SPE 152007
The Recent Applications of Jet Pump Technology to Enhance Production
from Tight Oil and Gas Fields
Sacha Sarshar, Caltec Ltd
Copyright 2012, Society of Petroleum Engineers
This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE Middle East Unconventional Gas Conference and Exhibition held in Abu Dhabi, UAE, 2325 January 2012.
This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE program committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper have not been
reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material does not necessarily reflect any position of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, its
officers, or members. Electronic reproduction, distribution, or storage of any part of this paper without the written consent of the Society of Petroleum Engineers is prohibited. Permission to
reproduce in print is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words; illustrations may not be copied. The abstract must contain conspicuous acknowledgment of SPE copyright.
Abstract
Production from many oil and gas fields becomes
restricted as the reservoir pressure drops.The situation
becomes worse for fragmented reservoirs and tight
reservoirs, when water-cut also increases. In order to
maintain production at an economical rate, and also to
increase total recovery from the field, a production
boosting system is always required.
Jet pumps are simple passive devices which use a high
pressure (HP) fluid as the motive flow to boost the
pressure of produced gas and liquid phases.
For producing wells; it enables the flowing wellhead
pressure (FWHP) to be reduced in order to increase
production, whilst meeting the downstream production
pressure requirements. The applications include also
revival of the liquid loaded wells.
1-Introduction
Production from many oil and gas fields is restricted
as the reservoir pressure drops during the life of the
field.
The production and total recovery from the fields are
further restricted as water-cut increases. Maintaining
production and improving total recovery from most
fields, and particularly tight formations, require the
use of a variety of production boosting solutions.
With the aging or marginal fields, the operating
companies can only invest in production boosting
systems if the business case is attractive and there is a
relatively short payback period for the invested
capital.Compared to alternative production boosting
Solutions, the use of jet pump technology is one of
the most cost effective and simple ways to improve
In recent years the industry has become more aware of
their applications and benefits. This paper covers their
applications, including; boosting production from
selected oil and gas wells, boosting the pressure of
low pressure gas, prevent flaring very low pressure
gas, eliminate the need for intermediate compressors,
de-bottlenecking compressors, prevent HP wells
backing out LP wells, and revival of liquid loaded
wells. In addition to referring to recent field examples,
issues such as performance, ranges of operation, key
features of the system and solutions for gas or oil
production applications are described. Key operation
issues are also addressed.
The paper addresses the economic aspects shown by
typical pay-back periods for recovery of the capital
from the benefits gained such as added revenue.
production and extend the life of the oil or gas fields.
This paper focuses on the use of jet pumps in oil and
gas production and refers to a number of recent field
applications as good examples of their use.
2-What is jet pump technology?
Jet pumps are simple devices which use energy from
a high pressure (HP) fluid to boost the pressure of
low pressure (LP) fluids. The high pressure fluid
passes through a nozzle, through which part of the
potential (pressure) energy is converted to the kinetic
(velocity) energy.
The low pressure zone generated by the nozzle
enables the low pressure fluids to be taken in by the
jet pump. The LP fluids are carried with the high
pressure fluid through the mixing tube. The mixing
tube enables transfer of momentum and energy to
take place between the HP and LP fluids.
2 SPE 152007
The mixture then passes through a diffuser where the
velocity of the fluids drops and further pressure
recovery takes place. The pressure of the mixture at
the outlet of the jet pump will be at an intermediate
pressure between that of the HP and LP fluids. See
figure 1 for the general configuration of a jet pump.
In gas production applications, the motive (HP) flow
can be gas or high pressure liquid. In oil production,
when the LP fluids are a mixture of gas and liquids,
or a liquid phase alone, the motive flow must be HP
oil or water, or a mixture of the two.
Jet pumps are also known as eductors, ejectors or jet
compressors, which are the names derived from their
past applications in various industries.In this paper
the device is referred to as jet pump.
The performance of the jet pump depends primarily
on two main factors; HP/LP pressure ratio and flow
ratio. There are other secondary factors such as the
operating temperature and the density or mol. weight
of each phase. The higher the HP/LP flow ratio and
pressure ratio, the higher would be the achieved boost
in the pressure of the LP fluids.
Figure 2 shows the performance of the jet pump in
gas production application, where both HP and LP
fluids are gas. The graphs are produced for a range of
HP/LP pressure ratios. The ranges shown are not a
