Hydrate Mitigation and Flare Reduction Using Intermittent Gas Lift

Abstract

Gas lift optimization remains a critical challenge in petroleum engineering, particularly regarding the mitigation of hydrate formation and the minimization of excessive gas injection rates. This study investigates the transition from Continuous Gas Lift (CGL) to Intermittent Gas Lift (IGL) as a strategy to mitigate hydrate formation and enhance production performance in Well Z09 within the TFT field. Hydrate stability curves were generated using PVTP software, analysis of current field data for CGL operations revealed operating conditions of 28.32 bar and 6.02°C. This analysis confirmed that the current CGL operation resides within the hydrate stability region, indicating an elevated risk of blockage downstream of the injection choke. To evaluate the mitigation potential of IGL, a Joule–Thomson analysis was performed to estimate operating parameters. The calculations indicated an operating shift to 58 bar and 19.03°C, effectively repositioning the operating point within the hydrate-free zone. Numerical simulations performed in PROSPER demonstrated that the transition to IGL enhances oil production from 8.35 Sm³/day to approximately 11.4 Sm³/day, while simultaneously reducing the gas injection rate from 5521 Sm³/day to 1170.34 Sm³/day. These results demonstrate that IGL is a robust technical solution for flow assurance and production optimization, contributing to improved operational efficiency and a reduction in surface gas flaring