SELECTION AND TREATMENT OF STRIPPER GAS WELLS FOR PRODUCTION ENHANCEMENT IN THE MID-CONTINENT
Stripper gas wells are an important source of domestic energy supply and under constant threat of permanent loss (shut-in) due to marginal economics. In 1998, 192 thousand stripper gas wells produced over a Tcf of gas, at an average rate of less than 16 Mcfd. This represents about 57% of all producing gas wells in the onshore lower-48 states, yet only 8% of production. Reserves of stripper gas wells are estimated to be only 1.6 Tcf, or slightly over 1% of the onshore lower-48 total (end of year 1996 data). Obviously, stripper gas wells are at the very margin of economic sustenance. As the demand for natural gas in the U.S. grows to the forecasted estimate of over 30 Tcf annually by the year 2010, supply from current conventional sources is expected to decline. Therefore, an important need exists to fully exploit known domestic resources of natural gas, including those represented by stripper gas wells. The overall objectives of this project are to develop an efficient and low-cost methodology to broadly categorize the well performance characteristics for a stripper gas field, identify the high-potential candidate wells for remediation, and diagnose the specific causes for well underperformance. With this capability, stripper gas well operators can more efficiently and economically produce these resources and maximize these gas reserves. A further objective is to identify/develop, evaluate and test ''new and novel,'' economically viable remediation options. Finally, it is the objective of this project that all the methods and technologies developed in this project, while being tested in the Mid-Continent, be widely applicable to stripper gas wells of all types across the country. The project activities during the reporting period were: (1) The search for another field site was abandoned after discussion with DOE. There is a clear absence of willing industry partners to participate in this project. The greatest obstacle is having the necessary data to perform the study, or the cost of collecting and organizing it. In its' place, the scope of the Mocane-Laverne field has been expanded to include all four major producing horizons, as opposed to just one. This approach will still meet the project objectives and requirements. (2) The type-curve matching of the production for all horizons in all wells was initiated.
- Research Organization:
- Advanced Resources International, Inc. (US)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- (US)
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG26-00NT40789
- OSTI ID:
- 816473
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: 1 Mar 2003
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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