limit for the pressure ratio and higher pressure ratios
close to 100/1, or higher have been used in some
applications.
3-Applications in gas production
3.1 Most common applications
The most common applications in gas production
include;
Boosting production from LP gas wells,
using gas from HP gas wells.
Boosting production from LP wells, using
HP gas from sources such as compressors.
Boosting the pressure of LP gas from one of
the stages of the process system to a higher
value, using HP gas. This could lead to
eliminating intermediate compressors.
Prevention of flaring LP gas, using HP gas
or liquid phase.
De-bottlenecking compressors.
Revival /de-liquefaction of LP gas wells
which produce some liquids (oil or water).
Preventing the new HP wells creating
excessive back pressure on the LP wells.
Figures 3 to 9 show an example of each application.
In each case, the relevant HP/LP pressure ratios and
flow ratios are quoted and the achieved benefits are
highlighted.
Referring to the case of Gemini field in the Gulf of
Mexico, Figure 5, (ref 1), it is worth noting that the
jet pump in this case not only managed to drop the
back pressure on the production line by 200 psi, but
helped to sweep most of the fluids built up in the 27-
mile pipeline.
The removal of liquids accumulated in the pipeline
reduced the pressure loss along the pipeline and
resulted in a further drop in the flowing tubing head
pressure (FTHP) of the subsea wells by 140 psi.
This important contribution to reducing the pipeline
pressure loss is an outstanding additional benefit
which the jet pump offers in many cases when the LP
flow is transported by pipelines from satellite
platforms or wells to a gathering station.
In this case, the significant drop in the flowing tubing
head pressure (FTHP) of the wells helped also to
remove bulk of the liquids accumulated in the wells.
The build up of the liquids within the well bore
restricts production and could lead to complete
seizure of production.
Figure 8 shows an example of eliminating an
intermediate compressor and replacing it with a jet
pump. In this case, gas from the first stage separator
was used to boost the pressure of the gas from 4th
stage separator.
Figure 9 shows an example of de-bottlenecking the
first stage compressor. Using two jet pumps in
parallel, enabled one or both jet pumps to operate,
depending upon the amount of re-cycle gas available.
The source of HP gas could be;
HP wells
HP gas from the process system such as gas
from the first stage separator
HP gas from the recycled line of the
compressors
Lift gas (if available)
In some applications where HP gas is not available, a
high pressure liquid (oil or water) can be used. This
application is generally only economical if the flow
rate of the LP gas is small and no more than a few
MMscfd. The reason is that for each million standard
cubic feet of LP gas, a relatively high flow rate of HP
liquid is needed.
SPE 152007
Despite the relatively large flow rate of liquids
needed in such applications, there are still economic
advantages, as using a jet pump is the most cost
effective option compared to the alternative use of a
compressor. Table 1 shows an example of such a case
which shows the amount of HP water needed for the
given flow rate of the LP gas.
3.2 The effect of liquids in HP or LP gas
In many applications, some liquid (condensate or
water) is produced from gas wells. Presence of the
liquid phase affects the performance of the jet pump.
If, however, the flow rate of the liquids is small and
below 1% to 1.5% of the gas flow rate by volume at
the operating pressure and temperature, its effect is
not very significant and no separation of gas and
liquid phases is necessary. Beyond these rates, the
effect is significant and separation of gas and liquids
is necessary to achieve the desired level of boost in
the LP gas pressure.
The exceptions to this limitation are cases when there
is a temporary, transient surge of liquids flowing with
the LP gas during the start-up operations and when
the drop in the pressure of LP gas may result in
sudden production of liquids built up in the LP wells
or along the pipeline which carries the LP gas. The jet
pump in such cases handles the liquids and recovers
as soon as the liquids pass through the system.
3.3 Noise generated by the jet pump
Jet pumps handling gas as both HP and LP flow could
generate noise in excess of the 85 dBA, which is
generally the limit for the industrial environment and
production units.
Noise is normally measured one meter away and
perpendicular to the axis of the jet pump or its source.
The jet pump itself has in most cases wall thicknesses
in excess of the interconnecting pipe works` wall
thickness,therefore noise emitted directly through the
body of the jet pump unit may not be excessive.
Noise, however, travels through the LP line and the
discharge line of the jet pump. For this reason,
silencers are recommended for the LP and discharge
lines. These are flanged spool pieces which are
installed at the LP inlet point, and at the outlet line of
the jet pump. In applications where further
suppression of noise is required, the entire jet pump
can be lagged, as shown in figure 10. The silencers
are equipped internally with multilayer materials with
different densities to suppress noise bands of different
3
frequencies and amplitudes. Figure 11 shows the
outline of a silencer for jet pumps.
4-Oil production applications
4.1 Wellcom system
In oil production applications, the LP oil wells
