Engineering Calculations of Gas-Condensate-Well Productivity

Abstract

Summary Accurate forecasting of gas-condensate-well productivity usually requires fine-grid numerical simulation to model the formation of the condensate bank and to account for high-velocity phenomena such as non-Darcy flow and changes in relative permeability at high capillary number. This paper presents a new technique for forecasting the performance of gas-condensate wells, using simpler techniques that can be used in a spreadsheet. The calculation uses a material-balance model for reservoir depletion and a two-phase pseudopressure integral for well inflow performance. The pseudopressure-integral technique has been extended to include high-velocity effects and to allow for the change in produced-fluid composition caused by the formation of the condensate bank. The new technique has been tested by comparison with the results of fine-grid compositional simulation, and the results are in good agreement for a wide range of cases covering vertical, horizontal, and hydraulically fractured wells. The spreadsheet-model approach provides a useful tool for rapid forecasts of condensate-well performance, for examining the effects of condensate blockage in different well types, or for studying sensitivities. It is also valuable where simple models of condensate-reservoir performance are required for use in integrated studies involving issues such as surface facilities, drilling schedules, and gas sales contracts.