Title | Improving Productivity of Hydraulically Fractured Gas Condensate Wells by Chemical Treatment |
Publication Type | Conference Paper |
Year of Publication | 2008 |
Authors | Bang, V., C. Yuan, G. A. Pope, M. M. Sharma, JI. R. Baran, Jr., J. D. Skildum, and H. C. Linnemeyer |
Conference Name | Offshore Technology Conference |
Date Published | 05/2008 |
Publisher | Offshore Technology Conference |
Conference Location | Houston, Texas, U.S.A., May 5-8, 2008 |
ISBN Number | 978-1-55563-224-3 |
Other Numbers | OTC 19599-MS |
Keywords | Chemical Well Stimulation: Solvents and Surfactants, Condensate Banking / Productivity of Gas Condensate Wells, Hydraulic Fracturing |
Abstract | Most gas condensate wells, including hydraulically fractured wells, are operated at pressures below the dew point pressure of the reservoir causing condensate to drop out and accumulate near the wellbore, thus blocking the gas production. Even for very lean gas condensate fluids, once the bottom hole flowing pressure falls below the dew point pressure, the condensate bank forms in a matter of months and leads to a rapid decline in production from these wells. In hydraulically fractured gas condensate wells, condensate can build up to very high saturations in and around the fracture which significantly reduces the productivity of these wells. Two-phase gas condensate flow measurements have been conducted under reservoir conditions in a propped fracture to study the damage caused by condensate blocking in fractures. An in situ chemical treatment has been developed to reduce the damage caused by liquid blocking of hydraulically fractured wells by altering the wettability of the proppants to neutral wet, thus reducing the residual liquid saturations and increasing gas relative permeability. A fluorinated surfactant in a glycol-alcohol solvent mixture was found to improve the gas and condensate relative permeabilities measured on propped fractures by a factor of about 2 under reservoir conditions. |
DOI | 10.4043/19599-MS |