Abstract
The need to accurately meter gas and liquid rates from gas producers in a cost-effective way is of high importance to be able to properly manage Reservoir development and maintain optimum well performance. Inaccurately metered data can lead to poor field development decisions, wrong gas allocation and gas reserves estimation, unnecessary surveillance, and high operating expenses.
As part of a strategy designed to provide maximum operational flexibility while containing capital expenses, Saudi Aramco installed Venturi meters in the majority of its gas producers following a comprehensive review which indicated that the technology was suitable for the operating conditions of the wells. However, as the gas development program has consistently expanded, and the range of the operating condition of the wells broadened, it has been observed that the accuracy of the measurements collected from the venturi meters has continued to decline.
This paper details a systematic approach implemented in the northern sector of the Ghawar gas field to first ascertain the causes of the problem and then find an adequate solution. Details about a completed and comprehensive study involving gas producers with a wide range of condensate ratio, the main problem causes that were identified, the actions taken to reduce the inaccuracy of the gas readings close to the current 10% level, and detailed recommendations are included in this paper.
