Artificial Lift

Production Engineering II
STT Migas Balikpapan
2014

 The common artificial lift methods that had used wide world
in oil and gas industry are gas lift, electric submersible pump
(esp), and sucker rod pump (SRP).
Other methods are progressive cavity pump (PCP) and
hydraulic jet pump (HJP).
In this lecture will discuss about the common artificial lift
methods.

GAS LIFT

Advantages
Gas lift is the best artificial lift method for handling sand
or solid materials.
Deviated or crooked holes can be gas lifted with minor
lift problems.
Well maintenance/intervention can be easily done as gas
lift permits the use of such equipment.
Gas lift has a low profile, not too much surface
equipment adjustment to support gas lift installation.
Well subsurface equipment is relatively inexpensive and
repair and maintenance of this subsurface is normally
low.
Installation of gas lift is compatible with subsurface
safety valves and other surface equipment.

Disadvantages
Relatively high back pressure may seriously restrict
production.
Gas lift is relatively inefficient, often resulting in large
capital investements and high energy operating costs.
Adequate gas supply is needed throughout the life of
project. In addition, there must be enough gas for easy
start-ups.
Increasing water cut increases the flowing bottom hole
pressure with a fixed gas lift pressure.
Operation and maintenance of compressors can be
expensive.
The difficulty increased when lifting low gravity crude oil.

GAS AVAIBILITY
The avaibility of the gas in the field will be a significant
factor in choosing gas lift system.
Gas that use for lifting can come from the produced gas
or gas well.
As the time goes on, the produced gas will be increased.
The system need to be made to separate gas for sale and
gas for lifting purpose.
Note that, the amount of gas for gas lift system have to
be fixed, or the injected gas plus the gas released from
the reservoir will dominate the colomn of the production
well. If this occur, the oil can not be produced. That is
why the amount of gas that need to be injected for each
well have to be controlled.

Field Application

GAS LIFT DESIGN

NODAL ANALYSIS

Do nodal analysis for each well by make the sensity study of

total GLR (GLR from reservoir and GLR injected)

GLPC

Build Gas Lift Performance Curve for each well.

GLR (SCF/STB)
512.45
1000
1500
2000
2500
GLR opt
GLR inj
qg inj

qL (b/d)
1660
1800
1850
860
1861
Result
1135
622.55269
1133045.9
1.1330459

Pwf (psi)
590
553
545
540
538
SCF/STB
SCF/STB
scfd
MMSCFD

Result from graphics

From Nodal Analysis and GLPC, the optimum gas injection rate can
be determined

Slope

qg (MMSCFD)
0
0.25
0.5
0.75
0.87759485
1
1.25
1.5
1.826972485
2
2.25
2.5
2.767

qL (bpd)
1660
1700
1749
1785
1800
1810
1829
1840
1850
1855
1858
1860
1860

Slope
160
196
144
117.56
81.696
76
44
30.584
28.897
12
8
0

Master Plot 1

Slope
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0

1
1.45
1.49
1.58
1.29
2
2.6
2.12
2.2
2.32
2.6
2.767

Qg,inj (MMSCFD) @Well

2
3
4
0
0.89
0.38
0
1.12
0.5
0
1.25
0.6
0.3
1.31
0.73
1.12
1.38
0.82
1.32
1.43
0.9
1.55
1.64
1
2.1
1.79
1.28
2.37
1.87
1.42
3.15
1.93
2.36
4
2
2.5

Qg,inj

5
0.74
0.8
0.88
0.92
0.97
1.03
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.45
1.75

3.46
3.91
4.31
4.55
6.29
7.28
7.41
8.57
9.28
11.49
13.017

Master Plot 2

From Master Plot 2:

gas injection rate optimum
(MMSCFD)
slope

4.7
34.3

well

gas injection
rate (MMSCFD)

production
rate (b/d)

1
2
3
4
5
total

1.68
0.35
1.31
0.75
0.91
5.0

1846.560
1373.732
394.080
681.634
937.153
5233.159

Well Application

GAS LIFT DESIGN