CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

When a reservoir lacks sufficient energy for oil, gas and water to
flow from wells at desired rates, supplemental production methods can
help, gas and water injection for pressure support or secondary recovery
to maintain well productivity, but artificial lift is needed when reservoir
drives do not sustain acceptable rates or cause fluids to flow at all in some
cases. Lift processes transfer energy downhole or decrease density in
wellbores to reduce the hydrostatic load on formations, so that available
reservoir energy causes inflow, and commercial hydrocarbon volumes can
be boosted or displaced to surface, Artificial lift also improves recovery
by reducing the bottomhole pressure at which wells become uneconomic
and are abandoned.
Because reservoir pressure declines and more water is produced
late in filed life, artificial lift is generally associated with mature oil and
gas developments. However, driven by activity in deep water and areas
that require construction or complex wells, the mature state of
hydrocarbon exploitation worldwide has increased demand for high
lifting rates to produce oil quickly and efficiently at low cost. Offshore
and in difficult international regions, artificial-lift techniques accelerate

cash flow, generate profits sooner and help operators realize better
returns, even in wells that flow naturally.
Gas Lift and electrical submersible pump are the most common
artificial lift systems, each is suited to certain lifting requirements and
operational objectives and depends on subsurface conditions, fluid types,
required rates, depths, lift system hardware and surface facilities.
Lift optimization to get the most fluid from a well or field at the
lowest cost offers opportunities for substantial production gains in new
wells or mature fields. When selecting and designing lift systems,
engineers must consider reservoir and well parameters, but field
development strategies should be factored in as well.
Artificial-lift technology is well established, but alternative
methods or new developments continue to play a role in solving problems
and meeting production challenges. Alternative here means of deploying
lift systems allow profitable production from previously uneconomic
wells or fields.
The purpose of this final assignment is to introduce an alternative
new method of unconventional gas lift and the first implementation in
Indonesia done by ConocoPhillips Indonesia on their wells in North
Belut, Natuna. This final assignment will also describe the specific and
detailed systems of this method, so hopefully the wells with this method
could produce to its fully potential.

There are three main focus of this final assignment, first is the
differences or comparison between the new alternative method of
unconventional gas lift applied by ConocoPhillips Indonesia to the
conventional gas lift and other artificial lifts, second is the design and
application of the new alternative method and the third is the prediction
of production gains after using the new alternative method.

Make it full !! (artifial lift article, roy fleshman,

hrddsk)