摘要 |
The present invention provides a method of producing an oil, water, and gas well using a gas carrier/transport system to remove produced liquids and contained solids by altering the flow regime of the production fluids towards or into a flow regime in which gas is the continuous fluid (i.e., the rate of upflowing gas in the well is efficiently high in comparison with liquid production flow to generate plug flow, slug flow, froth flow, foam flow, annular flow, spray flow, and/or mist flow.) This is accomplished by use of supplemental gas flow (hydrocarbon or non-hydrocarbon) and/or stimulation of the production sand gas flow with a reduced pressure drop across the wall once near or in a gas-continuous flow regime. This invention can be applied to any gas, oil, and/or water well with insufficient formation gas pressure to prevent liquid buildup within the well during production. The present invention utilizes a second production pipe (or the annulus between the casing and the pipe), sized to transport compressed gas from the wellhead area down into the production liquid and into the production pipe. This flow of gas will cause the wall fluids to flow up the pipe by approaching or entering a gas-continuous flow regime. Once the new flow regimes have been achieved in the production pipe, supplemental gas may no longer be necessary due to increased formation gas flow without the high pressure drop which had been due to the column of liquid in the production pipe. |