Gas Lift Installations

Gas Lift Installations

The type of gas lift installation to be used in a particular well depends upon whether the well is to be placed on
continuous or intermittent lift. This in turn depends such considerations as
type of completion
possibility of sand production
potential for water and/or gas coning
future well inflow performance
wellbore deviation
Some of the more common gas lift installations include the open, semiclosed, closed, chamber, macaroni and
annular installations. This list by no means includes all of the installations possible.
Open Installations
In the open installation, the tubing string is suspended in the well without a packer. As shown in Figure 1 , the
casing and tubing are in communication and only a fluid seal in the annulus prevents gas from blowing around the
bottom of the tubing.
http://ipims.medcoenergi.com/data/pe1.2/ch10507.asp?Code=726 (1 of 9)08/07/2005 16:59:15
Figure 1
When this occurs, gas is wasted, the casing pressure causes an additional backpressure on the formation, and
production is interrupted. There are a number of other disadvantages to the open installation. For example, the
valves that are submerged in well fluids may corrode and, because the fluid rises in the annulus every time the well
is shut-in, the fluid must flow through the valves each time production resumes, causing the valves to wear out
faster. The open installation, then, is not normally recommended. It is used when there is a very strong reason not to
install a packer.
Semiclosed Installations
In the semiclosed installation, a packer is installed in the tubing to pack off the annular space between the tubing
and the casing ( Figure 2 ). This type of installation may be used for both continuous and intermittent flow.
Figure 2
With the semiclosed installation, produced fluids cannot enter the annular space and the casing pressure is not in
direct communication with the formation. There is the possibility, however, that the injected gas, once it enters the
tubing string, may act upon the formation.
Closed Installations
In order to prevent such communication, we may elect to install a closed system. In the closed system, a standing
valve is placed in the tubing string below the bottom gas lift valve ( Figure 3 ).
Figure 3
The standing valve prevents fluids from moving downward from a point above to a point below it. Thus, high
pressure-injected gas entering the tubing from the annulus is unable to communicate with the formation, and any
produced fluids standing in the tubing will be prevented from backflowing toward the formation. The standing valve
should be included in all intermittent gas lift installations.
Chamber Installations
Another type of gas lift installation, called a chamber installation, can greatly increase oil production, especially if
we have a low bottomhole pressure but high productivity index well. It is used in intermittent lift operations and its
purpose is to increase the volume of fluids in the wellbore prior to lifting without significantly increasing the
backpressure on the formation.
A schematic of a two-packer chamber installation appears in Figure 4 .
Figure 4
It has both a lower packer and an upper packer, called a bypass packer. As the chamber is filling, gas in the chamber
is bled off through a bleed valve into the tubing.
When the chamber is filled, a slug of gas is injected down the annulus, opening the operating valve. The gas in the
chamber forces the liquid to enter the tubing through a perforated nipple above the bottom packer ( Figure 5 ).
Figure 5
When all the liquid in the chamber above the nipple is forced into the tubing, gas follows behind the slug and forces
it to the surface ( Figure 6 ). The operating valve should close when the slug reaches the surface, at which time the
filling cycle begins once again. The two-packer chamber installation is just one of a number of different chamber
installations which may be installed.
Figure 6
Slim Hole Installations

Many ultra-slim hole completions have been made, especially in lower productivity wells. A slim hole completion
normally means setting a string of 2 3/8 to 3 1/2-inch OD pipes as the casing. A smaller size tubing, say, 1 to 1 1/2inches in diameter, is then run inside this casing for artificial lift purposes. This smaller tubing is commonly referred
to as a macaroni string. In the sample installation shown in Figure 7 , the production casing is 2 7/8-inch OD.
Figure 7
Inside, it is a 1 1/2-inch ID tubing on a packer. The gas lift valves are sliding side-door valves and have an ID of 1
1/25-inch.
Slim hole completions are especially useful in wells where we wish to produce from more than one zone without
commingling. Production rates possible from a slim hole completion for continuous gas lift installations depend on
the ID of the tubing. The rates can range from 150 barrels per day for 3/4-inch tubing to as high as 900 barrels per
day for 1 1/2-inch ID tubing. Considerably smaller production rates will be realized if intermittent gas lift is applied.
Annular Flow
In most gas lift operations, it is best to confine production to the tubing. In offshore installations, wells are restricted
to tubing flow because of safety and operating regulations. There are many instances, particularly in the Middle
East, where wells produce at rates anywhere from 5,000 to 80,000 barrels per day. To produce these volumes, we
often turn to annular flow.
In annular flow, gas is injected down the tubing and production takes place up the annulus. As shown in Figure 8 , a
bull plug has been placed on the bottom of the tubing to contain the injected gas.
Figure 8
Alternatively, we may install a small-bore orifice or check valve at this location. The primary reason for using
annular flow, then, is to allow a higher level of production.

Gas Lift Installations

Caricato da

Informazioni sul documento

Copyright

Formati disponibili

Condividi questo documento

Condividi o incorpora il documento

Opzioni di condivisione

Hai trovato utile questo documento?

Questo contenuto è inappropriato?

Copyright:

Formati disponibili

Gas Lift Installations

Caricato da

Copyright:

Formati disponibili

Gas Lift Installations