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wells production problems

Oil and gas wells
 2 INTRODUCTION
Petroleum engineering work for sustaining and enhancing oil and gas production
rates starts from identifying problems that cause low production rates of wells, quick
decline of the desirable production fluid, or rapid increase in the undesirable fluids.
For oil and gas wells, these problems include:
For oil wells, the problems include: For gas wells, the problems include:
 Low productivity  Low productivity
 Excessive gas production  Excessive water production
 Excessive water production  Liquid loading
 Sand production  Sand production
 3 1.0 Oil Well Production Problems
1.1 LOW PRODUCTIVITY
The lower than expected productivity of an oil or gas well is found on the basis of
comparison of the well’s actual production rate and the production rate that is
predicted by Nodal analysis. If the reservoir inflow model used in the Nodal analysis
is correct (which is often questionable), the lower than expected well productivity
can be attributed to one or more of the following reasons:
 Overestimate of reservoir pressure
 Overestimate of reservoir permeability (absolute and relative permeabilities)
 Formation damage (mechanical and pseudo skins)
 Reservoir heterogeneity (faults, stratification, etc.)
 Completion ineffectiveness (limited entry, shallow perforations, low perforation
density, etc.)
 Restrictions in wellbore (paraffin, asphaltane, scale, gas hydrates, sand, etc.)
4 1.2 EXCESSIVE GAS PRODUCTION

Excessive gas production is usually

due to
1. channeling behind the casing.
2. Preferential flow through high-
permeability zones.
3. gas coning .
4. and casing leaks
Excessive gas production of an oil well
could also be due to gas production from
unexpected gas zones (layered reservoir)
5 1.3 EXCESSIVE WATER PRODUCTION

Excessive water production is usually from water zones,

not from the connate water in the pay zone. Water
enters the wellbore due to:
1. channeling behind the casing.
2. preferential flow through high-permeability zones.
3. water coning.
Excessive water production of an oil well could also be
due to hydraulic fracturing into water zones, and
casing leaks.
2.0 Natural Gas Well Production Problems
The ongoing process of producing hydrocarbons
from a well is a dynamic process and this is
often evidenced in terms of changes in the rock
or fluid production characteristics.
Problems are frequently encountered as a results
of many reasons will be discussed.

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7 Associated Production Problems

There are several basic problems which reduce gas flow

from natural gas wells that have a sufficient reservoir
pressure, porosity and permeability in a surrounding sand
formation:
1. Excessive water production
2. Restriction of gas flow through casing perforations
(sand covers perforations). Sand production
3. Liquid loading of production tubing with water or
condensate. Liquid loading
8 2.1 SAND PRODUCTION AND PERFORATION
BLOCKAGE

 When sand moves and covering the casing perforation

(sometimes a sand bridge accumulated and above the
perforation). A greater reduction of gas production will be
observed.
9 2.1.1 Reasons for Sand production and perforation
blockage problem
The sand production or perforation blockage is a problem resulted
from many reasons
 Wellhead chock opening is large.
 Well was shut in for a long time which led to settling of suspended
sand to the bottom.
 The mechanical collapse or breakdown of the formation may give
rise to the production of individual grains or “clumps” of formation
sand with the produced fluids.
 Failure of gravel pack in case of gravel pack completion.
10 2.1.2 Reasons for Sand production and perforation
blockage problem
 In formations containing siliceous or clay fines, these may be produced
with the Hydrocarbons creating plugging in the reservoir and well bore.
Problem investigation and confirmation to confirm if sand is indeed
covering the perforations or not, a weighted wireline is lowered through
the tubing, when the wireline losses tension then the wireline surface
operator realized that the weight has “tagged bottom”.
 This tagged depth is compared to the well completion tally record to
insure if any or all perforations was covered by sand.
 If 20 % to 30% of perforation was covered, then it is a good idea to wash
the well out with a coil tubing unit
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2.1.3 Overcoming the Sand production and
perforation blockage problem
Sand is being controlled with a variety of methods and
techniques at the bottom hole & at the surface.
 At bottom (sand screen annulus), gravel packing systems
are the most common methods used.
 At surface, in well testing, three Schlumberger purpose-built
types of sand removal units are used:
 Dual-pot Sand Filter.
 Sand Separator.
 Cyclonic Desander.
12 2.2 GAS WELL LIQUID LOADING

 “Liquid loading of a gas well is the inability of produced gas to

remove the produced liquids from the wellbore” when the gas
velocity is not sufficient to entrain the liquid out of tubing
(entrainment velocity). The produced liquid will accumulate in the
well, therefore creating a hydrostatic pressure in the well against
formation pressure and reducing production until the well ceases
production
13 2.2.1 Gas well Liquid loading reasons of gas well loading

