Gas Lift Systems

Gas Lift
 Gas Lift
Annular gas injection Tubing gas injection
Production Gas in

Gas in Production

Casing Tubing Casing Tubing

Gas entry

Liquid Liquid
Gas Lift
 Gas Lift Equipment
• Subsurface equipment
– Gas lift valves
– Mandrels
• Conventional (tubing mounted)
• Side Pocket (wireline retrievable)
 Gas Lift Equipment
• Surface equipment
– Gas for injection
– Surface flow control equipment
 Gas Lift Installations
Production Production
Gas Gas

Conventional
Conventional valves
valves
Fluid seal
Packer
Standing
valve

Open installation Closed installation

 Gas Lift Types

Injected Injected
gas gas

Continuous gas lift Intermittent gas lift

 Continuous Gas Lift
• Advantages
• Takes full advantage of the
gas energy available in the
reservoir
• A high production volume
method
• Equipment can be centralized
• Can handle sand or trash
• Valves can be wireline or
tubing retrieved
• Works wells with subsurface
safety valves
• Minimal downhole
mechanical devices
• Full tubing bore capabilities
• Low maintenance
• Excellent in deviated
wellbores
• Disadvantages
• Can not pump off the well
• Minimum bottom hole
production pressure
increases both with depth
and volume
• Must have a source of gas
• Selection and placement of
equipment can be complex
• May require a compressor
• Must treat corrosive gasses
(must be a dry gas)
 Intermittent Gas Lift
• Advantages • Disadvantages
• Can obtain lower producing • Is limited in maximum volume
pressure than continuous lift • Can not pump well off
and at low rates • Causes surges on surface
• Equipment can be centralized equipment
• Valves may be wireline or • Must have a source of gas
tubing retrieved • Selection and placement of
• Works wells with subsurface equipment can be complex
safety valves
• Minimal downhole
mechanical devices
• Full tubing bore capabilities
• Low maintenance
• Excellent in deviated
wellbores
 Gas Lift Valves

Pd Pd

Ab
Ab

Pc

AP Pc
Pt

Closed position Open position

 Gas Lift Valves
• Continuous Flow Applications
• Intermittent Lift
• Operation
– Tubing-Pressure Operated
– Casing-Pressure Operated
– Balanced
• Orifice Valves
 Gas Lift Calculations
“Rules of Thumb”
• Required Pressure

– 100 psi per 1,000 ft of depth up to 800

psi with a minimum of 300 psi

– Example: pressure needed for

7,000 ft = 100 x (700/1,000) = 700 psi
 Gas Lift Calculations
“Rules of Thumb”
• Required Gas Volume

– 150 to 250 scf/bbl per 1,000 ft of lift

– Example: gas needed to lift from

4,000 ft:

Gas needed = 200*(4,000/1000)

= 800 scf/bbl
 Fundamentals of gas lift design
2000 Flowing gradient PBHF
below point
of injection
1600
Pressure, psi

Optimum point of injection

1200

Casing pressure gradient

800

D
400

0
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000
Depth, ft
 Pressure
0 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400
0

2000
2530'

4000 4000'
Depth

5100'

6000 6000'
6600'
7100'
7500'
7800'
8000 8050'
8250'

10000
 In-Class Problem #1
The IPR for a high-capacity reservoir with producing
water-oil ratio equal to 1 is:
q = 1.03 ( p - pwf)
If the average reservoir pressure, p, is 3550 psi and
the natural GLR is 300 SCF/STB, calculate pwf and the
required rate of gas to be injected at the bottom of
the well (H = 8000 feet) for a 2-3/8-inch tubing string
in order to produce 2000 STB/d. Assume the
producing GLR is going to be 800 SCF/STB.
 Problem #1 Solution
From the IPR equation:
pwf = p - q / 1.03
pwf = 3550 psi - (2,000 STB/d / 1.03)
pwf = 1,608 psi

Using the producing GLR of 800 SCF/STB and 2,000

STB/d, the required gas rate qg must be:

qg = 2,000 STB/d (800 SCF STB - 300 SCF/STB)

qg = 1 e6 SCF/d or 1 MMSCF/d
 Gas Lift Performance
• Surface operations affect well
performance
– Flow line chokes, high separator pressures,
long or restricted flow lines will either reduce
the producing rate or increase the injection
gas requirements, or both.
– A compressor discharge pressure should be
selected to result in the lowest compression
horsepower per barrel of fluid lifted when
injecting the optimum gas volume.
 Gas Lift Performance
• Optimizing the gas liquid ratio - gas
in/oil out
– As injection gas is added, the producing GLR
is increased
– Flowing tubing pressure decreases until a
minimum pressure is reached - maximum
liquid production at this point
– Further increases in gas injection will increase
tubing pressure and reduce the producing rate
 Gas Lift Problems
• Gas lift valves can fail from:
– Debris/corrosion causing valves to
stick open or closed
– Large change in well productivity
(valves not calibrated to handle new
conditions)
• Gas lift installations can fail from:
– Tubing leaks, causing “short circuit” of
gas
– Large change in well productivity
(insufficient gas injection rate or
pressure)
 Troubleshooting
Observations
– Well tests
– Casing and tubing pressure charts
– Gas input volumes
– Flowing pressure gradient surveys
– Bottom hole pressures
– Producing characteristics
Identifying Gas Lift Problems
Methods available to help determine
problems:
• Flowing pressure gradient survey
• NODAL analysis/Gas lift design
software (very effective if used with
gradient survey)
• Removal and inspection of tubing,
mandrels, and valves
• Gas input & output flow charts
 Max oil rate
BOPD

Max OCI

Max profit

Gas injection rate in MCFD