Introduction

Basic Principles of Oil Production

 Reservoir Pressure and Flowing Pressure

 Reservoir Energy (Source of Energy)

 Reservoir Drive Mechanism

Strong Waterdrive

Partial Waterdrive

Depletion
Factors That Affect Oil Production

 Amount Of Gas

 Water Associated With Oil

 Reservoir Properties

 Producing Pipe Size

Size and Length of Flowline

Natural Flow and Artificial Lift

 Artificial Lift

 Types of Artificial Lift Systems

Pumping

Gas Lift

 Choosing Artificial Lift system

 Gas Lift System

Types of Gas Lift

 Continuous Flow

 Intermittent Flow
Low Reservoir Pressure

Low Producing Rate

 Advantages of Gas Lift System

 Low Cost

 Design to Lift Different Rate

 Injection and Producing Rate Controlled at Surface

 Sand Production Doesn’t Affect G.L. Equipment

 Not Affected by Wellbore Deviation

 Operating Costs are Relatively Low

 Gas Compressor Easily Inspected and Maintained

Limitation Of Gas Lift System

 Gas Availability

 Source of High Pressure Gas

 Treat or Dry the Gas Before use

 Gas Lift Concept

 Density Reduction

 Reducing Flowing Bottom Hole Pressure

 Improving The Gas To Liquid Ratio

 Increasing The Mixture Velocity

 Changing Flow Regime

(Vapor-Liquid Distribution)

 Reducing Liquid Holdup

 Reducing Wellhead Pressure

 Reservoir Draw Down

 Liquid Production Rate

 Reservoir Pressure

 Flowing Bottom Hole Pressure

 Productivity Index

 Inflow Performance Relation Ship

 Optimization
 Unloading

 Unloading Procedure

 Valves in Opening Condition

 Valves in Closing Condition

 Factors Can Prevent Deep Injection

 Steady State Production

 Steady State Pressure Gradient

 Gas Lift Fluid Pressure Gradient

 Formation Fluid Pressure Gradient

 Injection Gas Pressure Gradient
 Inflow Performance

Reservoir Deliverability
 Saturated and Under saturated
Reservoir
 Bubble Point Pressure
 Darcy IPR Curve
Applied when the well is flowing above Bubble Point Pressure

Equation for Productivity Index

Factors That Affect Productivity

Permeability

Viscosity

Oil Volume Factor

Net Height

Skin
 Vogel IPR Curve

Applied when the well is flowing at pressure below B. Pt

Equation for Productivity Index

Maximum Rate Qm (Absolute)
Pr = Pb
 Fitkovitch IPR Curve

Applies for:
Gravel Packed Well

Partial Perforation of a High KH Reservoir

Excessive Formation Damage

 Fitkovitch IPR Curve, Continue

Equation
Multiple Rate Well Tests

Use Log-Log Plot

Obtain n (1/slope)
Inflow Performance Prediction

 Effect of Reservoir Drive

Mechanism

 Above Bubble Point

 Below Bubble Point

 Outflow Performance

Flow Line plus Vertical Pressure Loss

Losses in Flow Line

Losses in Vertical (Deviated) String

Obtain Measured Flowing Pressure

Factors That Affect Outflow
Performance
 Fluid Characteristics

 Well Configuration

 Wellhead Back Pressure

 Pipe Roughness
 Fluid Velocity
 Outflow Correlation

 Duns and Ros

(Large diameter tubing, high GLR, low & mist flow
rates)

 Orkiszewski
(Slug flow, moderate liquid volume fractions)

 Griffith and Wallis

(High liquid volume , low GLR)

 Outflow Correlation, Continue

 Beggs and Brill

(Small diameter from 1 to 1.5 in)

 Hagedorn and Brown

Provides the best prediction for wellbore
simulation

H&B, Duns and Ros best for offshore deviated wells

 Reservoir Match

 Obtain IPR (Inflow)

 Obtain Outflow (Correlation)

 Test Point

 Match P.I.
 Intersection Point
Outflow Performance

 Gilbert’s Curves

 Stability of Flow
Different Depth of Gas Injection

 Pressure Gradient

 Kick-off Pressure

 Well Completion
Outflow Performance Prediction

 Deliverability vs Injection-depth

 Deliverability vs IGLR

 Water Cut % effect

 Well Completion
 Well Head Pressure
 Gas Lift Equipment

Gas Lift Valves

Bellows

Stem

Seat (Port)

Check Valve

V-Packing
Types of Gas Lift Valves

 Tubing Flow

 Annular Flow

 Continuous Flow

 Intermittent Lift
 Checks, Latches & Mandrels

Checks (Check Valve)

To prevent back flow from tubing and fill-in the
casing annulus

Latches
Screw to the top of the valve provides the neck for
wireline tool engagement

Mandrels (Side Pocket)

