11/25/2014

Gas Recycling
in Gas
Condensate
Reservoirs
What?
Why?
How?
1

Submitted by
Ahmed

Farag Rizk.
Mohamed Ata Farahat.
Ali Yahya Gergis.
Semak Zaghlol.
Mokhtar Ahmed Husieen.
Mohamed Fathy Salem.
Tarek Ali.

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Agenda
Five

Reservoir Fluids.
Retrograde Gas.
Reservoir Regions.
Condensate Problem.
Method of Implementation.
Process Efficiency.
Advantages and Disadvantages.
Economics.
Case Study.

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Five Reservoir Fluids

Reservoir
Fluids

black oil

Volatile oil

Gas
Condensate

Black Oil Volatile

Oil

Initial
<1,750
Producin
g GLR
(scf/STB)

1,7503,200

Wet Gas

Dry Gas

Retrogra
de Gas

Wet Gas

Dry Gas

>3,200

>15,000

100,000

Five Reservoir Fluids

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Retrograde Phenomena

The formation of liquid hydrocarbons in a gas

reservoir as the pressure in the reservoir
decreases below dewpoint pressure during
production.

It is called retrograde because some of the

gas condenses into a liquid under isothermal
conditions instead of expanding or vaporizing
when pressure is decreased

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Retrograde gascondensate

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Retrograde gascondensate

Gas Condensate reservoir

Near Critical

Lean gas
condensate

Rich gas
condensate

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Nearcritical Gascondensate
Reservoir

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Lean Gas Condensate & Rich

Gas Condensate

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Liquid Dropout %

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Reservoir Regions

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Reservoir Regions
Region

I - Near Wellbore

Close to the wellbore with high condensate

saturation.

Both gas and condensate are flowing

simultaneously.

Region I exists only when bottomhole flowing

pressure is less than P*(pressure at which
condensate saturation is equal to the critical
saturation).

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Reservoir Regions
Region

2condensate build up

Where condensate is dropping out of the gas phase.

Exists when the reservoir pressure declines below the

dew point pressure.

The liquid drop out begins as the dew point is

approached. However, it is not mobile since the
condensate saturation is less than Sc.

Therefore, in this region only gas phase is mobile

whereas condensate is immobile.

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Reservoir Regions
Region

III Single Gas Phase

Region in the reservoir which contains only the

original reservoir gas.

This is the farthest region in the reservoir .

reservoir pressure is greater than dew point pressure.

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Gas Condensate Reservoir

Problems
Condensate

Blockage.

Gas

permeability reduction.

Loss

of Condensate.

Liquid

loading problems

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Possible Solutions

Reduce pressure drawdown.

Maintain pressure above dewpoint by gas

cyclic or injection.

Hydraulic fracture.

Horizontal wells.

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Why Gas Re-injection

Solution

Disadvantage

Reducing D.D.

Deal with the well not the

reservoir.

Gas cyclic

Short term benefit

Hyd. Frac.

Increase permeability till

condensate accumulation
happen.

Horizontal wells

High cost

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Why Gas Re-injection?

Maintain reservoir pressure.

Long-term benefit.

The injected gas will be produced later.

Condensate will not be lost inside the

reservoir.

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Gas Recycling
Target:

Maximum recovery of the valuable condensate

Definition:

The process of keeping the reservoir pressure above the

dew point pressure to minimize or eliminate the
formation of condensate at the reservoir conditions .

Statistics:

The condensate recovery factor by depletion ranges

between 2040%.
This recovery factor can be increased with cycling to
between 6075%.

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Gas Recycling
Data required:
Geologic data.
Rock and fluid properties.
Reservoir pressure history.
Condensate, gas, and water production
data, from the date of discovery.
(5) Proposed future production rates.
(6) Gas- and/or water-injection data, past and
future.
(7) Productivity, injectivity & Backpressure test
data on wells.

(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)

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Implementation Method

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Injection Pattern

Developed field: In which gas recycling starts after

long period of natural depletion

Undeveloped field: By model study well

arrangements are then selected.

Injection fluid with the maximum possible contact

with the crude oil system.

Well pattern selection depend mainly on the

comparison of which is economically practical and
which is theoretically efficient.

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Injection Pattern

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Injected Gas
Type:

HC.
N2.
CO2.

Source:

Closed system.
Open system.
Semi-closed system.

