The downhole liquid atomization by supersonic nozzle is an economic and efficient way to alleviate the liquid loading, but the optimal efficiency conditions are still not clear. Experimental studies were conducted in a 6-m long and 30-mm inner diameter vertical Perspex pipe to evaluate the performance of supersonic nozzle in different conditions. The experimental results show that mist is easy to be captured by the liquid bulk which comes from the liquid loading downstream the nozzle when the gas-liquid two phase flow pattern downstream nozzle is non-annular flow, thus leading to a failure of this technology. Due to the huge temperature drop in the annular flow condition, small fraction of mist is condensed into droplets and then attach onto the pipe wall, forming liquid film. The other mist can still flow upwards. The droplet size is determined by the magnitude of the gas velocity, which ranges from 50 µm to 500 µm. Field applications indicate that this technology under the optimal ranges is able to be efficient to remove the liquid loading, and thus the gas wells can maintain a long-term stable production. Also, this method enables to extend the useful life of equipment, reduce downtime and maximize the production capabilities.


Experimental Study on Operating Envelops of Nozzle to Mitigate Liquid Loading in  Gas Wells

Division / Sponsors: 
Heat Transfer Division (HTD), Fluids Engineering Division (FED)

Heat Transfer Summer Conference
Paper Proceedings: https://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/HT/HT2020/volume/83709

18th International Conference on Nanochannels, Microchannels, and Minichannels
Paper Proceedings: https://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/ICNMM/ICNMM2020/volume/83693

Fluids Engineering Division Summer Meeting
Paper Proceedings: https://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/FEDSM/FEDSM2020/volume/83716

HT-ICNMM2020 - Virtual Conference, SHTC - Virtual Conference, FEDSM2020 - Virtual Conference

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