Surface Control of Injected Gas

Surface Control of Injected Gas

We now turn to the control of intermittent gas lift operations. Control of the gas passing from the casing to the
tubing is provided by the gas lift valve. This control is complemented by several types of surface controllers.
These may be provided by time cycle control or choke control. With time cycle control, a clock drives a pilot
which opens and closes a diaphragm-actuated valve on the gas supply line ( Figure 1 ). The pilot can be adjusted
to open and close for specific periods of time.

Figure 1

The choke control method relies on the inflow performance of the well and the gas lift valve operating spread
characteristics to control the cycle. The surface control consists of an adjustable choke or flow control valve on
the gas supply line ( Figure 2 ). The choke is adjusted to admit gas continuously into the annulus so that its
pressure builds at a steady rate.

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 Surface Control of Injected Gas

Figure 2

When the pressure reaches a high enough level, the gas lift valve opens and the slug is displaced. The choke must
be set, then, to admit gas at a rate compatible with the well’s inflow capacity. An efficient cycle frequency is then
established. A very important feature of choke control is that it eliminates the cyclical injection surges from the
compressor. In effect, the choke isolates the cyclic surges to the casing annulus. The compressor operates more
evenly and the gas circulated to the well can thus be measured more accurately.

This difference in opening and closing pressures of the gas lift valve is, as we mentioned earlier, the spread of the
valve. It is this feature of choke control that allows us to store, in the casing annulus, the volume of gas needed
for each intermittent lift cycle. The gas lift valve "spread" makes a storage chamber of the casing annulus.

We have mentioned a number or aspects of intermittent gas lift but our discussion has not been exhaustive. We
have not considered, for example, the procedure to be followed in locating the unloading valves. Because the
intermittent gas lift design is similar to that for continuous lift in that the liquids are U-tubed to the surface from
one valve to the next, the procedure for locating unloading valves discussed earlier for a continuous lift system

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 Surface Control of Injected Gas

are generally applicable to intermittent lift. The one significant difference for intermittent flow is that we must
define a pressure gradient in the tubing string for conditions where the kill fluids are being unloaded as slugs.
Under these conditions the pressure gradient in the tubing is caused primarily by frictional losses which are a
function of the velocity of flow and tubing size. Empirical correlations of the "design gradient," indicate that
these design gradients are in the range of 0.02 to 0.35 psi/ft. We use the appropriate gradient from these
correlations to draw the "design gradient" on the pressure-depth chart. The unloading values are then found.

We have also not discussed the option of using multipoint as opposed to single point gas injection. Some
controversy exists as to whether the use of multiple valves for gas injection can be successively applied to
intermittent lift. Because it and such other installations as chamber lift do not have widespread application we
shall refer you to Brown (1980) for a more detailed discussion.

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