SPE 164256

Novel Examples of the use of Surface Jet Pumps (SJPS) To Enhance

Production & Processing: Case Studies and Lessons Learned
Syed M Peeran, Dr Najam Beg & Sacha Sarshar, Caltec Ltd UK

Copyright 2013, Society of Petroleum Engineers

This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE Middle East Oil and Gas Show and Conference held in Manama, Bahrain, 10–13 March 2013.

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 is restricted as the reservoir pressure drops. This situation becomes worse when
water-cut also increases. The restrictions in production also apply to satellite fields or in deep water applications where long
distance transport of fluids is involved. 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. Some production boosting solutions require major
investment and major changes or upgrading of the existing production system.

Surface Jet Pumps (SJPs) are simple, low cost, passive devices which use a high pressure (HP) fluid as the motive force to
boost the pressure of produced gas and liquid phases. The system enables the flowing wellhead pressure (FWHP) to be
reduced in order to increase production, whilst meeting the downstream production pressure requirements. A high pressure
fluid is needed as the source of energy or motive flow.

The applications of Surface Jet Pumps include revival of dead or liquid loaded oil and gas wells. The oil and gas industry has
in recent years become more aware of their applications and benefits.

This paper covers their main applications including boosting production from selected oil and gas wells, boosting the
pressure of low pressure gas, prevention of flaring very low pressure gas, eliminating the need for intermediate compressors,
de-bottlenecking compressors, preventing 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. The paper also addresses the economic aspects and pay-back periods.
Field applications have shown that the recovery of the capital spent in installing surface jet pumps is generally achieved
within a few weeks to a few months.

1-Introduction
As oil & gas fields mature, depletion of the reservoir, the drop in the reservoir pressure and increase in water-cut restrict
production and total recovery from many of these fields. Changes to the productivity of the wells may also occur as the
reservoir pressure drops. Reduced production and changes in the flow rate of gas and liquids could create problems for the
flow of the fluids through the well bore, and liquid build up in wells, which if nothing is done, could result in cessations of
production.

These problems demand solutions to maintain production and to enable the total recovery from the field to improve before
the field is abandoned.Without the use of systems or solutions to maintain production, total recovery from the field may be
limited to only 35 % (world average) of the total recoverable reserves (RR), or lower values. Many fields rely heavily on
IOR (improved oil recovery) and EOR (enhanced oil recovery) solutions. There are, however, methods to improve
production without the need for major capital investment. Surface jet pump systems (SJPs) are among the least costly, value
added, solutions to extend the life of many LP wells. They also work well by enhancing the effectiveness of IOR and EOR
techniques.
2 SPE 164256

2- Jet Pump Operation

Jet pumps or SJPs are passive devices which use energy from a high pressure (HP) source to boost the pressure of low
pressure fluids. Figure 1 shows the general configuration of the jet pump and key components of the system. Jet pumps are
also known as eductors, ejectors or gas jet compressors, depending on their application in various industries. In oil and gas
production applications, onshore or offshore, it is preferred to refer to them as surface jet pump or “SJP” for short, and use
this abbreviation for simplicity.

The HP fluid passes through the nozzle of the surface jet pump (SJP) where part of potential energy (pressure) is converted to
kinetic energy (high velocity). As a result, the pressure of the HP fluid drops in front of the nozzle. It is at this point where
the LP flow is introduced. The mixture then passes through the mixing tube where transfer of energy and momentum takes
place between the HP and LP fluids. The mixture finally passes through the diffuser where the velocity of fluids is gradually
reduced and further recovery of pressure takes place. The pressure at the outlet of the jet pump will be at an intermediate
value between the pressure of the HP and LP fluids. The level of boost in the pressure of the LP fluids depends on a number
of factors which include:

- HP/LP flow ratio and pressure ratio

- Density or molecular weight of the HP and LP fluids

There are also secondary factors such as the operating temperature and whether the jet pump is operating under its optimum
design conditions. Figure 2 shows the performance of the SJP in gas production applications at different HP/LP pressure
ratios.

