Design and Adaptability Analysis of Integrated Pressurization–Gas Lifting Multifunctional Compressor for Enhanced Shale Gas Production Flexibility

Shale gas development has made significant contributions to the increase in natural gas production capacity in recent years, particularly in promoting the transformation of the energy structure and enhancing energy autonomy. However, with the deepening of shale gas field exploitation, particularly in the later stages of development, low-pressure gas wells and liquid accumulation issues have become increasingly apparent, posing significant challenges to the normal production of gas wells. Traditional single gas lifting and pressurization techniques have disadvantages such as high equipment investment, high operating costs, and inflexibility in switching, which make it difficult to meet the long-term and stable production needs of shale gas fields. Therefore, to overcome these challenges, this study proposes an innovative integrated pressurization–gas lifting multifunctional compressor process, which achieves the “pressurization ↔ gas lifting ↔ pressurization–gas lifting synergy” multi-mode intelligent switching function through modular integration design, resulting in higher production flexibility and efficiency. Adaptability assessments were completed on two typical shale gas platforms, and field test results show that the equipment can achieve stable production increases across all three functional modes. The pressurization mode demonstrates good adaptability in gas processing, efficiently pressurizing and transporting natural gas produced from the platform’s wells, meeting the increasing demand for gas export. The gas lifting function of the equipment can effectively address gas wells affected by wellbore or bottom-hole liquid accumulation, improving production conditions. In the synergy mode, the equipment design enables the effective collaboration of pressurization and gas lifting functions. Driven by the same power source, the two functional modules work efficiently together, adapting to complex production conditions where both gas lifting and pressurization for gas export occur simultaneously. The innovative process paradigm developed by this study provides an engineering solution for the entire lifecycle of shale gas field development, characterized by equipment integration and intelligent operation, offering significant economic benefits and promotional value.