Foam Behavior in Horizontal Wells

Liquid loading or lack of ability to remove produced wellbore liquids is a common issue in wet gas production systems. This issue can lead to production reduction, and consequently, shortening well life and ultimate recovery. Foam assisted lift is one AL method to unload liquid from gas wells. In this method, the liquid is transported by mixing it with gas, generating a homogeneous mixture with dispersed gas bubbles, resulting in less gas slippage and lower mixture density. A surfactant or foamer and agitation are required in order to generate foam. The surfactant will act by promoting the foam stability, inhibiting coalescence of the bubbles. It has been shown that the use of foam as an AL method improves liquid removal. TUHWALP has carried out two projects in the past, namely, foamer delivery location and batch injection. Currently, TUWALP is investigating the effect of liquid hydrocarbon over the foam performance for various surfactants. Guidelines on foam flow application and mathematical models (deployed in a design software) will be the main deliverables of this project.

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