 Valves Mechanism

 Closing Force

 Opening Force

 Test Rack Opening Pressure

 Gas Passage
Installation and Removal

 Wireline Procedure

 Running and Pulling

 Gas Lift Design

Continuous Flow Design

Pressure Gradient

Injection Gas Gradient

Water Gradient

Spacing

Temperature
Valve Selection (Type & Port Size)

Wiskey Valves
 Gas Lift Design

Continuous Flow Design, Continue

High & Low Rate Wells

Injection Gas Requirement

Corrected Temperature Profile

Flowing Survey

Orifice & Dummy Valves

Continuous Flow G.L. Redesign

 Gas Injection Pressure

 Temperature Survey

 Gas Volume

 Production Decline
Design of Intermittent Lift Installation

Fallback Method
 Spacing Factor Gradient (Unloading Gradient)

 Function of Production Rate and Tubing Size

 Gas Pressure Gradient

 Valve Closing Pressure Gradient

 Temperature Correction

 Decrease Set Pressure of Bottom Valve 25-30 psi

(Flagging the bottom valve)
Design of Intermittent Lift Installation

Percent Load Method

 Gas Pressure Gradient
 Percent Load Line (60% of Gas Pressure)
 Pbt (Nitrogen Charged Valve)
 Psp (Spring Loaded Valve)
 Pvo (Valve Opening Pressure in Tester)

 Decrease Set Pressure of Bottom Valve 25-30 psi

(Flagging the bottom valve)
Design of Intermittent Lift Installation

Fluid Operating Valve

 Actual Flowing Pressure Gradient

 Use of Dummy Valves

 Pressure and Production Decline

 Dual Gas Lift Installation

 Both tubing strings take gas from the same gas

source

 System allow extra gas to go in one side than

other. Results in one or both zones producing at
less than optimum

 Use injection pressure-operated in one side and

production pressure operated in the other
Two Pen Chart Pressure Recordings

 Reflect Both Surface and Subsurface

Conditions

 Record Valves Open, Gas Entry Stops

 Unloading Procedure

 Evaluate Intermittent System

 Calculate Gas Volume

Gas Lift System Evaluation

 Pressure & Temperature

Flowing Gradient

 Procedure
 Objective
 Gas Lift Survey Procedure

 Stop at Surface (Get WHP, WHT)

 Get Gas Lift and Formation Gradient

 Stop above and below Mandrels

 Stop at Mid Point of Perforation

 Gas Lift Survey Objective
 Get Point of Gas Injection

 Determine Possibility of Deeper POI

 Get Valves Leak (Gas passes at more than one point)

 Mandrels Plugging Condition

 Gas Injection Optimization

 Gas Lift Design Evaluation

 Select the Type of G.L. System

 Unloading The Well

 Use Unloading Chart

 Check and Adjust Chokes and Valves at Surface

 Control Lift Gas into the Well

 Increase Lift Gas Until gas Passes into the

Valves

 Monitor (From Chart) Wellhead and Gas Pressure

Responce
Recommended Practices Prior To Unloading

 Clean the well of mud prior to running G.L.

Valves to avoid damage

 Reverse circulation should not be used (Injection

gas pressure operated valves)

 Clean injection gas line before connected to the

well

 Check separator capacity, stock tank liquid

valves and connections at wellhead
 Tubing and Casing Pressure Records

 Increased flowing production pressure indicates

increase in separator back pressure and volume
of injection gas

 Decreased production pressure indicates drop in

supply gas pressure or volume

 Detected the changing in operating valves

 Indicated hole in tubing or bad G.L. Valves

 Indicated excessive gas usage

 Trouble Shooting
Basic Information should be obtained
Two Pen Chart

Production Rate (Water, Oil & Gas)

Injection Gas per Day, IGLR

Number of Cycles per Day

Injection Gas Pressure

Variations of Casing and Tubing Pressure

Point of Gas Injection

Static and Flowing B.H. Pressure

Pressure and Temperature Gradient

 Trouble Shooting

Analysis of problems gas lift wells

New Wells

Old Wells
 Trouble Shooting

Common Malfunctions of G.L. System

Malfunction

Cause

Cure
 Gas Pressure Loss

Separator To Compressor
Gas Rate

Upstream & Down Stream Pressure

Pipe Length

Pipe Inside Diameter

 Gas Pressure Loss

Compressor To Well
Operating at Higher Pressure

Gas Friction Loss is Low

 Gas Pressure Loss

Wellbore Losses
Density of the Gas (Specific Gravity)

Obtain Gas Gradient

Surface Injection-Gas Pressure

 Production Optimization

 Optimum Injection Gas

 Maximum Production Rate

 Production Optimization, Continue

 Using Surface Gas Choke

 Subsurface Information (D.D. Calculation)

 Inflow & Outflow Relation Ship

 Optimization Curve

Injection Gas vs Oil Rate

Incremental IGOR vs Oil Rate