produce a mixture of oil and gas and, in some cases,
water.
If the motive (HP) flow is also a mixture of gas and
liquid phases(from HP wells), separation of gas and
liquid phases of the HP flow is necessary.In this case
the separated liquid phase will be used as the motive
flow for the jet pump. This is a patented system by
Caltec and has the trade name of WELLCOM system.
Figure 12 shows the general flow diagram of the
Wellcom system. The LP flow in this case can be
fully fed to the jet pump without having to separate
the LP gas and liquid phases.
Separation of LP gas and liquid phases may,
however, become necessary if the flow rate of the LP
gas is high and the HP/LP pressure ratio is not high
enough to achieve an acceptable level of boost in the
pressure of both the LP gas and liquid phases.
It is difficult to quote specific general limits for the
Wellcom system as a number of factors including
HP/LP pressure ratio, Gas volume fraction (GVF) of
the LP fluids, and the flow rate of the LP liquid phase
affect the performance of the system. Table 2 (Case
A) shows the performance of the Wellcom system for
a given operating condition.
Sotware has been developed which can analyse each
case and inform the operators whether the conditions
are suitable for using the Wellcom system or an
alternative solution is needed.
Figure 13 shows an example of the Wellcom system
installed on a platform offshore Malaysia.
In this case a high pressure well was used as the
source of the motive flow. A compact cyclonic inline
separator, known as I-SEP, was used to separate the
HP gas phase. The HP liquid phase was fed to the jet
pump as the motive flow, boosting the pressure of the
combined LP gas and liquid phases.
Despite the fact that in this case HP/LP pressure ratio
was not high and close to 3.5, the system managed to
drop the flowing tubing head pressure (FTHP) of the
LP well by 17 Psi. This drop in the FTHP had an
important effect on stabilising the flow through the
4 SPE 152007
well bore and prevented liquids building up in the
well and cause sever slug flow and high loss of
pressure through the well bore.
By reducing the FTHP ,and by improving the flow
regime within the well bore, a significant 140 psi
drop in the flowing bottom-hole pressure (FBHP) was
achieved.
The drop in the FBHP resulted in an increase in
production by 150 b/d., close to 35% increase in
production. Figure 14 shows the FBHP before and
after the installation of the Wellcom system and is the
best evidence for achieving stabilisation of the flow
through the well bore.
4.2 Dual Wellcom system
When the flow rate of the LP gas is excessive and
reduces the effectiveness of the Wellcom system, an
alternative solution known as the Dual Wellcom
system is recommended. See figure 15.
This system enables the gas and liquid phases of both
HP and LP fluids to be separated, using the compact
separator (I-SEP). In this case, two jet pumps are
used, a gas jet pump which uses HP gas to boost the
pressure of the LP gas, and a liquid jet pump to boost
the pressure of the LP liquid phase, using liquids
from the HP source. This solution is the best way to
utilise both the energy of the HP gas and liquid
phases available (see Table 2, Case B).
4.3 Wellcom Boost
If no HP well is available or the HP pressure and flow
rates are not high enough, a system known as the
Wellcom Boost can be used.
Figure 16 shows the general layout of this system.
This solution is viable if some HP gas, such as lift
gas, is available to boost the pressure of the separated
LP gas.
The separated liquid phase can be boosted by a high
pressure liquid phase, using a liquid jet pump (if HP
liquid is available), or alternatively, a liquid booster
pump is used to boost the pressure of the liquid phase.
(See figures 16 and 17).
It is worth noting that in most cases the power
required by the booster pump in this case is low, as it
is boosting the pressure of the liquid phase alone.
Typical examples of the power required range
between 10 to 25 KW. If a multiphase pump was used
in such cases, handling both the LP gas and liquid
phases, the power required would be 10 to 15 times
that of the power needed for the single phase liquid
pump.
The Wellcom boost system is therefore ideal for cases
where there is insufficient power on the platform to
use a multiphase pump and the high gas volume
fraction of the LP flow increases the power
requirement of the multiphase pump.
Figure 17 shows an example of the Wellcom boost
system, offshore Malaysia. In this case as no HP well
was available, and only a limited amount of spare lift
gas was available, a gas-gas jet pump was used to
boost the pressure of the LP gas, and the separated
liquid phase was boosted, using a single phase
booster pump. The system enabled to achieve 7 bar
drop in the FWHP of the selected LP well, achieving
up to 30% increase in production from the selected
LP wells.
5-Revival of wells loaded with liquids-
Well deliquefication
A problem which some low pressure, low producing
oil or gas wells often face is the accumulation of
liquids within the well bore. This problem is often
aggravated as the water-cut increases.
The main cause of the liquid build up in the well bore
is the low velocity of the gas phase which is unable to
lift the liquids in the well bore and generate a stable
flow regime within the well bore.
There are a variety of ways to offload the liquids built
up in the well bore, some of which require interfering
