Prospect of Production Optimization Challenges of Gas Wells with Liquid Loading Problem Using New Surfactant and Nanotechnology

摘要

Decrease of gas production is an indicator that liquid column is probably building up in the well and anrnadditional energy is required to lift the liquid out should be applied to control this situation.rnFoaming agents provide a means to reduce the density of the liquid so that it can be removed from thernwell with the gas flow, unloading the accumulated liquid in gas and gas condensate wells. The mainrnconstituents of foaming agents are surface active agents. Foam stabilizers are added to increase foamrnstability. Foaming agent should be selected to form a stable foam under given condition, which means inrnthe presence of salt or sweet water, hydrocarbon phase, at given temperature and pressure.rnCurrently, there are lots of different types of foaming agents. Previous studies mainly focused on therncomplex between anionic surfactant and anionic surfactant, anionic surfactant and amphoteric ionrnsurfactant, however, the stability of the foam formed by such foaming agents is poor. Therefore, it isrnnecessary to develop a robust foaming agent to cope with the harsh conditions. Traditional researchrnneglect the study of complex between anionic surfactant and cationic surfactant, nevertheless thernsynergies between them through appropriate method can greatly improve the foam stability compared tornone-component system. The strong electrostatic interaction between the opposite charge ionic head groupsrnand the hydrophobic interaction between the hydrocarbon groups made the solution exhibit a complexrnphase behavior and microstructure which has a high surface activity and foam stability. Gemini surfactantrncontains a spacer and thus made the packing of molecules tighter and increased the cohesion of surfactantrnwithin the monolayer and enhanced the foam stability. Single molecule film formed by surfactant hasrncertain dynamic characteristics, the gas can easily diffuse through the liquid film, so that the bubble burst.rnHowever, particles can be adsorbed in the gas/water interface to form a solid film which will reduce therndrainage speed of the bubble to enhance the foam stability.rnIn summary, we proposed to develop a robust foaming agent using anionic-nonionic surfactant mixedrnwith gemini cationic surfactant, stabilized by nanoparticles with certain hydrophilicity and size.