In the case of gas production, both HP and LP fluids are primarily gas. Presence of liquids (condensate, oil or water) in the
LP flow can be tolerated so long as the volumetric flow rate of liquids is below 1% to 2% of the volumetric flow rate of the
LP gas at the operating pressure and temperature. Beyond these values, the effect on the achieved dp (discharge pressure - LP
pressure) could be significant, requiring the LP liquids to be separated upstream of the SJP and be boosted separately.
Alternatively, the LP liquids can be sent to a part of the process system which operates at a lower pressure, if such a source is
available.

Presence of liquids in the HP gas also has a similar limitation, beyond which the liquids need to be separated upstream of the
SJP. The main reason in this case is that the performance and sizing of the nozzle is affected based on whether the HP flow is
liquid or gas phase. A further point is that if the HP flow is multiphase (a mixture of gas and liquids) the fluctuating flow
regime associated with multiphase flow reduces further the efficiency of the SJP significantly as the mixture is not usually
homogeneous.

The exceptions in these cases are transient conditions such as start-up, when the system may be subjected to a high flow rate
of liquids passing through the SJP. The SJP recovers quickly in such cases, as soon as the liquids pass through it.

If no HP gas is available in gas production applications, the HP source can be a high pressure liquid (oil or water). In this
case the solution is viable and economical mainly when the LP gas flow rate is small and is limited to a few MMscfd. The
reason for this limitation is the relatively high volumetric flow rate of liquids needed for each MMscfd of the LP gas.

2.1 Multiphase Applications of SJPs

In oil production applications, both HP and LP flow may be from oil wells which produce a mixture of oil, gas and water. In
this case, gas from the HP fluids should be separated so that the HP liquids alone serve as the motive flow. The SJP may in
this case be able to handle both produced LP gas and liquids. The separated HP gas bypasses the SJP and is combined with
the fluids from the outlet of the SJP. This is a patented system and is known by its commercial name of the “WELLCOM
system”.

The WELLCOM system is effective in boosting production from LP oil wells. The performance of the system is simply
measured by the pressure difference, i.e. the differential between the discharge pressure (Pd) and the LP pressure (Plp). The
main factors which affect the performance of the SJP in this case are HP/LP pressure ratio and mass flow ratio, and the flow
rate of the LP gas produced with LP liquids. There are also other secondary factors such as the operating temperature and the
density of each phase.

Boosting the pressure of LP liquids requires a source of HP liquid phase as HP gas has insufficient mass to boost the pressure
of the liquid phase effectively. In cases where there is no HP oil well or a high pressure liquid phase such as injection water
SPE 164256 3

or export oil, the LP liquid phase can be boosted using a single phase pump. In this case the LP gas and liquids can be
separated, using a compact separator such as I-SEP (described in Section 3). The SJP can increase the pressure of LP gas; and
the liquid booster pump can boost the pressure of the LP liquid phase. This is also a patented system, known by its trade
name of the “WELLCOM BOOST “system.

It is worth noting that this system performs the same duty that a multiphase pumping system does. The main difference is that
under the WELLCOM BOOST system, the power required to drive the single phase pump is a fraction of the power needed
by the multiphase pump which handles both LP gas and liquids. Multiphase pumps are also more complex and costly,
compared to a small liquid booster pump.

Figure 2 shows the performance of the SJP in gas production applications under different HP/LP pressure ratio and flow
ratios. It is difficult to produce general performance curves for the WELLCOM system, as in addition to HP/LP pressure ratio
and flow ratio, other factors such as temperature, flow rate of LP gas and liquids also affect the performance of the system.
Software is however developed and fully validated to predict the performance of the system in oil production applications.

3- Using a Compact Separator (I-SEP) in conjunction with SJPs

When either HP or LP flow is multiphase, a mixture of gas and liquids beyond the range quoted in Section 2, separation of
gas and liquids is required. Gravity separators can be used to achieve the desired separation of gas and liquids. Gravity
separators are however bulky and have limitations in their design pressure. Ideally, a compact unit is required so that the total
system occupies minimum space and the system is easy to operate.

A compact separator under the trade name of I-SEP, developed and patented by Caltec, is available to perform the desired
separation duties. I-SEP is a cyclonic passive device which requires no active level or pressure control. In applications where
a high degree of separation efficiency is desired, a combination of I-SEP and HI-SEP (knock-out pot) can be used. These
units are compact with a foot print which is a fraction of those for gravity separators.
I-SEP has been used for a variety of applications including, gas-liquid separation, sand separation, well testing and bulk oil-
water separation.