with the well such as introducing a velocity string for
gas wells, and installing downhole pumps or
downhole jet pumps. There is, however, a simpler
way which can help to solve this problem in many
cases, using surface jet pumps.
By using a surface jet pump and by lowering the
flowing wellhead pressure, the velocity of the
produced gas can be increased, leading to liquids
which are built up in the well to be removed and
discharged. The effectiveness of this simple solution
is dictated by the amount of HP gas available for this
purpose and the HP/LP pressure ratio.
The viability of the system is therefore assessed by
estimating the drop in the FTHP achievable. In fact,
recent field examples have shown that in some cases
even a few bar drop in the wellhead pressure is
sufficient to stabilise the flow through the well bore
and reduce the FBHP significantly.
SPE 152007
In relatively deep wells with poor productivity, a
higher drop in the FTHP may be initially required to
offload the well. The recent case of the Wellcom
system in Malaysia, shown in figures 13 and 14, is a
good example of such a case.
A cost effective solution which can be adopted for
many applications is the use of the existing test
separator. The general arrangement of this system is
shown in figure 18.
Normally, the separated gas and liquid phases are
combined downstream of the flow meters and the
fluids return back to the production manifold. This
situation does not allow the well to operate at a
pressure lower than the production manifold pressure.
By introducing a jet pump on the gas outlet line of the
test separator and a small booster pump on its liquid
outlet line, the operating pressure of the test separator
can be reduced significantly, well below the pressure
of the production header or manifold.
A further benefit of this system is that as the well
starts to offload its liquids, the surge of liquids does
not affect the performance of the gas jet pump.
The separator also smoothes out the liquid rate
handled by the booster pump. Such a booster pump is
small and requires power which often ranges between
10 to 20 KW, depending on the expected maximum
rate of the liquids and the level of boost required for
the pump.
The benefit of this solution is that it enables the
operator to divert any well which needs liquid
offloading, by using the test manifold. The system
also allows the normal well testing operation to be
carried out whenever needed, and the boosting system
comes into the operation only when the particular
well which is diverted to the test separator needs
initial revival before it is diverted to the jet pump.
It is important to take the necessary actions for well
revival as early as possible, before the liquid build up
reaches its maximum, resulting in highly erratic flow
rate from the well or complete seizure of production.
Wells which are allowed to experience a long period
of liquid build up also may face build up of liquids
within the reservoir, close to the perforated zone.
Revival of wells with a high degree of liquid build up
could be problematic and other techniques such as
well cycling, or use of downhole lifting systems may
become initially necessary. This is similar to the case
of a patient which, if the illness is not cured at its
early stage, may face a verity of additional
5
complications and needing far more serious
operations!
It is also worth noting that even when downhole
solutions such as foam injection or gas lift, are used
for well revival, the effectiveness of these solutions
becomes far more significant if also the FTHP is
reduced by the surface jet pump system.
6-A solution for onshore fields
Most onshore fields have a number of producing
wells which are located far away from one another
and, unlike offshore platforms, it is not economical or
practical to use boosting systems which are located
near the individual wells.
An attractive solution in this case is to locate the
boosting system at the gathering station where flow
from the producing wells is manifolded.
Figure 16 shows the general layout of the Wellcom
boost system which uses HP gas as the motive flow,
and a liquid booster pump is used for the LP liquid
phase.
Locating the boosting system in the gathering station
has several advantages which include; a safer location
for the boosting system, better chance of the
availability of a high pressure liquid or gas phase, and
the station being manned, there is no problem for any
off site maintenance or inspection work.
This solution can also be adopted for the offshore
satellite platforms which have limited space and there
is no source of HP fluids. In this case the back
pressure on the line from the satellite platform can be
reduced at the receiving main platform where there is
a good chance for having HP gas and liquids as the
motive flow and space constraints would be of a
lesser issue.
7-The expected level of boost, using
jet pump systems
It has been described in the above section that the
achievable drop in the FTHP depends on the two
important factors of HP/LP pressure ratio and flow
ratio, and in the case of oil wells, also the gas volume
fraction (GVF) of the LP wells. In addition to these
factors, the productivity characteristics of the well,
often referred to as the productivity index (PI), also
plays an important role. Therefore if the PI of the well
is high, a bigger increase in production is achieved.
Figure 19 shows the effect of PI on two wells for the
same drop in their FTHP.
6 SPE 152007

