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Determination of minimum gas flow rate and plunger lift installation to overcome liquid loading

Proceedings Title : Proc. Indon. Petrol. Assoc., 29th Ann. Conv., 2003

It is very common for a gas well to produce liquid. As long as the conditions allow it to sustain a sufficient velocity in the tubing, liquid can be carried out by the gas as multiphase flow.The objectives of this paper are to determine the minimum gas flow rate to prevent liquid loading, identify and discuss techniques used to alleviate liquid loading problems and factors affecting the choice of the optimum plunger lift method to be employed once liquid accumulation can not be prevented. This paper presents a discussion of plunger lift and evaluation of its potential to a gas well. Analysis of the results provides improved insight into the efficient operation of plunger lift system.Several authors have introduced various mathematical equations to calculate the critical flow rate necessary to keep gas well unloaded. The most widely used equation is that of Turner et al. (1969).A new approach developed by Nosseir et al. (2000) adopts Turner basic concepts but considers different flow regimes. This paper will study both methods.

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