Session 2 - Gaslift System Consideration - No 2 Upd 15-4-15

SPDC GAS-LIFT SYSTEM
Basic
Gas Lift CONSIDERATIONS
• Well Operation & System Operation
• Compressor Operation
• Flowlines & Manifolds
• Separator Pressures & Stages
• Well Test System & Data Accuracy
• Maintaining Low Backpressure &

Adequate Lift-Gas Pressure
Copyright 1998 SIEP EPT-OM Portions Copyright SEPTCo, Burney Waring 1

SPDC
Basic
Gas Lift
GASLIFT SYSTEM

SPDC GAS-LIFT SYSTEM
Basic
Gas Lift CONSIDERATIONS
The well is only a small part of this system.

We cannot discuss, design or improve gas lift without
considering the gas lift system.
Gas is provided by a high pressure source, normally a gas
compressor. The compressor normally takes its suction
from the low pressure gas recovered from the wells. This
creates a rotative-compressive system where gas is
continuously cycled through the wells.
Each part of the system affects the operation of the whole.
Compressor
Separator
Liquids (sales,
disposal)
Gas (fuel, sales)

SPDC
Basic
Gas Lift
COMPRESSOR OPERATION
A compressor’s job is
to turn low pressure gas
into high pressure gas.
• They do this well, as long as you

don’t try to work outside it’s
operating envelope.
– 3 stage recip - 13:1 package ratio
– centrifugals may not be staged
» higher volume, larger HP
• Expend more effort reducing

suction pressure than you do trying
to increase discharge pressure
– discharge may be a function of export P/L

SPDC
Basic
Gas Lift
COMPRESSOR OPERATION
Discharge gas handling
• Sales/Export gas is often “Dry” gas

– 4 lbs. Water per MM CFD
– TEG dehydration is most common
• High Export pressures may mean

Lift Gas comes from an interstage
– may not be dried, but should be separated
– may complicate surge control processes

SPDC
Basic
Gas Lift
DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
Gas Lift is a system with gas circulating around the

system: gas goes into the wells as injection gas, out
of the wells in the gas stream, then separated out in
the separator before being compressed and
repeating the cycle.
We must consider the impact on the distribution of
lift gas to these wells by line pressure, length, size
and method of flow control.
Compressor
Separator
Liquids (sales,
disposal)
Gas (fuel, sales)

SPDC
Basic
Gas Lift
FLOWLINES & MANIFOLDS
Concerns
• Initial designs are performed with
primary (natural flow) production in
mind. Changes may need to be
made to de-bottleneck the system
for Gas Lift.
• Flowlines should be the same size
or one size larger than the
production tubing.
– Minimize length and number of fittings
• Manifold valves should be full
opening
• Manifolds should be sized for total
liquid production, not just oil.
– Offshore, space becomes a problem.

SPDC Gas Lift Flow Measurement and
Basic
Gas Lift set-point control:

SPDC
Basic
Gas Lift Manifold Header:
Gas Lift
• For better control and plan of these gas lines to

individual wells, high-pressure gas is distributed from
main gas lift header.
• Each of the line taken-off from this header is laid-

out to supply high-pressure gas to dedicated well
with it’s own control instrument equipment and
wiring.
• It includes, orifice metering facility to measure

quantity of gas utilised by each well.

SPDC
Basic
Gas Lift Flow Measurement and set-
Gas Lift
point control:
• Gas production from gaslifted well depends upon volume of

gas utilized at the deepest possible valve.
• It is very important to make sure that each well is

admitted with required gas volume.
• Gas lift flow is measured by differential pressure across

an orifice meter which is converted in the flow transmitter
to a pneumatic (low air pressure) output signal.
• This pneumatic signal is subsequently converted to a current

(4-20mA) in the electronic controller. Due to the reason that
DCS cannot read pneumatic signals.
• DCS will check and control the output signal against given
set-point value(first current and subsequently a pneumatic
signal through the converter to the gaslift flow control
valve(FCV) .

SPDC Gas Lift Flow Measurement and set-point
Basic
Gas Lift control (Continued):
• This control loop will constantly monitor the flow rate,

and will adjust the output signal to the value so that
preset gas lift rate will be maintained as stable as
possible.
• This stability is essential for gaslift operations.
• If applicable, SCADA will feed the DCS with flow rates,

which are generated by Win-GLUE.
• These flow rates can be down-loaded

automatically.

SPDC Gas Lift Flow Distribution and
Basic
Gas Lift
Optimisation:
• Gas Lift supply to wells in an oil field is not always
stable.
• There are possibilities of changes in supply due to
compressor trips, export trips, export demand change,
temperature etc.
• Number of wells opened-up can also be changing; this
will change the lift gas requirement (DEMAND).
• Any one the above changes give an imbalance in the lift

gas distribution system, re-distribution is required.
• Normal practice is to open or close wells to balance the

supply and demand accordingly.
• To facilitate this operation, a list is prepared, which is

known as ‘Swing List’. This is used to determine in
which order to open or close wells.
• Another method of balancing is; increasing or

decreasing lift gas flow to wells.
SPDC
Basic
Gas Lift
SEPARATOR PRESSURES
• First stage separator pressure is a

key factor in improving producing
efficiency.
• Minimize the use of back pressure

valves to create energy to dump
liquids.
• Separator pressure is controlled by

compressor suction pressure.
• Multi-stage separation is tuned for

maximum liquid recovery.