Figure 11 shows the picture of I-SEP as part of the WELLCOM system for gas-liquid separation.

4 - Applications of the SJP

Surface jet pumps have a wide range of applications in both oil and gas production applications. The main applications
include the following:

- Increase production from LP oil and gas wells

- Revive liquid loaded wells, de-liquification of loaded wells
- Prevent oil or gas wells to be liquid loaded
- Boost the pressure of LP gas from the process system
- Prevent flaring very low pressure gas
- De-bottleneck compressors
- Remove intermediate compressors
- Prevent HP wells to impose back pressure on LP wells
- Lower the operating pressure of the main separator to increase production
- Improve the performance of compressors
- Improve the effectiveness of gas lift systems

In the following section a field example of each case is described.

4.1- Increase production from LP wells

Figure 3 shows a good example of increasing production from a low pressure well in Italy. The well was initially abandoned
and could not produce against the prevailing manifold pressure. Flow from a nearby HP gas well was used as the motive
flow. This well kept producing for several years and recovered gas which would have otherwise been left in the fragmented
reservoir.

Figure 4 shows an example of using the recycle gas from the compression system on the Inde platform in the Southern North
Sea, U.K, to boost production from two satellite platforms (Juliet and Kilo) operated by Shell. Up to 25% increase in
production was achieved. It is worth noting that in this case, in addition to boosting production from the satellite wells, a
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considerable amount of liquids accumulated in the pipelines were removed as a result of the increase in the velocity of gas
flowing through the submarine pipeline. The SJP was in this case installed on the main platform where the compression
system was located.

Figure 5 shows an example of the oil production application where only HP gas was available as the motive flow and a
single phase liquid pump was used to boost the pressure of the LP liquid phase. The WELLCOM BOOST system was
installed on two satellite platforms, Seligi and Guntong, offshore Malaysia.

Figure 6 shows another example of the SJP application offshore, Gulf of Mexico. In this case the LP wells were located
subsea in deep waters, whilst the SJP was installed on the process platform some 27 miles away. Recycled gas from the
compression system was used as the motive flow. The SJP enabled the back pressure on the pipeline to be reduced by 200
psi. Reducing the back pressure on the pipeline offered a further benefit of increasing the velocity of gas flowing through the
submarine pipeline, which helped to sweep bulk of the liquids built up along the pipeline.

Removal of the liquids accumulated in the submarine line reduced the pressure loss along the pipeline and led to further 140
psi drop in the back pressure on the three satellite wells. This simple solution also helped the LP wells to get rid of the liquids
built up in the wells and started producing in a stable manner. The operator announced that as a result of using the SJP, 2.5 to
3 bscf of otherwise lost reserve was recovered.

4.2 - Lower the operating pressure of the separator

Figure 7 shows an example of how the operating pressure of a separator was reduced by lowering the back pressure on the
gas outlet line of the separator located on another platform, offshore Indonesia. This solution reduced the back pressure on
LP wells feeding the separator and increased production from these wells by 25%.

4.3 – Debottleneck compressors

Figure 8 shows an example of the SJP to enable the first stage compressor to operate at a lower pressure whilst some of the
LP gas beyond the capacity of the compressor was boosted by the two SJPs. The boosted gas was fed to the inlet of the
second stage compressor which had sufficient capacity to handle the additional gas. Lowering the pressure of the first stage
compressor enabled gas production from all LP wells tied to the system to stabilise and increase.

4.4- Prevent flaring LP gas

Figure 9 shows a combination of two applications in the Middle East which is for eliminating an intermediate compressor
and for preventing flaring the very low pressure gas from the fourth stage separator (surge vessel) which operated at near
atmospheric pressure. The key issue associated with such applications is the high level of pressure boost ratio, Pd/Plp, which
is required to boost the pressure of the very low pressure gas to a pressure which is suitable to be fed to the next stage
compressor or be used as fuel gas. The desired Pd/Plp ratio in such cases generally ranges between 2 to 4.

