GLV - Methods_and_assumptions

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assumptions
A gas lift valve (GLV) is used to inject gas into the tubing from the annulus/casing. Typically more than one GLV is
placed after each other down the annulus. The intention is that the GLV closest to the wellhead opens first, and as
the tubing pressure decreases this GLV will close and the next GLV open (this might already be open depending on
the response curve). This cycle is repeated until the injected gas reaches the operating GLV (lowermost active
GLV). Once the gas lift gas reaches the operating GLV, gas is continuously injected through this GLV and stable
production is optimised by regulating the optimum amount of gas (injection gas rate). At constant injection pressure
(casing pressure), all GLVs above the operating GLV should be closed. If the tubing pressure is increased for any
reason (e.g. choke back production at the wellhead, a big liquid slug coming from the productive formation, etc.), this
may cause the opening of some GLVs. This opening is the automatic response of the GLVs to stabilise the flow. The
injection of gas will reduce the liquid head pressure in the tubing until the GLVs are closed again.
Figure A shows an example of these response curves where tubing pressure is along the X - axis, standard volume
gas rate along the y-axis, and there is one curve for each casing pressure.

Figure A:

Example of GLV Response Curves

The GLV is constructed to respond on both the casing pressure and tubing pressure, see Figure B. The casing and
tubing pressure work together to open the valve, while the gas (typically nitrogen) charged dome works in the
opposite direction. The curve for the casing pressure of 730 psig illustrates the behaviour. For low tubing pressures
the combined force is not enough to open the valve (Pt < 330 psig). For tubing pressures above the opening
pressure of 330 psig the valve starts to open; the Throttling region from 330 to approximately 600 psig is where
the valve goes from closed to fully open. For a tubing pressure approaching the casing pressure the flow decreases
as the differential pressure decreases, and above 730 psig (Pt > Pc) there is no flow as there is a check valve that
stops the flow going from the tubing to the casing.
In the input to OLGA, the terms injection pressure and production pressure is used instead of casing pressure and
tubing pressure respectively, since the injection gas may be injected in the tubing instead of the casing, and the well
fluid flows up the casing. The intention of the GLV is to allow flow from the injection to the production side, so using
the terms injection/production makes the input more general.

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GLV - Methods_and_assumptions

Figure B:

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Sketch of typical casing (injection) pressure operated GLV (with gas charge)

The GLV in Figure B is characterized as an Injection or Casing Pressure Operated GLV since the injection/casing
pressure works on the large part of the bellows (AINJ) while the tubing pressure works on the small part (APROD).
The force balance for the point where the GLV starts to open is then:

(a)
where R = ASEAT / ABELLOW. PINJ and PPRODswitch places in the equation for a Production or Tubing Pressure
Operated GLV.
Calculation of flow for valve type GASLIFTTABLE
The standard volume gas rate through the GLV is found by linear interpolation in the response curves using the
calculated injection pressure (upstream the GLV) and production pressure (downstream). The response curves must
be defined in the TABLE keyword and referred to in the LEAK keyword in the gas Lift Table input group.
First, the code finds the two response curves with injection pressures that are closest (higher and lower) to the
current injection pressure. One gas rate is found for each curve by interpolating using the current production
pressure, and then the resulting gas rate is found by interpolating between these two rates using the current
injection pressure. If the current injection pressure is below the lowest given injection pressure, the curve for the
lowest injection pressure is used directly and vice versa for injection pressure above the highest given injection
pressure. That is, no extrapolation for injection pressures.
Extrapolation is performed in the direction of decreasing production pressure to find the opening production
pressure, if not given (allowed with a negative extrapolated value, as would be the case for the injection pressure of
790 psig in Figure A). It is required that the last point in a response curve (the point with highest production
pressure) has a gas rate of 0. It is possible to create a curve with only one point for which this is not a requirement (a
way to specify constant standard volume flow for all production pressures below the injection pressure).
Associated liquid (in case of liquid on the injection side) through the GLV is calculated by setting the total mass flux
WTOT[kg/(m2s)] as:

(b)

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GLV - Methods_and_assumptions

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where WG is the gas mass flux derived from the response curves, rG is the gas density and rmix the volume
averaged density. For each phase, P, (gas, oil, water, etc.) the mass flux through the GLV is:

(c)
where xP is the mass fraction of the phase upstream the GLV (in the section where the GLV is placed).
Temperature effect for valve type GASLIFTTABLE
In the case of a gas charged dome (a GLV might have a spring instead) the pressure in the dome will increase with
increasing temperature as the gas is contained in the dome. This means that the required force from the production
and injection side to open the GLV also increases with increasing temperature.
According to Winkler and Eads /20/ the increased pressure in a nitrogen charged dome/bellows (based on reference
temperature TREFof 60 F) is expressed like

(d)
where TBis the bellows temperature, and the pressures and temperature are given in psia and F. These equations
have been implemented in OLGA, but with a user given reference temperature. That is, it has been assumed that
the equations give reasonable results also for other reference temperatures than 60 F.
The bellows temperature will depend on the production temperature, injection temperature, flow conditions,
geometry of GLV, placement of GLV, etc. The user must give a parameter a where the bellows temperature is a
linear interpolation between the injection and production temperature:
(e)
From the force balance equation (a) we get the following expressions for the increase in required production
pressure to open the GLV (assuming constant injection pressure):

(f)
where DPB is calculated in equations (d). This effect can be very significant. For a sufficiently high temperature
above the given reference temperature the GLV might never open: PPROD, open + DPPROD > PINJ.
In OLGA this effect is included with a right-shift of all the response curves associated with the GLV. The point with
maximum gas rate (for each of the curves) is identified, and the points to the left of this maximum point are shifted
with the calculated DPPROD. The new response curve will then consist of the adjusted left side of the curve, the
original right side of the curve, and a new maximum point where they cross each other.
This procedure is a simplification of how the response curves are affected in the dynamic region; only the opening
point is correctly calculated (except for the uncertainty in using equations (d) for a reference temperature different
from 60 F). E.g., the curve for a casing/injection pressure of 850 psig in Figure A will not be affected by temperature
with this procedure. This is not physically correct.

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GLV - Methods_and_assumptions

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Calculations for valve type GASLIFTVALVE

In this case the flow is computed using data from the Valve Performance ClearinghouseTM(VPCTM) database. For
documentation of the calculations used for this method we refer to the paper: Decker, K.L. "Gas-Lift Valve
Performance Testing" SPE 25444 (1993).

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