SPDC
Basic
Gas Lift
WELL TEST SYSTEM
• The source of the BEST quality data

with lowest risk to the well.
• Can be used to make important

decisions influencing efficiency.
• Must be properly designed

– separator sizing
– meter type and range
– flow computers
– BS&W monitoring
• Must be maintained
– purging solids
– meter calibration
– dump valve port size

SPDC
Basic
Gas Lift
WELL TEST DATA
Test Systems Provide

Three Types of Data
Pressure
Temperature
Flow
What else is there?

SPDC
Basic
Gas Lift
WELL TEST DATA
PRODUCTION PRESSURES
Wellhead
Flowline
Manifold
Test Separator
Production Separator
Compressor Suction

SPDC
Basic
Gas Lift
WELL TEST DATA
INJECTION PRESSURES
Compressor Discharge
Scrubber/Dehydrator
Manifold
Injection Line
Wellhead

SPDC
Basic
Gas Lift
WELL TEST DATA
TEMPERATURES
Wellhead
Test Separator
Injection Gas

SPDC
Basic
Gas Lift
WELL TEST DATA
FLOWS
Remember!
“Volume”
no time component
“Rate”
volume per unit
of time

SPDC
Basic
Gas Lift
WELL TEST DATA
LIQUID FLOWS
2 phase - Liquid Only
3 phase - Oil and Water
Is there water in the oil?
Is there oil in the water?
Whats the Solution?

SPDC
Basic
Gas Lift
WELL TEST DATA
WATER CUT or B.S.& W.

Basic Sediment and Water
expressed as a percentage of a
sample volume
determined by:
centrifuge
distillation
capacitance
microwave

SPDC
Basic
Gas Lift
WELL TEST DATA
WATER CUT or B.S.& W.

Basic Sediment and Water
BWPD
BS&W = -----------------
BLPD
BWPD = BLPD X B.S.& W.
BOPD = BLPD - (BLPD X B.S.& W.)

SPDC
Basic
Gas Lift
WELL TEST DATA
WATER CUT
Sampling location is critical
as close to the wellhead as possible

for maximum turbulence
(mixing)
automatic sampling of multiphase

lines DOES NOT WORK
DO NOT sample downstream of a

separator with cyclic liquid dumps

SPDC Well Test Data
Basic
Gas Lift Example Problem 1
Test Data:
652 BLPD
53% B.S.&W.
973 MCFD Total Gas
650 MCFD Injection Gas
FIND:
BOPD
BWPD
Net (Formation) Gas

SPDC Well Test Data
Basic
Gas Lift Problem 1 Solution
BOPD
652-(652 X .53) = 306 BOPD
BWPD
652 X .53 = 346 BWPD
Net (Formation) Gas
973-650 = 323 MCFD

SPDC
Basic
Gas Lift
WELL TEST DATA
RATIOS
The relationship
of one rate measurement to another
can tell us a lot
about a well’s performance

SPDC
Basic
Gas Lift
WELL TEST DATA
RATIOS
TGLR = Total Gas to Liquid Ratio =
Cubic feet of total gas

Total barrels liquid
Hydraulic Efficiency Indicator

a well with a low TGLR will produce
a large amount of liquid, but only a
small amount of gas
a well with a high TGLR produces a

high gas volume with low liquid
production

SPDC
Basic
Gas Lift
WELL TEST DATA
RATIOS
IGOR = Injection Gas to Oil Ratio =
Cubic feet of lift gas

Barrels of oil
Economic Efficiency Indicator

a well with a low IGOR will produce
a large amount of oil, but only
require a small amount of lift gas
a well with a high IGOR requires a

high lift gas volume, but produces a
small amount of oil

SPDC
Basic
Gas Lift
WELL TEST DATA
RATIOS
FGOR = Formation Gas-Oil Ratio =
Cubic feet of formation gas

Barrels of oil
Reservoir Performance Indicator
FGOR will change over time

monitoring the change helps
reservoir engineers to better
understand the reservoir, remaining
reserves and expected future
conditions.

SPDC Well Test Data
Basic
Gas Lift Example Problem 2
Test Data:
652 BLPD
53% B.S.&W.
973 MCFD Total Gas
650 MCFD Injection Gas
FIND:
TGLR
IGOR
FGOR

SPDC Well Test Data
Basic
Gas Lift Problem 2 Solution
TGLR
973,000
= 1492
652
IGOR
650,000
= 2121
652-(652 X .53)
FGOR
323,000
= 1054
652-(652 X .53)

SPDC
Basic
Gas Lift
WELL TEST DATA
So,
what do the numbers mean?
They serve as a tool

to judge the performance
of wells in your production system,
when compared to each other!