It is worth noting that in some applications when the
wells are operating erratically, with fluctuations in
their wellhead pressure and flow rate, the drop in
their FTHP leads to further stabilisation of the flow
through the well bore and a significantly higher drop
in the flowing bottom-hole pressure (FBHP) is
achieved. A good example of such a case is described
for the field offshore Malaysia (see figures 13 &14).
In general, the effect of using jet pump solutions
range from revival of the dead wells to boosting
production from one or more oil wells, typically
ranging between 5% to 50%, or higher ,depending on
the operating conditions and the well PI.
be necessary in exceptional cases where the operating
conditions demand
- Maintenance requirements are next to nil as the unit
is quite robust and no moving parts are involved.
In many cases the operating conditions may change
with time, and some modifications to the jet pump
internals may become necessary in order to bring the
unit to its optimum efficiency under the new
operating conditions.
Jet pumps with universal design are supplied which
enable the nozzle or the mixing tube of the unit to be
removed and replaced easily with the new internals
when needed.

In some applications, the level of boost in production - In applications where corrosive fluids such as CO2
may not be significant because of the poor and H2S are produced, high grade materials such as
productivity of the wells or insufficient HP pressure duplex steel or materials compatible with the existing
and flow rate available. In such cases, it is worth pipe work and flanges are recommended.
noting that by using the suitable jet pump systems
stabilisation of the production may be achieved and - If sand is produced, the internals can be either
the solution may also help to defer the use of other coated with materials such as stellite or tungsten
costly systems such as downhole pumps or other carbide, which are resistant to erosion.
downhole boosting systems for a significant period.
In applications where sand production rate is high and
8-Main operation and design issues a high degree of erosion is expected, the internals can
be lined with ceramic inserts, which offer the highest
- The operation of the jet pump is simple and passive,
possible degree of resistance to erosion. In addition,
and in most cases no active control is required.
in such cases the internals which are subjected to high
- In order to monitor or assess the performance of the
fluid velocities are removable and can be replaced
system, pressure and temperature instruments are
after a period, if required.
recommended at the HP, LP and the discharge lines
of the system.
- Hydrate formation in gas production applications.
- Start-up and shut-down operations are also simple
The sharp drop in the pressure of the HP gas
and procedures are recommended to ensure that the
downstream of the HP nozzle of the jet pump could
upstream or downstream production systems are not
cause cooling of the HP gas, known as Joule-
upset.
Thomson cooling. Under normal conditions such as a
- Normally, a check valve is installed on the LP line
drop in gas pressure through valves could lead to
to protect this line from back flow from the discharge
sever drop in the temperature and formation of
or the HP line. Such a back flow may only occur if a
hydrates if water is present. However in the case of
valve downstream of the discharge line is erroneously
jet pump, the effect of two other factors prevents
closed, or in some cases during the start-up, if the LP
formation of hydrates within the jet pump. One factor
flow is started before the HP stream is opened.
is the immediate turbulent mixing of the LP gas with
- In applications when boosting the pressure of a very
the HP gas in front of the nozzle. The LP gas, having
low pressure gas from a surge vessel is involved, and
a higher temperature raises the temperature of the
the LP flow may fluctuate significantly, a re-cycle
cooled HP gas.
line between the discharge and the LP line may be
installed. A control valve on this line will open if the
The second factor is the rise in the pressure of the gas
LP pressure drops below a set limit to allow more
mixture as it passes through the mixing tube of the jet
flow from the discharge line to enter the LP inlet line
pump, and the formation of shock waves within the
of the jet pump. In this way, it will protect the LP
mixing tube. The compression of gas results in
separator to be exposed to vaccum, causing
further recovery of the temperature. The temperature
implosion. This situation applies mainly to surge
of the gas at the outlet of the jet pump is usually 10%
vessels which operate at near atmospheric operating
