Surfactants are used in gas well deliquification to generate foam to lift liquid condensates and brine from a well during gas production. In this paper, the effect of various hydrocarbon components typically found in natural condensates on selected foaming surfactants was studied.

The screening methodology used a modified blender test to evaluate foam height and its half-life. The foaming results from the blender tests are reported for a number of alpha olefin sulfonates (AOS), alkyl ether sulfates (AES), and betaines at 25°C and ambient pressure. The surfactants were also evaluated using dynamic foam carry-over apparatus at ambient conditions for further validation.

This work helps to elucidate problems associated with choosing the proper gas well deliquification surfactant suitable for a condensate of a specific composition.

Keywords:
gas Well Deliquification, artificial lift system, foam carry-over test, ao surfactant, benzene, composition, gas well deliquification surfactant, hydrocarbon, AE surfactant, foam height
Subjects:
Artificial Lift Systems, Gas well deliquification
Copyright 2018, Society of Petroleum Engineers
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