4.5- Revival of liquid loaded wells

The main cause of liquid loading is the reduced reservoir pressure and low flow rate of gas to enable the produced liquids to
flow along the well bore to surface. Insufficient velocity of gas causes the liquids gradually dropping back into the well bore
and build up within the well to a level that could increase back pressure at the bottom hole, and cause highly erratic
production or prevent production. Beyond a certain gas velocity, the flow regime within a major part of the wellbore becomes
of slug flow type, leading to full liquid loading of the well.

There are a number of ways to revive and deliquify such wells. Most solutions involve interfering with the well bore and use
of a downhole system such as injection of foam downhole, installing a velocity string or use of downhole pumps. These
solutions are costly and in most cases the operators look for simpler solutions. Reducing the flowing wellhead pressure, using
the SJP, could be an effective way to revive such wells cost effectively.

In some applications the liquid loading is so severe that reducing the FWHP of the well using the SJP is not enough on its
own. In this case the well can be diverted to the test separator and can be allowed to operate initially at a very low FWHP
close to atmospheric condition. In this case, the produced gas can be temporarily flared and the liquids can be diverted to a
low pressure source such as the closed drain system. As soon as the well has been offloaded, it can be diverted back to the
SJP, and it can then operate in a stable manner at the low pressure which the SJP can offer.

Figure 10 shows an example of this solution where either the SJPs can be used to lower the operating pressure of the test
separator or, if not possible, the separated gas is temporarily flared and the liquids are diverted to a LP source or the closed
drain temporarily. This solution enables the well to produce at near atmospheric FWHP for offloading the liquids.
In applications where even flowing the well at atmospheric pressure is not sufficient to revive the well, an artificial lift
system such as foam injection may be needed. It is worth noting that even when an artificial lift system is used, the use of
SPE 164256 5

surface jet pump can speed up the recovery of the well and could increase production further.

4.6 - Use of “WELLCOM” system

In this case a higher pressure oil well was used as the source of motive flow to revive a low pressure well offshore Malaysia.
As in this case the HP pressure and flow rate were not too high compared with the LP pressure and flow rate, it was possible
to reduce the FWHP of the LP well by only 17.4 psi. By improving the flow regime within the wellbore, the flowing
bottomhole pressure (FBHP) was reduced by 140 psi, resulting in an increase in production by 150 bopd. Figure 12 shows
the photograph of the skid mounted system. The compact separator, I-SEP, to separate HP gas and liquids is shown in the
picture. Figure 13 shows the record of the FBHP before and after the SJP came to operation.

4.7- Use of SJP combined with gas lift

In many cases the use of gas lift is the most effective way to boost or maintain production from oil producing wells.
However, there is a limit beyond which increasing the lift gas is not effective, as shown in Figure 14. This figure shows how
by adding the SJP, and by lowering the FWHP of the well, further increase in production is achieved under optimum gas lift
condition, or cases where insufficient lift gas is available. This example shows how effective the combination of gas lift and
the SJP could be.

4.8 - Using SJP to improve the performance of compressors

Lift gas which is provided via a multi-stage compression system may not have high enough pressure to introduce gas at the
deepest part of wells where it is needed. The reason is primarily that the inlet pressure of the first stage compressor is
required to be low enough to reduce the back pressure on LP wells. In this case if the SJP can raise the inlet pressure of the
first stage compressor, the outlet pressure of the compressors can be increased proportional to the pressure ratio which each
stage can generate. This will result in the final pressure of gas for gas lift to be at a higher pressure, enabling gas to be
injected at the lowest parts of the well where lift gas is most effective. The motive gas in this case may be gas from the last
stage compression system.

Figure 15 shows the general arrangement of this solution. Raising the inlet pressure of the first stage compressor has also the
benefit of increasing its capacity to handle LP gas.

5- What is the best location for the SJP?

The best location for the SJP is dictated by the details of the production system and where the sources of HP and LP fluids
are located. In most cases the aim is to minimise the interconnecting pipe work. This rule applies to both onshore and
offshore applications.