to 15% below that of the LP gas, and this situation
pressure (see figure 20). Other methods of protecting
does not normally lead to the formation of hydrates.
the system such as installing shut-down valves, may
SPE 152007
In addition, the high velocity of gas passing through
the jet pump does not allow the accumulation of
hydrates within the jet pump as hydrates normally
require an incubation period to form and accumulate.
No case of hydrate formation has been experienced or
reported where jet pumps have been used.
- Jet pump are normally designed to pipe codes
(ASME/ANSI B16.5 & B31.3).Other requirements
specific to an operating company or regulatory
authorities can also be met, if required.
9- Economics and the business case
The implementation of any solution requires an
acceptable economic justification. The evidence
gathered over the past 15 years confirms that in all
cases installing a jet pump system has been
economical and highly beneficial.
A simple way to justify the economics of such
applications is to assess the capital investment versus
the benefits, such as the increased production and
revenue. The costs involve not only the capital cost of
the jet pump system, but also the cost of the
interconnecting pipe work, valves and instruments,
and the installation costs. In many applications, the
solution is also compared with alternative systems in
terms of the capital cost, the operation cost, and other
issues such as space requirement, maintenance costs
and the delivery period for the system.
Economic justification can in most cases be simply
assessed by working out the pay back period achieved
from the added revenue. In practically all applications
of the jet pump solutions; the pay back period has
been short, varying from a few weeks for the simpler
gas-gas jet pumps, to a few months for the relatively
costlier Wellcom or Wellcom boost systems.
The attractiveness of the solutions involving jet pump
technology should also be assessed by considering the
following factors;
- Short delivery period. Jet pumps can be generally
manufactured within a period of 12 to 14 weeks or
shorter, depending on the materials required and their
availability.
- Little to no operation and maintenance costs
- Safety and simplicity of the system, requiring little
to no active control and man power requirement for
their operation
- Compactness and ease of adaptability where there
are space and weight constraints
- Acceptability as a short term solution, in cases
where the available motive (HP) sources such as HP
wells have a short life. In such cases, even deferring
7
the costly longer term solutions has proved to make
economic sense.
- If flaring LP gas is avoided, the environmental
benefits of the system should be considered.
- Good use of the available energy, which is often
wasted through choke valves and compressors` re-
cycled lines.
- Change-out of the internals, if needed during the life
of the system, is simple and can be carried out within
a matter of a few hours.
10- The rental option
In some applications reducing the capital expenditure
is attractive for the operating companies. A range of
compact skid mounted units are now available which
can be hired for periods ranging from a few months to
longer periods. The rental option offers benefits such
as minimal capital expenditure, short delivery period,
and short rental period in cases where there are
uncertainties on the longevity of the HP source or the
performance of the LP wells.
Figure 13 shows the photograph of a Wellcom oil unit
for rental operating offshore Malaysia.
Figure 21 is the picture of a jet pump skid for rental
in gas application in the Netherlands.
11- Conclusions
The various field examples show the wide range of
the applications of this technology. These examples
have all proven not only the viability and benefits of
the system, but the attractive economic benefits and
the short pay back period which they offer. Benefits
such as short delivery period, having no moving parts
and their ease of operation are further advantages of
the system.
Each field has its own constraints and requirements.
For this reason, site constraints and other operation
issues can be easily considered at the early stages of
the design of the boosting system to ensure that all
requirements are met.
In applications where the useful life of the HP source
is short, the low cost of the system still justifies its
use. Short application life, as low as only three
months, has already been experienced and has proven
to be still economical.
Training and organising workshops are offered to
help engineers to become more familiar with this
technology and to identify applications in their own
fields.
8 SPE 152007

