Improving Productivity of Hydraulically Fractured Gas Condensate Wells by Chemical Treatment

TitleImproving Productivity of Hydraulically Fractured Gas Condensate Wells by Chemical Treatment
Publication TypeConference Paper
Year of Publication2008
AuthorsBang, V., C. Yuan, G. A. Pope, M. M. Sharma, JI. R. Baran, Jr., J. D. Skildum, and H. C. Linnemeyer
Conference NameOffshore Technology Conference
Date Published05/2008
PublisherOffshore Technology Conference
Conference LocationHouston, Texas, U.S.A., May 5-8, 2008
ISBN Number978-1-55563-224-3
Other NumbersOTC 19599-MS
KeywordsChemical 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.

DOI10.4043/19599-MS