In the case of onshore wells, as the wells are usually scattered over a vast area, and lack of the source of HP fluids near the
LP wells, a suitable location for the SJP may be at the gathering or production station where flow from all wells arrive and
enter a manifold. In this case the SJP can be located close to the manifold and flow from selected LP lines can be diverted to
the SJP as shown in Figure 19. The motive flow can be either from one or more of the HP lines, or alternatively, from a high
pressure source which may exist in the gathering station, such as gas from the compression system. The exceptions to this
case are the wells with dual completion where the production pressure of one string is significantly higher than that of the LP
string. In this case the energy from the HP string can be used to reduce the back pressure on the LP string. The SJP in this
case will be located close to the wellhead. See Figure 16.

In the case of offshore applications, the location of the SJP depends primarily on where the source of the motive (HP) fluids
is located. This is particularly related to the satellite platforms and whether there is a source of HP flow on the satellite
platform or not. Examples shown in Figures 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 show how the field production system arrangement affects the
location of the SJP and the solution selected.

6- What happens if the operating conditions change?

The operating conditions of both the HP and LP sources may change during the service life of the SJP. The SJP system is
initially designed for a base case agreed with the client. This condition often relates to the operating conditions within the
initial life of the SJP.

The SJPs supplied can be of universal type with the internals (the nozzle and the mixing tube) replaceable if needed. Figure 1
shows the key features of the replaceable internals. If the HP pressure or flow rate changes significantly, only the nozzle of
the SJP needs changing.
6 SPE 164256

If, however, the total HP and LP flow rate changes beyond 20% to 25%, a change of the mixing tube may become necessary
to optimise the performance of the system.

Change-out of the internals is a relatively simple operation and can be carried out by platform crew within a matter of a few
hours. Detailed procedures are available for change-out operation. It is worth noting that in practically all cases experienced
so far, the cost of replacing the internals has been recovered over a few weeks from the enhanced production achieved by
optimising the design of the SJP.

7-The issue of temperature & noise

In gas production applications, generally two issues are checked and are considered in the design of the system. At high
HP/LP pressure ratios above 2, noise generated by the SJP could exceed 85 dBA, which is generally the acceptable level
onshore and offshore. Noise is measured at one meter away from the axis of the SJP. Noise also travels through the LP and
the discharge lines of the SJP. Silencers are therefore needed to prevent noise travelling beyond the SJP along these lines.

Silencers are flanged spool pieces which are installed at the LP inlet and the discharge line of the SJP. In some cases the
noise emitting through the body of the SJP may be beyond the permitted limit. In this case the body of the SJP can be
acoustically lagged. Silencers can be designed to limit the noise to lower than the quoted 85 dBA in cases where the SJP is
close to populated onshore areas.

Temperature effect. A significant drop in the HP gas pressure at the outlet of the nozzle of the SJP could cause a drop in the
temperature of gas at the outlet of the SJP. This is a complex phenomenon beyond that expected under pure Joule-Thomson
cooling principle, as immediately after the nozzle, LP gas is combined with HP gas, and further recovery of the pressure
takes place. There is also the generation of shock waves within the SJP in most cases, which affect the resultant temperature.
Analytical tools are available to predict the temperature at the outlet of the SJP at each stage of operation, including the start
up.

In general, the temperature of the gas at the outlet of the SJP is well above that calculated by considering only the Joule-
Thomson cooling effect as a result of HP pressure dropping to the LP pressure in front of the nozzle. In exceptional cases
where the temperature at the outlet of the SJP is expected to be within the hydrate formation band, introduction of hydrate
suppressant such as Glycol or MEG ,or equivalent will be advised upstream of the SJP. Presence of liquids in the HP or LP
gas also reduces the cooling effect.

In oil production application cases where HP liquid is the motive flow, neither noise, nor temperature, poses any problems.
Silencers are therefore not required in such cases.

8- Control, Instrumentation and Safety Issues

Jet pumps are passive devices with no moving parts and are simple to operate. They do not usually need any control system.
There are exceptional cases that some type of control may be required in order to ensure that the SJP operates safely under all
expected operating conditions. An example of this case is when the SJP boosts the pressure of very low pressure gas, close to
atmospheric pressure, from a separator or a surge vessel. In this case the flow rate of LP gas may change significantly during
the operation of the system.