It is also worth stressing the need for having 12- References

comprehensive data on the production and process
system, including PFD`s, operating conditions,
constraints on the site regarding power, space and
weight handling capability, so that suitable solutions
can be found with full knowledge of platform and the
operators` requirements.
-Reference 1; OTC 18676-PP. Maintaining late life
production from long offset sub sea gas wells.
Miles Becnel and Don Steib, Chevron, USA, Stephen
Wegener, Jacobs Linder, Najam Beg (Caltec Ltd).
OTC, May 2007
SPE 152007 9

Table 1: Examples of Wellcom Liquid-Gas Jet Pump Performance

HP Liquid LP Gas Discharge

Case Pressure Flowrate Pressure Flowrate Pressure
bara bbl/d bara MMscfd bara
1.0 60 4800 1.2 0.2 4.5
2.0 60 6700 1.2 0.3 4.5
3.0 60 9000 1.2 0.4 4.5
4.0 60 15500 1.2 0.7 4.5

TABLE 2: COMPARING THE PERFORMANCE OF SINGLE AND DUAL WELLCOM YSTEMS

Case High Pressure (HP) Low Pressure (LP) Discharge

Pressure

Liquid Gas flowrate GVF Liquid Gas flowrate GVF

Pressure flowrate m3/h sm3/d (%) Pressure flowrate m3/h sm3/d (%)
barg barg barg

A 70 100 423069 75 30 40 221662 90 34

B-1 70 0 423069 100 30 0 221662 100 40

B-2 70 100 0 0 30 40 0 0 45

Case A: Single WELLCOM system Cases B-1 & B-2: Dual WELLCOM system
gas & liquid jet pumps

Figure 1: General Configuration of the Jet Pump

10 SPE 152007

Figure 2: Performance of the Jet Pump in Gas Production Application

Shell, Ameland,North Sea

PROBLEM
Increase in production was not possible
without re-wheeling the compressor or the
installation of the jet pump.

SOLUTION
Universal design jet pump was installed, using
recycled HP gas to lower the FTHP of the wells,
thereby boost production.

BENEFITS Php/Plp=4.11
Gas production increased by 91MMscfd Qhp/Qlp= 0.89
Jet pump internals can be replaced easily
Pd/Plp= 1.286
to maximise production as well pressures EDUCTOR

decline
Jet pump has no moving parts, requires
minimal maintenance AME-1
RECYCLE VALVE
EXPORT
Jet pump produces no emissions to AME-2
AWG-G
atmosphere WELLS
COMPRESSOR
Avoided re-wheeling compressor

Figure 3: Example of Jet Pump Application - Shell Ameland

SPE 152007 11

BP Amethyst, UKCS
Solution

Use gas from the high pressure wells to

power a jet pump, enabling reduction on
the back pressure on a line serving LP
satellite wells.

Benefits (HP/LP pressure=5.4,HP/LP Q = 2.,Pd/Plp= 1.54)

Backpressure on LP wells reduced

by 5 bar, extra 22 MMscfd of gas

Process/Pipelines
To Downstream
(production increased by 110% ).

Better use of available energy ,with

minimum modification to the
existing piping. Gas Eductor
on Platform
HP Wells
Increased production life and
stability of the LP wells. Low Pressure Wells
(initially backedout)

Figure 4: Example of Jet Pump Application - BP Amethyst

Problem; Three satellite subsea wells 27miles away Chevron, USA (GOM)
from production platform. Long distance transport +
excessive liquid build- up in the wells & the pipe line.

Solution ; HP gas from the existing compressor on

recycle used to power the jet pump
(Php/Plp=4.9.Qhp/Qlp= 2.11,Pd/Plp=2 )

Benefits
Lowered arrival pressure at the platform by 200 psi

Higher gas velocities, lowered liquids accumulated

in the pipeline, causing a further 140psi drop at the
wellhead (340 psi total pressure drop). 200 psig 40MMSCFD Export
process 400 psig Sales
Production increased by 24% due to wellhead
1250 psig
pressure reduction and lower pipeline loss. Ejector

2.5 Bscf of otherwise lost reserves recovered. Recycle gas

7.4 MMSCFD GEMINI

Flow delivered at higher pressure to compressor 850 psig Sub sea
suction increased compressor throughput. manifold

Figure 5: Example of Jet Pump Application Chevron, USA

12 SPE 152007

APPLICATION: Onshore Europe

Solution

High pressure gas well used as the HP

source to revive LP well.

Benefits

The closed LP well is back in production

& is now producing 140,000 Nm3/d.

Pressure boost of 130%

The total production is going directly to

HP compression suction, thus allowing
the LP compressor to be switched off.

Additional saving on the fuel gas of the

LP compressor.

Figure 6: Example of Jet Pump Application - Onshore Europe

BP Inde, UKCS
Problem ; Restricted production from near-by
satellite Shell wells.

Solution ; Used HP recycled gas to power jet

pump, to draw-in low pressure Shell wells
Benefits

Tied-in extra 68 MMscfd of gas from LP

Shell wells into the existing facilities. Compressor
Davy Line
Production increased by 25% Separator
Export

Jet Pump
Increased intake capacity of compressor Bessemer
Line

De- bottlenecked existing compressor Dp

Low Pressure
Gas Wells
Award Winning application/extremely cost Juliet
effective Kilo
( Php/Plp=17.6,Qhp/Qlp=0.82.Pd/Plp=1.44 ) Subsea Line

Figure 7: Example of Jet Pump Application - BP Inde

SPE 152007 13

Middle East : Compressor replacement

Aim ; Capture low pressure gas currently
being flared, using a jet pump & replace 4TH
stage compressor.

