A SYSTEM FOR INJECTING METHANOL DOWNHOLE

DURING OFFSHORE TESTING TO PREVENT HYDRATE

FORMATION
D.I. WILKIE W.J. COOKE
this article begins on the next page F F
PETROLEUM SOCIETY OF CIM ATM-08 THIS IS A PREPRINT - SUBJECT TO CORRECTION PAPER NO. 78 - 29 - 17 A SYSTEM FOR INJECTING METHANOL DOWNHOLE DURING OFFSHORE TESTING TO PREVENT HYDRATE FORMATION by D.I. Wilkie, Staff Drilling Engineer, Dome Petroleum Ltd./Canadian Marine Drilling Ltd., Calgary W.J. Cooke, Cooke Offshore Consultants Ltd. PUBLICATION RIGHTS RESERVED THIS PAPER IS TO BE PRESENTED AT THE 29TH ANNUAL TECHNICAL MEETING OF THE PETROLEUM SOCIETY OF CIM IN CALGARY. JUNE 13 - 16, 1978. DISCUSSION OF THIS PAPER IS INVITED SUCH DISCUSSION MAY BE PRESENTED AT THE 29TH ANNUAL MEETING
AND WILL BE CONSIDERED FOR PUBLICATION IN CIM JOURNALS IF FILED IN WRITING WITH THE TECHNICAL PROGRAM CHAIRMAN PRIOR TO THE CONCLUSION OF THE MEETING. ABSTRACT Prior to the l977 offshore operations on Dome/Canmar's vessels in the Beaufort Sea, it was determined that hydrate formation could be encountered during gas well tests. Although systems had been developed for methanol injection in arctic land operations, offshore operations required a system which would retain the advan- tages of a sub-sea test tree. A system was devel- oped by Dome/Canmar, in association with Johnston Testers,
which allowed the injection of methanol. up to 2,000' below the sub-sea test tree, and which would allow the unlatching of the sub-sea test tree, while maintaining the full pressure integrity of the test string. The systems also allowed closing of pipe rams during testing (to activate down hole pressure controlled test tools) and re-latching of the sub-sea test tree, if it was required to temporarily move off a well. The system was successfully used through- out Canmar's 1977 testing operations. INTRODUCTION Hydrates will form and accumulate in a natural ga!3 stream at predictable
pressures and temperaturi@s when the following conditions are ME! t'(1, 2) 1. The pressure/temperature relations'nip of the gas must be below the dew point )f tile
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PETROLEUM SOCIETY OF CIM PAPER NO. 782917
THIS IS A PREPRINT - SUBJECT TO CORRECTION
A SYSTEM FOR INJECTING METHANOL DOWNHOLE DURING
OFFSHORE TESTING TO PREVENT HYDRATE FORMATION
by
0.1 Wilkie, StaU Dniling Engineer,
Dome Petroleum Ltd.lCanadlan Manne Dnlling Ltd .. Calgary
W.J. Cooke, Cooke Oflshore Consultants ltd.
PUBLICATION RIGHTS RESERVED
THIS PAPER IS TO BE PRESENTED AT THE 29TH ANNUAL TECHNICAL MEETING OF THE PETROLEUM SOCIETY OF elM IN
CALGARY, JUNE 13 - 16, 1978. DISCUSSION OF THIS PAPER IS INVITED SUCH DISCUSSION MAY BE PRESENTED AT THE
29TH ANNUAL MEETING AND WilL BE CONSIDERED FOR PUBLICATION IN elM JOURNALS IF FILED IN WRITING WITH THE
TECHNICAL PROGRAM CHAIRMAN PRIOR TO THE CONCLUSION OF THE MEETING.
ABSTRACT
E'rior Co the1977 offshore operations on
Dome/Canmar's vessels in tne aeauEort Sea, it was
that hydrate fOr@ation could be
encountered during gas well tests_ Although
systems had been developed for methanol injection
in arctic land operations, operations
required a system which would retain the advan-
tages of a sub-sea test tree_ A system was devel-
oped by Dome/Canmar ,in association with
Johnston Testers, which allowed the injection
of methanol up to 2,000' below the sub-sea test
tree, and which would allow the unlatching of the
sub-sea test tree, while maintaining the full
pressure integrity of the test string. The
system also allowed closing of pipe rams during
testing (to activate down hole pressure controlled
test tools) and re-latching of the sub-sea test
tree, if it was reqUired to temporarily move off
a well_ The system was successfully used
out Canmar's 1977 testing operations_
INTRODUCTION
Hydrates will form and accumulate in a
natural gas stream at predictable pressurES and
temp'eratures when the following conditions are
met(l,2):
1. The pressure /temperature relationship 0 f
the gas must be below the dew point of che
water vapour, and liquid water must be
present.
2_ The gas muse be in motion and subjected to
a degree of turbulence.
J. A foreign particle or a change in fLow path
must be present to interfere with clle gas
flow pattern.
