Gas-condensate Field Optimization by Optimal Candidate Selection for Gas Injection

One of the main technologies for gas-condensate field optimization is a gas injection process. It allows to prevent loss liquid condensate in a reservoir, so the condensate recovery increases.

For effective gas injection it is reasonable to select a group of candidates to be switched from producers to gas injectors. A location of such candidates must help to decrease the size of zones with low field pressure.

The problem is formulated as following. One is to define a subset of wells to be switched into gas injectors. Optimal subset of candidates is such a subset that will optimally minimize the sizes of areas with low field pressure.

Algorithms of discrete programming proposed to solve the formulated problem. These algorithms to select wells close to areas with low pressure, but also to spread the injectors and to select economically reasonable candidates. Different optimization criteria might be used. Found set of producers and injectors becomes an optimal solution of the formulated problem.

Proposed algorithms help to avoid a brute-force or full-search procedures for selecting an optimal candidate subsets. It is reasonable when the number of wells is quite large.

Examples show tests of proposed algorithms. Recovery factors comparison show an efficiency of proposed algorithms.