SPDC
Basic
Gas Lift
WELL TEST DATA
TGLR IGOR FGOR
#1 1413 800 320
#2 2542 0 2542
#3 2542 2300 242
#4 550 150 300
#5 1040 500 450
Remember:
Hydraulic Efficiency
Economic Efficiency
SPDC
Basic
Gas Lift
WELL TEST ACCURACY
• Anyone can get “numbers”, what

we need is “data”.
– The difference is ACCURACY.
• Test and Produce at the same

pressure.
• Purge and Test for the right length

of time, at the best interval.
• Install the right equipment.
• Maintain the equipment.
• Requires trained operators.

SPDC
Basic
Gas Lift
SYSTEM PRESSURES
• Low Wellhead Back Pressure

– Compressor Suction
– Separator Pressure
– Manifold size, length, elevation, valves
– Flowline size, length, no. of fittings
– Wellhead choke size
• Adequate, constant lift gas supply

– Correct surging from problem wells
– Compressor surge controls
– Supply pressure regulation
» Export line or control valve
– Gas conditioning
– Match well demand to system supply
– Injection line size, length, no. of fittings

Session 2 - Gaslift System Consideration - No 2 Upd 15-4-15

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SPDC GAS-LIFT SYSTEM

• Well Operation & System Operation

• Flowlines & Manifolds

• Separator Pressures & Stages

• Well Test System & Data Accuracy

• Maintaining Low Backpressure &

Copyright 1998 SIEP EPT-OM Portions Copyright SEPTCo, Burney Waring 1

Copyright 1998 SIEP EPT-OM Portions Copyright SEPTCo, Burney Waring 2

The well is only a small part of this system.

Gas (fuel, sales)

• They do this well, as long as you

• Expend more effort reducing

Copyright 1998 SIEP EPT-OM Portions Copyright SEPTCo, Burney Waring 4

Discharge gas handling

• Sales/Export gas is often “Dry” gas

• High Export pressures may mean

Copyright 1998 SIEP EPT-OM Portions Copyright SEPTCo, Burney Waring 5

Gas Lift is a system with gas circulating around the

Gas (fuel, sales)

Copyright 1998 SIEP EPT-OM Portions Copyright SEPTCo, Burney Waring 7

Copyright 1998 SIEP EPT-OM Portions Copyright SEPTCo, Burney Waring 8

• For better control and plan of these gas lines to

• Each of the line taken-off from this header is laid-

• It includes, orifice metering facility to measure

Copyright 1998 SIEP EPT-OM Portions Copyright SEPTCo, Burney Waring 9

• Gas production from gaslifted well depends upon volume of

• It is very important to make sure that each well is

• Gas lift flow is measured by differential pressure across

• This pneumatic signal is subsequently converted to a current

Copyright 1998 SIEP EPT-OM Portions Copyright SEPTCo, Burney Waring 10

• This control loop will constantly monitor the flow rate,

• This stability is essential for gaslift operations.

• If applicable, SCADA will feed the DCS with flow rates,

• These flow rates can be down-loaded

Copyright 1998 SIEP EPT-OM Portions Copyright SEPTCo, Burney Waring 11

• Any one the above changes give an imbalance in the lift

• Normal practice is to open or close wells to balance the

• To facilitate this operation, a list is prepared, which is

• Another method of balancing is; increasing or

• First stage separator pressure is a

• Minimize the use of back pressure

• Separator pressure is controlled by

• Multi-stage separation is tuned for

Copyright 1998 SIEP EPT-OM Portions Copyright SEPTCo, Burney Waring 13

• The source of the BEST quality data

• Can be used to make important

• Must be properly designed

Copyright 1998 SIEP EPT-OM Portions Copyright SEPTCo, Burney Waring 14

Test Systems Provide

What else is there?

Copyright 1998 SIEP EPT-OM Portions Copyright SEPTCo, Burney Waring 15

Copyright 1998 SIEP EPT-OM Portions Copyright SEPTCo, Burney Waring 16

Copyright 1998 SIEP EPT-OM Portions Copyright SEPTCo, Burney Waring 17

Copyright 1998 SIEP EPT-OM Portions Copyright SEPTCo, Burney Waring 18

Copyright 1998 SIEP EPT-OM Portions Copyright SEPTCo, Burney Waring 19

2 phase - Liquid Only

3 phase - Oil and Water

Is there water in the oil?

Is there oil in the water?

Whats the Solution?

Copyright 1998 SIEP EPT-OM Portions Copyright SEPTCo, Burney Waring 20

WATER CUT or B.S.& W.

Copyright 1998 SIEP EPT-OM Portions Copyright SEPTCo, Burney Waring 21