In order to prevent the SJP to bring the LP pressure to below atmospheric pressure when the LP gas flow rate is temporarily
reduced significantly, a small bypass line is introduced between the discharge and the LP line of the SJP. This line is
equipped with a control valve which allows some gas from the discharge line of the SJP to be fed to its LP inlet line to
compensate for the reduced LP gas rate. This solution prevents the LP separator to be exposed to sub- atmospheric pressures.
There are also other simple solutions if for any reason further control of the operation is needed. These issues are usually site
specific and will be addressed in detail during the design stage and are fully reviewed as part of the HAZOP study carried out
in each case.

9 – Material selection, fabrication and codes

The jet pump can be supplied in a variety of materials as required by the specific applications. The materials covering pipe
work, flanges, forgings and fittings normally meet the standards of the oil and gas industry such as ASME/ANSI codes. The
selected materials need to meet two basic requirements;
SPE 164256 7

 Suitability based on the nature and composition of produced fluids

 Compatibility with the existing equipment and pipe work on the platform or fields.

The selected materials could therefore range from simple carbon steel to high grade duplex. In case of sand production, parts
of the internals which are subject to high velocities and erosion, such as the nozzle or the mixing tube, can be coated with
hard wearing materials such as tungsten carbide, or ceramic lining is added which has the highest level of resistance to
erosion. The modularization of the jet pumps allows easy modification and the change-out of the key components or
internals.

For the design of the system, normally ASME/ANSI B31.3, ASME B16.5 and the Pressure Equipment Directive (PED) are
used. In exceptional cases and at the request of the clients other codes such as Stoomwezen (Netherlands) or the pressure
vessel code ASME VIII or BS 5500 have been used. There is no specific limit for the design pressure which is usually
dictated by the operating conditions and safety considerations.

Fabrication and welding is carried out to the high standard of the oil and gas industry meeting all the requirements of the
codes and specific company regulations. All units are normally tested to 1.5 times their design pressure. These, together with
the simple and robust design of these units, make them one of the safest equipment used in the oil and gas industry.

10- How to assess the performance of the SJP

The performance of the SJP is assessed simply by noting the dP, the difference between the discharge and the LP pressure of
the SJP. The discharge pressure is not controlled by the SJP and is mainly dictated by the downstream pipeline and
production system. The SJP, however, responds to changes in the parameters which affect its performance by adjusting the
LP pressure which it generates.

In applications where the LP flow is directly from LP wells, the LP pressure is automatically adjusted by the SJP so that it
matches the performance of both the LP wells and the SJP. This phenomenon is shown in figure 21 where the well
performance curve and the performance curve of the SJP meet.

Operators are often anxious to know by how much the production is increased as a result of reducing the FWHP of the LP
wells by a known amount. In this case if the performance characteristics of the wells (PI values) are known and are reliable
and up to date, the increase in production can be simply estimated by multiplying the PI value with the achieved drop in the
FWHP of the LP wells.

In the absence of a reliable PI value or a metering system, each LP well can be diverted to the test separator and its
production rate can be measured. In this case the test separator should be able to operate at the pressure which the SJP
generates.

In most cases the test separator can only operate at pressures above or equal to the pressure of the production manifold. This
is because the separated gas and liquids are diverted back to the main production manifold after being metered.
To overcome this problem and to assist in offloading the LP wells when they are loaded with liquids, the solution described
in the next section may be a cost effective way to solve these problems.

11- The economics

The use of any boosting system requires sufficient economic justification. The simplest way to assess the economics of using
a jet pump system is to compute the payback period needed to recover the capital costs, and bear in mind that in practically
all cases, there is little to no operation cost. The capital cost includes the cost of the jet pump and the silencers, if needed.
There are also the costs of the additional interconnection piping, valves, instrumentation and the installation of the system. In
many cases these costs are more than the cost of the jet pump, but, never the less; they are costs which need to be considered
for economic assessment.

The costs of the total system may increase significantly if for any reason high grade materials and high pressure rating are
required. The many field applications so far have proven that the economics are very attractive and in practically all cases the
payback period has been a matter of a few weeks to a few months. In fact for the Inde platform jet pump system, BP reported
a payback period of only 10 days!