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Handling of Production
Main

Equipment

Separator , Compressor & fractionation equipment.

Desulphurization:

Reagents used: Sodium carbonate solution (regeneration

by air current).Sodium phenolate (regeneration by
heating),Amines (regeneration by heating).

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Handling of Production

Dehydration:

Various desiccants are used, both solids (silica gel,

activated aluminum, calcium sulphate, anhydrite,
fluorite, etc.) and liquids (glycols). There is practically no
economic method for the removal of oxygen from gas.

Filtration:

Injection gas must be free from solid or liquid particles.

Scrubbers and filters are thus installed in the system so
as to remove all particles larger than a few microns.

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Reservoir cycling efficiency

=
EA Area enclosed by injected gas divided
by total reservoir area.
EV Pore space invaded by injected gas
divided by total thickness.
ED Volume of wet HC swept out of
individual pores divided by same pores at
the beginning of cycling.

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Factors Affecting Efficiency

Mobility ratio:
The viscosity of lighter dry gas is less than that
of wet gas.

=

M should be 1
Gravity

difference:

Gravity difference may accelerate the early

breakthrough of dry gas

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Factors Affecting Efficiency

Formation

volume

factor:
The FVF of the dry gas
is greater than for the
wet.
There is a volume
difference.

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Factors Affecting Efficiency

Vertical

Case 1

Permeability:

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Factors Affecting Efficiency

Vertical

Case 2

Permeability:

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Factors Affecting Efficiency

Type

of injected gas:

Effect of different injection gases on condensate saturation

reduction during the production period.

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Advantages

Available techniques that used for that method.

Availability of different types of gases.

Maintain pressure of reservoir.

Increase amount of condensate recovery.

Increase gas permeability.

Deviated or crooked holes can be injected by gas.

Easy maintenance for surface equipment.

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Disadvantages

large amount of gas is required.

Huge compressor is required to inject gas.

Complex process to isolate gas and its impurities.

Condensate liquid builds up near wellbore causing

a reduction in gas permeability and gas
productivity.

Impurities with gas ( H2S & Co2 ) can cause

corrosion.

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Economics
Profit

= revenue cost

Present

day value (PDV)

Expectations

of condensate and gas

Condensate

demand.

prices.

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Economics
cost
capital
compressors

operating

Additional
separation units

gas
Additional
pipelines

New
wells

Power
consumption

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Economics
Revenue

Normal
recovery

Additional
gas

Additional
condensate

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Economics
Additional

recovery determination must

be so accurate.

Well

pattern selection depend mainly on

the comparison of which is economically
practical and which is theoretically
efficient.

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Economics

Suggested procedure in developing a cycling

project:

1.

Determine the reserve and the expected

recovery.

2.

Determine the expected additional recovery.

3.

Draw up a development plan.

4.

Determine the required surface facilities.

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Economics
5.
a)
b)
c)
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.

Economic analysis:

Taxes.
Markets.
Economics of size and design of total
physical plants:
Costs of total physical plants per unit of
capacity.
Costs of operations per unit of capacity.
Costs of taxes.
Revenue from markets.
Estimates of intangible risk factors.

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Case Study

The North Sea Gas-Condensate System

The gas has dew point pressure of 6,750 psi at 280 F
and contains 73.19 mol% methane and 8.21 mol%
C7+.
The maximum liquid dropout of 21 .6% occurs at 3100
psi.

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Case Study

several injection gases including Methane, Nitrogen,

Carbon Dioxide, and various combinations of theses
gases were injected at 3100 psi.
The liquid dropout at this pressure is 26%.

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Case Study

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Case Study

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Case Study

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Case Study

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Case Study
Conclusions
The study shows that the gas injection process is a
viable option for reducing the liquid blockage in the
near wellbore region.

Results of the study indicate that all the injection

gases used in this investigation can actually increase
the liquid blockage when they are injected with
insufficient volume.

The gas injection process is particularly effective

when initiated before the maximum liquid dropout is
reached.

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Reference

Understanding gas condensate reservoirs.

Petsoc-77-01-06,recovery of retrograde
condensed liquids by revaporization during
dry gas injection.
Spe-1813-pa,equilibrium revaporization of
retrograde gas condensate by dry gas
injection.
Spe-68170-ms,investigation of revaporization
of retrograde condensate.
Api-41-221,practical economics of cycling.

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