NOZZLE-VENTURI GAS LIFT FLOW CONTROL DEVICE AND METHOD FOR IMPROVING PRODUCTION RATE, LIFT EFFICIENCY, AND STABILITY OF GAS LIFT WELLS

摘要

A GAS FLOW CONTROL DEVICE (60) FOR INJECTING GAS INTO A PRODUCTION STRING FOR RECOVERING PRESSURE AND REDUCING FRICTIONAL LOSSES, SO THAT CRITICAL FLOW CAN BE REACHED AT LOWER PRESSURE DROPS AND HIGHER PRODUCTION PRESSURE, INCLUDES A NOZZLE HAVING FIRST AND SECOND ENDS, AND A FLOW PATH THEREBETWEEN, AND A VENTURI (34) HAVING FIRST AND SECOND ENDS, AND A FLOW PATH THEREBETWEEN. THE FIRSTEND OF THE VENTURI PORTION (34B) IS DISPOSED ADJACENT TO THE SECOND END OF THE NOZZLE. THE VENTURI FLOW PATH COAXIALLY ALIGNED WITH THE NOZZLE FLOW PATH TO PROVIDE A CONTINUOUS FLOW PATH THROUGH THE VALVE. A METHOD TO INCREASE THE PRODUCTION RATE, IMPROVE THE LIFT EFFICIENCY, AND ELIMINATE OR SUPPRESS INSTABILITY IN CONTINUOUS-FLOW GAS LIFT WELLS BY USE OF A FLOW CONTROL DEVICE THAT HAS A GAS FLOW RATE PERFORMANCE THAT IS INDEPENDENT OF THE TUBING PRESSURE EVEN WHEN THE TUBING PRESSURE IS AS HIGH AS 80TO 93OF THE CASING PRESSURE. (FIG.6A)