 There may be an aquifer below the gas zone which may either lead to water coning
 or water encroachment.
 The source of liquids may be another zone or zones, especially if the completion type of the well is open hole.
 The water produced along with gas may be free water present in the formation.
 Depending on the reservoir, bottom hole and tubing head pressures water and/or Hydrocarbon vapor may enter the
well and condense while travelling up the production tubing, coming out of liquid.
14 2.2.2 Factors that influence liquid loading
 Tubing size.
 Surface pressure.
 Amount of liquids being produced with the gas.

2.2.3 Source of liquids

 Water coning.
 Aquifer Water.
 Water produced from another zone.
 Free formation water.
 Water of Condensation.
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2.2.4 Recognition of Liquid Loading

Over life of gas well, liquid production is likely to

increase while gas production will decrease. Led to
accumulation of liquids in wellbore until well dies or
flows erratically at lower rates so early diagnosis can
minimize losses

Unnoticed liquid loading can result in reservoir

damage.
 Memory gages can detect the height of liquid columns.
 Echometer device can detect liquid level in casing.
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2.2.5 Overcoming the Gas well Liquid loading

 Conventional plunger lift systems use well shut-in

pressure buildups to efficiently lift columns of fluid out
of well without venting.
 Shutting in the well to allow bottomhole pressure to
increase, then venting the well to the atmosphere (well
blow down).
 Swabbing the well to remove accumulated fluids.
 Installing velocity tubing.
 Installing an artificial lift system.
 Use Foaming Agents.
17 3.0 Additional problems

3.1 Mechanical failures

3.2 Near wellbore restrictions
 18 3.1 Mechanical failures
Mechanical failures can occur in a well for a variety of reasons. They are usually related to one of the following:
 (1) the corrosion of downhole equipment,
 (2) the collection of debris or scale in the wellbore,
 (3) the production of formation sand or collapse of the formation,
 (4) insufficient cement protection, or
 (5) the use of equipment that is not designed to withstand the depth, temperature, or pressure of a well.
 The type of equipment normally prone to such failure is the tubing, casing, rod string, downhole pumps, packers, gas lift
valves, and plugs in the well bore .
 After long-term exposure to downhole conditions, breakage or wear can occur in any of this equipment. Extensive workovers
(specifically, fishing operations) can be prevented by regular maintenance of the downhole equipment. A proper maintenance
schedule can be established for any field once one has properly analyzed the produced fluids and conditions of the reservoir.
 Specific diagnostic techniques can be applied in an effort to determine where a failure has occurred. For example, a casing leak
can be detected by running a packer in the well and pressure testing the casing at various intervals in the hole.
 Problems with rod pumping equipment can be diagnosed through the use of an instrument called a dynamometer. This
instrument analyzes the strain on the polish rod at the surface as the pump goes through an upstroke and downstroke cycle.
 Other diagnostic methods are available, and in some instances, it may be necessary to perform several tests before mechanical
problems can be pinpointed.
 You can edit or delete as you want
 19 3.2 Near wellbore restrictions
 Restrictions can occur in the formation or within the wellbore that can cause a decrease in oil or gas
production. These restrictions are a result of changes in the formation or fluid properties around the
wellbore, chemical reactions within the formation or the wellbore, mechanical problems, or
inadequate completion techniques.
Partial penetration
 If only a portion of the productive formation has been drilled or
perforated, this is referred to as partial penetration. Gas or oil that is
flowing from the reservoir to this limited area will cause large
pressure gradients near the wellbore. Fluid flow within the pores may
also reach turbulent velocity, thus generating additional pressure drop
and reducing the productivity of the well.
 Figure illustrates the effects of partial penetration on pressure drop
around the wellbore.
20 Near wellbore restrictions

 Previous Studies on partial penetration have concluded that the effects are similar to skin
damage around the wellbore (that is, an altered permeability that is lower than the reservoir
permeability).
 To overcome these effects, the well must be deepened to expose all of the productive
interval or more perforations must be added to expose additional reservoir to flow.
21 Contributions

 Mohammed Khaled Al-Thobhani (1 - 3)

 Ebrahim ali Al-husali (4-5)
 Alhusain Ali (6-7)
 Fekry khaled (8-9)
 Shadi Sultan (10-11)
 Kahlan Rashad (12-14)
 Mohammed Ahmed Moith (15-16)
 Abdulrahman Albeel (17-…)
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Thank You Very Much