Marcellus Well Freeze-offs

I'm wondering what kind of surface facilities producers are installing to ensure wells don't freeze off during cold weather?

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Permalink Reply by JREwing on October 15, 2013 at 8:52am

Permalink Reply by Don C on October 15, 2013 at 9:28am

lol

Permalink Reply by jett on October 16, 2013 at 5:25am

That is hilarious!!!

Permalink Reply by Brian Powers on October 17, 2013 at 9:13am

JRE-

Is the smiling Amish fellow wearing a straw hard hat and steel toed boat shoes???

Permalink Reply by JREwing on October 17, 2013 at 11:36am
You're absolutely right Brian! I will address this issue at my plant at once! Safety first!

PS. Thank you for your very valuable insider insight into an industry we are all struggling to grasp. :)
Permalink Reply by Billy Park Whyde on October 16, 2013 at 4:27am

What might be more interesting is to see what out of state frackers are going to do if it really gets cold! Last year was a very mild winter and it gave fits to the fracking company out of Texas that I had worked for. Do you recall the big freeze? On Jan. 18, 1977, Cincinnati set a record when the air temperature fell to 25 below zero. There were 28 days that winter below zero. Were that were to happen again with the equpiment they have they would have to start cryogenic fracking! lol

Permalink Reply by Brian Powers on October 17, 2013 at 9:12am

Sheena -

In my experience, we used methanol or glycol injected through stainless steel tubing upstream of any choke or restriction to combat freezing. The freezing was by methane hydrates or the water vapor naturally entrained in produced gas forming ice plugs due to the adiabatic cooling from gas expansion across a choke or restriction similar to how your A/C or house refrigerator works.

So the equipment consists of a drum of chemical piped into a diaphragm pump and then via SS tubing to a nipple on the well's tree piping between the master valve and choke, usually via a chemical injection flange. The pump is actuated via air pressure.

 

Brian

Permalink Reply by Philip Thackray on October 17, 2013 at 10:27am

Sheena,

JR is right!  For the typical wet Marcellus gas well, the first element the well output sees is a Line Heater.  When a high pressure well feeds into a lower pressure line there must be a choke to lower the pressure.  If the pressure drop across the choke is large enough any water in the gas stream will freeze when it exits the choke.  To prevent this, the well output goes to a large heating element.  The gas must be raised 70 degrees F for every 1000 psi drop through the choke to prevent freezing.  The heater runs from the line that the separator is supplying.  Here is a picture of the type that XTO is using on their Butler County PA wet Marcellus wells.

 

Brian,

The system you describe sounds like it would work for smaller pressure differentials.

Phil

 

Permalink Reply by Tony Yurina on October 17, 2013 at 3:27pm

I recommend adding a liquid expansion tank for 10% volume expansion the indirect fired heater is charged with.   An automatic ignition system would also be of value, very windy days play havoc with the old standing pilot systems.  The liquid should have corrosion inhibitors included.  The fluid should be tested once per year to maintain a balance of glycol and deionized water and PH. 

Permalink Reply by Sam Moore on October 18, 2013 at 8:30am

This is great.  I saw one of these going through Woodsfield today.  Guessed correctly it was going to a well site but had no idea what it did.

Thanks

Permalink Reply by Philip Thackray on October 18, 2013 at 12:56am

Hi Tony

Here is your  Line Heater

Phil

Permalink Reply by Sheena Bowns on October 19, 2013 at 5:55am

Thank you Brian Powers and Philip Thackray!

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