Preventing salt formation in gas wells
Posted: 12 September 2005
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A new product has been developed to prevent salt deposition in low-pressure gas wells.
Brenntag has developed the T-3000E salt inhibitor that gives alternative to flushing warm water during production as it saves valuable production time and secures the economy of a well.T-300E consists of a concentrated blend of proprietary water-soluble and biodegradable compounds.
Pr ecipitation of salt is a serious problem and can block the flow path of hydrocarbons. Salt scaling is particularly severe in wells with high saline forming brines, or brines near saturation with respect to sodium chloride. This phenomena occurs more frequently in gas wells than in oil wells and is caused by low pressure and decreasing temperatures.
Mature reservoirs usually have low pressure in the perforations, tubing nipples or chokes. When gas and salt water are retrieved from these reservoirs, more water vapor is taken from the well fluid than salt.
The over saturation may be accelerated if the fluid is cooled down during production from the well bore to the surface or when transporting from the wellhead to the transfer lines.
The cubical crystal structure of salt and its easy crystal formation allow growth of a dense salt network. In addition salt crystals adhere very easily to uneven surfaces, often found in production tubing and chokes.
At first glance this seems a minor problem, which can be solved easily by flushing warm fresh water on a regular basis. However, if this occurs on a daily basis, valuable production time will be lost and the reliability as well as the profitability of the well will become doubtful.
Brenntag's T-3000E modifies the crystal orientation of salt from symmetric cubic to random dentric crystals. This has two implications: first it takes longer to grow crystals and secondly the formed random crystals do not block the flow path. This unique property provides many advantages; it delays salt deposition and prevents the formation of a hard plug. Instead, pumpable salt slurry is formed, which can easily be flushed from the well bore. This treatment will therefore prolong the time in between cleanouts and increase production time.
Posted by Editor Pipeline Magazine
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