Liquid Removal to Improve Gas Production and Recoverable Reserves in Unconventional Liquid-Rich Reservoirs by Subsurface Wet Gas Compression

Abstract

Unconventional oil and gas development revolutionized the energy sector in North America and has been transforming the world's energy markets. Notwithstanding the enormous potential, unconventional resource development presents unique challenges to production and long-term hydrocarbon recoveries. As market dynamics are shifting, technologies are advancing, opening up new opportunities in areas once considered out of reach. This paper describes a new technology, a subsurface compressor system, which simultaneously removes liquids, increases gas production, and improves recoverable reserves in gas wells. The subsurface compressor can reverse the vicious cycle of liquid loading, which decreases gas production from a gas well and leads to premature abandonment, by creating a virtuous cycle of increased gas and condensate production. The complete process from well analysis, performance projection, deployment, commissioning to operation are discussed. A recently completed the world's very first field trial in an unconventional shale gas well supports the mechanism of subsurface gas compression and its impacts and benefits on unconventional gas production.