Publications

Production rate optimization of gas well production is one of the important factors in petroleum industries. If the production rate is not optimum, then it is not either economic, or, it generates bad effects to the reservoir performance. Currently, general guideline which is used for an optimum production rate is 30% of the Absolute Open Flow Potential (AOFP). This study shows how is validity of the guideline above for various well and reservoir conditions. As its consequences, a new method is developed which has function as a guideline to improve well performance. The analysis begins from comparing between production rates which are resulted from the optimization calculation and from field production rates. Then, the analysis ends to a performance plot of ratio of pressure loss along the well bore to the total pressure loss since from the reservoir versus ratio of the optimum flow rate obtained from Nodal System Analysis to its AOFP obtained from gas deliverability analysis.A new guideline shows that an optimum production rate is reached if the sum of the pressure loss ratio and the production rate ratio equals to one. It is also introduced a plot between the pressure loss ratio and the production rate ratio as a tool to assist in identifying whether the well at its optimum condition or not. The analysis results show that the use of previous optimum rate assumption, i.e., 30% AOFP is very limited an application because the optimum production rate can be reached for each well is various from 1% to 99% from its maximum, and it depends on the reservoir condition, permeability, skin and physical gas properties.