Research progress on the calculation model of critical liquid carrying flow of gas well

Abstract

The accumulation of liquid in gas wells has become a prevalent problem in the middle and later stages of gas well development with different wellbore structures, which seriously affects the production efficiency of gas wells. To precisely forecast the generation time of liquid accumulation in gas wells and timely adopt drainage gas production technology, the literatures on gas critical liquid‐carrying flow calculation models for vertical wells, inclined wells and horizontal wells were analyzed and summarized. The results show that the research on the calculation models for gas critical liquid‐carrying flow rate in vertical and inclined wells is relatively mature. However, because of the unique wellbore structure of horizontal wells, the gas‐liquid two‐phase flow pattern and distribution of droplets and liquid‐film are complex, leading to a lack of understanding of gas liquid carrying mechanism throughout the whole wellbore of existing horizontal wells, and we established a calculation model of gas critical liquid‐carrying flow rate in horizontal wells considers single factors. Based on the above summary and analysis, the research direction of the calculation model for gas critical liquid‐carrying flow rate in the entire wellbore of horizontal wells is pointed out. Combining the gas liquid‐carrying test of entire wellbore of the horizontal well, considering the distribution form of droplets and liquid‐film, the aggregation and fission between droplets, and the energy exchange between gas and liquid, the gas liquid‐carrying mechanism of the entire wellbore of horizontal well is revealed, clarifying the most easy to liquid‐accumulating well sections in the whole horizontal well, and a calculation model of gas critical liquid‐carrying flow rate of horizontal well considering multiple factors is established, providing crucial theoretical foundation and technical support for the drainage and gas recovery of a horizontal well.