Oil Company,
. . L o s Ange-
- natural flow are usually unreliable a s indices of the
les)(written): 1 he author has a very useful decline of well inflow capacities." l h i s difTiculty
tool for the solution of problems relative to flow of nlay be overcome by observing the decline in poten-
011, gas, and water in a tubing string. In s o doing, tial or productive capacity with time.
he has assembled many pertinent facts, a s well a s Students of this will agree with the author
helpful graphs. l ' h e s e should prove especially help- that t h ~ si s "a phase of production operations de-
ful to the engineer who i s confronted with the prob- serving wider attention than it has been accorded In
lem of design for a tubing string in a flowing orgas- the past." l h l s paper represents; a pra~seworthy
lift well. cqntribution to the industry.
Rlr. Gilbert: T h e I P R and the P I a r e not equiva- a n d a l s o provide means of calculating p r e s s u r e s
lents. I h e IPR, a s u s e d in t h i s paper, . .
i s t h e re- and volumes of g a s n e c e s s a r y for optimum gas-lift
lationship between intake pressure and liquid Inflow operation.
rate. T h e P I i s the first differential of t h e I P R in T h e author points out that t h e gradient curves
the s p e c i a l c a s e when t h e latter is a straight line, should b e u s e d with care. T h e s e a r e apparently t h e
or i s s o nearly straight t h a t i t s curvature may b e r e s u l t of t h e correlation of d a t a from many t e s t s In
ignored. flowing and gas-lift w e l l s modified and extended with
Very roughly, depth-pressure gradients some 15 information of other authors. k h e t h e r they a r e com-
percent heavier than t h o s e In t h e paper were found pletely reliable or not, they certainly provide a p i d e
n e c e s s a r y for gas-011 r a t i o s up t o 1 Mcf per bbl in as t o t h e magnitude of p r e s s u r e s and volumes of
one field; but in t h i s c a s e the oil v i s c o s i t y i s a t g a s required t o lift oil. T h e y further provide a con-
l e a s t 1 0 0 times greater than that of T e n Section venient pattern t o a n operator or engineer for ac-
crude. I t i s believed that v i s c o s i t y e f f e c t s on flow cumulating and presenting the r e s u l t s of h i s own
through b e a n s will prove very minor b e c a u s e of t h e well t e s t s .
e x i s t e n c e of i n t e n s e turbulence. T h e r e i s a well- I have s e v e r a l q u e s t i o n s t h a t I should like t o a s k
known formula, available in a n y standard summary Mr. Gilbert.
of flow of g a s e s through nozzles, which may b e
shown a s follows: 1. In F i g . 2-Individual Well Inflow Performance
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GRADIENT PRESSURE I N P S I
PRODUCTION IN BID