Gas Coning Control for Smart Wells

摘要

A strong increase in gas influx due to gas coning and the resulting bean-back because of Gas to Oil Ratio (GOR) constraints can severely limit oil production and reservoir drive energy. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that oil production after a gas breakthrough can be optimized by means of an inflow control strategy that takes the effects of ‘natural gas lift’ and production choking into account. Within the research framework of the “Integrated System Approach Petroleum Production” (ISAPP) knowledge center of TNO, TU Delft and Shell, it has been shown that this optimization can be achieved by controlling the location and amount of gas influx in a horizontal smart well.