All three of these conditions can be
expected co occur during gas well testing in the
Beaufort Sea. Hydrates may form in the upper
portion of the tubing string where the gas loses
its greatest amount of heat and may
further upstream in the flow head and manifOld
system where the gas is controlled it
reaches the heater_ In each of these locations,
hydrates may rlug the flm". path resulting in a
termination of the production test and .:J. loss 0 f
effe'=.tive ri3 time due to the need for
ing and clearing the system.
On the other hand, hydrates can be prevented
from forming by maintaining relatively high temper
atures and low pressures throughout the flow stream
or by fully the water phase in che gas
to lower the hydrace tempera cure. High cempera-
cures can only be achieved after the well had
been placed OLI st.ream for a t.ime at high rates.
However, during the initial flow period, inhibi-
t.ion is the only method that can reliably prevent
the formation of hydrates.
ARCTIC OPERATOR EXPERIENCE OF HYDRATE FORMATION
DURING TESTING.
Several operators were contacted for field
evidence of hydrate formation on gas well testing
in arctic and offShore areas.
On the Nort.h Slope, downhole hydrate
prevention procedures vary. One method involves
circulating hot. calcium chloride solution down
concent.ric st.rings until a suitable wellbore
t.emperature is reached and the gas is maintained
outside the hydrate formation pressure/temperature
region. Gas well F.T.H.P_' s in this case are in
the range of 2,800 to 3,000 p.s.i.g. which re-
quires a minimum gas temperature of approximately
7S
o
F. to prevent hydrate formation, as shown in
Figure 1. Another approach is t.o use a diesel
cushion laced with met.hanol t.o start.-up a well
test while monitoring surface pressures and
temperatures. The approach carries a degree
of risk of forming hydrates. However operat.ors
are USing a method of predicting the formation
of a plug by comparing a predicted pressure and
temperature trend against the actual pressure
and temperat.ure readings. If a plug starts to
form, the well is quickly shut-in down-hole and
a combination of diesel and methanol is pumped
into the product.ion string to melt the plug.
Both North Slope and HacKenzie Delta oper-
ators have prepared transient temperature programs
that predict gas temperat.ure and pressures in the
string at various time intervals from start-up
to assist them in taking precautionary hydrate
prevention measures. One of the main services
that these p't"ograms can prOVide in the determin-
ation of t.he depth of hot water circulation or
the depth for injection of inhibitor ineo the
string so t.hat hydrate formation can be prevented
during all anticipated gas well operat.ions.
Offshore operators in the North Sea and off
ehe East coase of Canada have experienced hydrate
formation during oil and gas tests and normal
sub-sea test-tree operations have been prevented
due to failure of the ball valves to close. Sub-
sequently the sub-sea tese-trees were modified
to allow methanol injection at the sea floor in
the viCinity of tne valves(3).
HYDRATE FORMATION CONDITIONS,
Hydrate regimes in permafrost areas have
been studied by Dome/Canmar and stare-up
conditions in many gas wells have been analysed
to predict. t.he degree of exposure to hydrates.
Figures 2 - 5 show actual gas yell temperatures
during start-up and the eKposure t.o hydrate
formation for four HacKenzie Delta wells_
- 2 -
Not all test.s had methanol injected into the flow
stream on a continuous basis and some hydrat.e
formation YOS encountered.
The minimum rate of methanol injection may
be calculated using the Hammerschmidt equation as
follows;
w
where W
100 dM
2335 + Hd
weight percent methanol in the liquid
phase.
d depression of the hydrate format.ion
poine.
M = molecular weight of methanol inject.ed.
Table 1 shows calculations for the amount
to adequately depress the hydrate format.ion point
in each of the four MacKenzie Delta well tests.
The reSults indicate the injection rat.es are all
less than 1 G.P.H.
Gas reservOirs in the Beaufort Sea could
possibly be encountered where reservoir
pressures may be abnormally high. Also it can be
reasonably assumed from the age and nature of the
that the gas may be saturated with
water vapour and all the [or hydrate
formation could be met during a gas well test.
fNhen a well is initially placed on test,
the gas is expected to experience high heat losses
from both high differential eemperatures around
t.he well bore and from pressure reduction in t.he
test string. At this time? the pressure/tempera-
ture relationship of the gas will most likely be
within the hydrat.e formation regime. Later in the
tes t, as flow rates are increased or as the
differential temperatures up the well bore reduce,
the gas conditions move outside the hydrate
regime wit.hout further exposure to hydrate
formation.
Gas temperature is the most critical flow-
ing condition to analyse in determining whether the
potential of hydrate formation exist.s. A review
was therefore carried out. of the expected in situ
temperature gradients in a well and included
determination of expected thicknesses of perma-
frost sect.ions which cause a large degree of the
heat loss from the well stream.
Data on permafrost was derived from actual
seismic and temperature interpretations provided
by staff members of Dome/Canmar and
Mines and Resources Branch in Ottawa 4, . The
data indicated that continuous permafrost thick-
nesses of up to 2,000 feet have been encountered
on the Tuktoyaktuk Penninsula and that thinning
occurs in a seaward direction to the north and
west, as shown in Figure 6. Thereafter the
permafrost becomes discontinuous areally_ The
minimum t.emperature of a continuous
layer offshore could reach which provides
a very significant cooling effect on the gas.