Increasing natural gas recovery from geopressured aquifer - involves producing water to lower aquifer pressure enough to mobilise gas

摘要

A method is claimed for increasing the quantity of natural gas recoverable from a gas-pressured aquifer containing water and gas in solution in the water and a zone of free gas dispersed in water. The method involves producing water and natural gas from the aquifer under aquifer pressure through at least one well completed in the zone of dispersed free gas to lower the pressure in the aquifer sufficiently to enable a portion of the dispersed free gas and a portion of the gas in solution to be released from the water and to migrate more freely to the well(s).