Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Skip Peel - Mineral Consultant on April 30, 2013 at 6:03

Only the operator knows for sure.  However, in general chokes are opened as wells decline and formation pressure drops.  Where multiple wells are producing into a common gathering pipeline system individual wells may have chokes adjusted to regulate the total gas flowing through the system.  For example Haynesville Shale wells exhibit such tremendous early production that a system may not be able to accommodate the increased volume without choking back other wells on the same system.  In other words the system has a finite capacity and all the wells serviced by that system can not exceed that capacity. 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by VSC DeSoto South on April 30, 2013 at 7:44

Thank you

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Joe Aldridge on April 30, 2013 at 23:14

VSC,

As Skip states you can't over produce into a system that has finite capacity. But there are other reasons for choking the well. One is you don't want to damage the well or formation. If a high pressure well is allowed to over produce then the formation can be damaged. In the case of a fracked well then the proppant could be produced out of the well. Then there is nothing there but void space and the formation can collapse or be sucked into the wellbore.

The well on choke has sufficient pressure that it needs to be controlled. In the well with no choke the pressure is down to the point that running without a choke will not damage the formation or allow too much gas into the gathering system. And no an open choke in one well should not affect the other. 

As Skip states as the wells decline its typical to increase the size of the choke.

• ▶ Reply