Study of the liquid‑phase impact on gas flow rate during blowdowns of flowlines and wells at gas-condensate fields

<ns3:p>During pit-flare blowdowns of flowlines and wells at depleted gas and gas-condensate fields, a liquid-laden gas stream is vented. Most wells lack gas meters, and the existing calculation methods rely on dry gas flow rates that ignore the liquid content in the stream. It leads to inaccuracies in calculations and managerial decisions. The study aims to establish the regularities of the liquid phase's influence on the blowdown-gas flow rate and to derive a universal mathematical dependence for engineering calculations.A three-dimensional model has been developed, and CFD modelling of gas-liquid outflow under blowdown conditions typical of flowlines and wells at depleted fields has been carried out. Based on the obtained CFD data, a regression analysis was performed to investigate the influence of the volumetric fraction of liquid on the gas flow rate.It has been shown that during blowdowns of flowlines and wells, even a small amount of liquid in the stream markedly reduces the gas flow rate compared with the outflow of dry gas. Within the investigated parameter range, a regression dependence of the gas flow rate on the volumetric fraction of liquid and the working pressure has been determined.It opens prospects for further research aimed at improving the proposed methodology for modelling the influence of the liquid volume fraction on the gas flow rate, extending its application to a wider range of liquid-phase volume fractions and working pressures.A regression equation has been developed to calculate the volumes of gas lost during blowdowns of flowlines and wells at depleted gas and gas-condensate fields.To determine the gas flow rate during the outflow of a gas-liquid mixture from a pipeline, a regression equation has been obtained that explicitly accounts for the volumetric liquid fraction in the flow, thereby markedly increasing calculation accuracy.</ns3:p>