The economics are so attractive that in many cases even using the jet pump for a few months could be economical. These
8 SPE 164256

relate to cases when the HP motive flow is not sustainable and their pressure may drop rapidly over a short period. Past field
experiences have proved that even in such cases the jet pump would be an economical solution despite the fact that both the
nozzle and the mixing tube may need to be modified more than once within a short period such as four to six months. This is
in response to changes in the pressure and flow rates of the HP and LP gas as described in the field example below.

In addition to the economic benefits related to increased production, other issues such as environmental benefits, particularly
in the case of the prevention of flaring should be taken into account. In scenarios when the de-bottlenecking of the
compressors or similar are involved, even deferring the adoption of high cost solutions such as the upgrading of the existing
compression system have economic benefits. The field examples and the applications discussed in this paper show that jet
pumps complement what the compressors can do, but at a fraction of the cost, with a short delivery period.

11- Conclusion
Mature fields, many satellite fields, and fields with tight and complex reservoir conditions, all face the same problem of
having restricted production. If nothing is done the total recovery from the field will be seriously restricted.
No doubt the general IOR and EOR techniques are effective to extend the life of most fields. Their selection will be based on
the characteristics of the field and consideration of the economics of each case.

The use of surface jet pumps does not usually involve the major capital and operating expenditures which many IOR and
EOR techniques require. This simple device offers very cost effective solutions to boost production or to enhance process and
operation on many onshore and offshore fields. The examples given in this paper are convincing evidences of the cost
effectiveness of their use with minimum risk involved.

The payback period for the recovery of the capital has in all cases been a matter of a few weeks to a few months.
SJPs can work effectively combined with all EOR and IOR techniques and compliment these techniques to achieve the
desired extra total recovery from the fields.

In addition, SJPs can perform other duties such as revival of liquid loaded wells, preventing flaring LP gas, de-bottlenecking
compressors, improving the performance of compressors or eliminating intermediate compressors.

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REFERENCES;
1-OTC18676-PP, Maintaining late–life production from long offset subsea gas wells. Miles Becnel and Don Steib, Chevron
USA; Stephen Wenger, Jacobs Linder; Najam Beg; Caltec limited.
2- Information on I-SEP and HI-SEP compact separators can be obtained via Caltec web site; WWW.Caltec.com.
SPE 164256 9

Figure 1 –Key components of the Surface Jet Pump

HP INLET LP INLET DISCHARGE

DIFFUSER
MIXING TUBE
NOZZLEEE
10 SPE 164256

Figure 2 Performance Curves for Surface Jet Pumps-Gas production application

SPE 164256 11

Figure 3 - Spilamberto, Italy, HP Gas Well Reviving LP gas Well

Figure 4 - Jet Pump Application to Revive Satellite Wells - BP Inde, U.K

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Figure 5: Wellcom Boost System general features

Figure 6: Jet Pump Application to Serve subsea wells – Chevron, USA

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Figure 7- An example of reducing the separator pressure to boost production

Figure 8 - De-bottlenecking the First Stage Compressor, offshore Indonesia

 Gas From 3rd Stage of Compressor used to Boost Pressure of some of the gas from the 1st stage
to that of the 2nd stage
 System Gas Handling Capacity Increased
 Inlet Pressure of 1st Stage maintained
 Eliminated Re-Wheeling of compressor
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Figure 9- Replacing the First Stage Compressor with the SJP

Figure 10- Use of the Test Separator to Revive Liquid Loaded Wells
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Figure 11- Wellcom Boost system, offshore Malaysia

Figure 12-Wellcom System, offshore Malaysia

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Figure 13- Record of the FBHP after installing the SJP, offshore Malaysia

FBHP after installing the SJP

FWHP before installing the SJP

Figure 14- Using SJP to enhance gas lift

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Figure 15- Using the SJP to boost the discharge pressure of the compressor

Figure 16- Using the SJP in dual completion wells

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Figure 17 – Production from Satellites – Locations for SJP Systems or Other Boosting Systems

Figure 18- Typical performance of the SJP and well performance characteristics

The point which matches the

performance of the well and the SJP
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Figure 19- Typical SJP Locations