Study Models Onset of Liquid Loading in Large-Diameter Deviated Gas Wells

Abstract

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 196130, “Experimental Investigation and Modeling of Onset of Liquid Accumulation in Large-Diameter Deviated Gas Wells,” by Ayush Rastogi and Yilin Fan, SPE, Colorado School of Mines, prepared for the 2019 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Calgary, 30 September-2 October. The paper has not been peer reviewed. Multiple challenges related to liquid loading have been observed during flowback after hydraulic fracturing and during the production phase. These challenges are further aggravated by high-inclination angles found in deviated wellbores. The complete paper describes an experimental study performed to investigate the onset of liquid loading in a 6-in. production casing at various inclination angles. A unified mechanism model for the onset of liquid loading is developed for a large-diameter production casing.