Hence, each well has an optimal desirable gas-lift injection rate (GLIR). This has the effect of increasing the bottom-hole pressure and lowering fluid production. At a certain point, however, the benefit of increased production due to decreased static head pressure is overcome by the increase in frictional pressure loss from the large gas quantity present. The method is easy to install, economically viable, robust, and effective over a large range of conditions, but does assume a steady supply of lift gas. The increased pressure differential induced across the sand face from the in situ reservoir pressure ( ? ?), given by ( ? ? − ? b h), assists in flowing the produced fluid to the surface. The continuous aeration process lowers the effective density and therefore the hydrostatic pressure of the fluid column, leading to a lower flowing bottom-hole pressure ( ? b h). Natural gas is injected at high pressure from the casing into the well-bore and mixes with the produced fluids from the reservoir (see Figure 1). The introduction of lift gas to a non-producing or low-producing well is a common method of artificial lift. The aim of this paper is to provide an insight into the approaches developed and to highlight the challenges that remain. While some methods are clearly limited due to their neglect of treating the effects of inter-dependent wells with common flow lines, other methods are limited due to the efficacy and quality of the solution obtained when dealing with large-scale networks comprising hundreds of difficult to produce wells. These range from isolated single-well analysis all the way to real-time multivariate optimization schemes encompassing all wells in a field. Shared heat transfer, multiphase flow, and fluid behavior methodologies ensure data quality and consistency between the steady-state and transient analyses.This paper presents a survey of methods and techniques developed for the solution of the continuous gas-lift optimization problem over the last two decades. In addition, where dynamic analysis is needed to add further insight, the PIPESIM-to-OLGA converter tool enables rapid conversion of models.
Pipesim gas lift correlations simulator#
The flow assurance capabilities of the simulator enable engineers to ensure safe and effective fluid transport-from sizing of facilities, pipelines, and lift systems, to ensuring effective liquids and solids management, to well and pipeline integrity. The PIPESIM simulator offers the industry’s most comprehensive steady-state flow assurance workflows for front-end system design and production operations. Steady-state flow assurance, from concept to operations Faster simulation runtime has also been achieved for all modeling though the implementation of a new parallel network solver to spread the computational load across all processors. The interactive graphical wellbore enables rapid well model building and analysis. Networks can be built on the GIS canvas or generated automatically using a GIS shape file. The ESRI-supported GIS map canvas helps deliver true spatial representation of wells, equipment, and networks. The simulator includes advanced three-phase mechanistic models, enhancements to heat transfer modeling, and comprehensive PVT modeling options. From complex individual wells to vast production networks, the PIPESIM steady-state multiphase flow simulator enables production optimization over the complete lifecycle.Ĭontinuous innovation incorporating leading scienceįor over 30 years, the PIPESIM simulator has been continuously improved by incorporating not only the latest science in the three core areas of flow modeling-multiphase flow, heat transfer, and fluid behavior-but also the latest innovations in computing, and oil and gas industry technologies. Once these systems are brought into production, the ability to ensure optimal flow is critical to maximizing economic potential. Modern production systems require designs that ensure safe and cost-effective transportation of fluids from the reservoir to the processing facilities.