Solution ; High pressure gas from the 1st

stage separator was used to power the jet
pump.

Benefits ;

2 MMscfd gas at 1bara captured , using Existing Installed jet pump after
HP gas from 1st stage separator, and compressors compressor removal
delivered at the suction pressure of 2nd
stage compressor.
Jet Pump

Used energy that is available 1st 2nd 3rd 4th

2nd Route
1st stage compressor was removed from 4th 3rd 2nd 1st
service. This simplified system Stage stage Stage Stage

operation& reduced maintenance costs.

(Php/Plp=35.6,Qhp/Qlp=2,Pd/Plp=2.07)
Gas no longer burned to power this
compressor,

Figure 8: Replacement of 1st stage Compressor with a Jet Pump

VICO INDONESIA : De-bottlenecking 1st stage compressor

GAS FROM 3rd STAGE USED TO BOOST PRESSURE OF SOME OF THE GAS
FROM 1st STAGE TO THAT OF 2ND STAGE

SYSTEM GAS HANDLING CAPACITY INCREASED

INLET PRESSURE OF 1ST STAGE MAINTAINED

ELIMINATED RE-WHEELING THE COMPRESSOR 2nd Stage

Gas Compressor
To Pipelines

1st Stage
Gas Jet Pump 1
LP Gas Compressor Re-cycle Line
Wells
Jet Pump 2

Php/Plp=6.6.Qhp/Qlp= 6.8,Pd/Plp=2.36

Figure 9: De-bottlenecking 1st stage Compressor with Jet Pumps

14 SPE 152007

Figure 10: Jet Pump with Acoustic Insulation jacket

Figure 11: An Inline Silencer

GAS

FROM HP WELL TO PROCESS

JET PUMP
SYSTEM
I-SEP
LIQUID

COMMINGLER

FROM LP WELL

Figure 12: General Configuration of the Wellcom Oil System

SPE 152007 15

Jet Pump

I-SEP

Figure 13: An example of a Wellcom Oil System, skid mounted

Record of flowing bottomhole pressure before and

after installing the surface jet pump system
Flowing bottomhole pressure (FBHP)
Dp at wellhead=17.4 psi
1200
1150
1100
1050
1000
950
FBHP Dp =140 psi
900
with Jet Pump
850
!
800
750
700
06:00:00
06:57:00
07:54:00
08:51:00
09:48:00
10:45:00
11:42:00
12:39:00
13:36:00
14:33:00
15:30:00
16:27:00
17:24:01
18:21:02
19:18:02
20:15:02
21:12:02
22:09:02
23:06:02
00:21:00
01:18:01
02:15:01
03:12:01
04:09:01
05:06:01
06:03:01
07:01:54
07:59:32

Figure 14: Effect of Jet Pump on Flowing Bottomhole Pressure (FBHP)

16 SPE 152007

Figure 15 : Dual Wellcom System

Php/Plp=7.9
Qhp/Qlp=3.23
Pd/Plp=1.46
HIGH PRESSURE GAS JET PUMP GAS

GAS
I-SEP
TO PIPELINE
Commingler

LIQUID
LOW PRESSURE LIQUID
OIL WELLS LIQUID
COMMINGLER
BOOSTER PUMP

Figure 16: Wellcom Boost System

SPE 152007 17

HI-SEP Jet pump

I-SEP

Booster
Pump

Figure 17: Wellcom Boost System - Offshore Malaysia

HP gas

Test
Header
Jet Pump

Test
Separator

Production
Booster
Well Header
Pump

Figure 18: Use of Test Separator for Well Revival

18 SPE 152007

Wells characteristics
Pressure

P1 W1

P2
W2
Q2 Q1

Q2a Q2b Q1a Q1b

Flowrate

Figure 19- LP Wellhead backpressure reduction versus production increase,

for two different well productivity characteristics

Gas
HP MP

LP

Gas PT

Separator

Liquid

Figure 20: Boosting Low Pressure Gas from Surge Vessel with a Control valve to recycle gas,
when needed, to protect the separator
SPE 152007 19

Figure 21: An example of a skid mounted Gas Jet Pump for rental