Compressor Horsepower

Gas Lift Systems

Figs. 12.7 and 12.8 show the amount of injection gas and compression brake horsepower per well, respectively,
required to obtain identical producing rates using several different surface injection-gas pressures. As expected,
compression horsepower decreases as injection-gas pressure increases for a given daily liquid rate, until the
injection-gas pressure reaches maximum injection depth. An injection-gas pressure greater than that required to
inject at maximum depth requires additional compression without additional production.

In the example shown in Figs. 12.7 and 12.8, a significant decrease in horsepower requirements is possible by
employing an injection-gas pressure of 2,000 psig (ANSI Class 900 pipe) rather than one of 1,440 psig (ANSI Class
600 pipe) or lower. For these conditions, the compression horsepower requirements represent the minimum for each
producing rate when an injection-gas pressure of approximately 2,000 psig is used. Unlike an injection-gas pressure
of 2,500 psig, 2,000-psig pressure allows the use of ANSI Class 900 piping (2,160-psig working pressure) in the
distribution system.
Most high-pressure gas lift systems are designed to recirculate the lift gas. The low-pressure gas from the production
separator is compressed and reinjected into the well to lift the fluids from the well. This closed loop, as illustrated
in Fig. 12.9 is referred to as a closed rotative gas lift system. Continuous-flow gas lift operations are preferable with a
closed rotative system. Intermittent gas lift operations are particularly difficult to regulate and operate efficiently in
small closed systems having limited gas-storage capacities.

Gas Distribution and Control

The control and distribution of injection gas to a gas lift well is as important as the control and distribution of electric
power is to a pumping well. The distribution system must be large enough so that very little pressure is lost between
the compressor and the wellhead. This is usually best accomplished with a main distribution line that circles a
producing area and is connected to distribution manifolds located at each production station. Manifolds of this type
were first used in the vast gas lift systems of Lake Maracaibo. They proved so successful for centralizing the control
of injection gas that their use spread to many areas of the world. The distribution manifold consists of a control valve,
gas meter, and distribution line to each well. Such a system is illustrated in Fig. 12.10. [9]

Gas Compression and Dehydration. In the early days of gas lift, most injection gas for the gas lift wells came from
large gas-processing facilities. This ensured a good constant source of dry gas to lift the wells. However, as more gas
was gathered and processed, the processing plants became larger and were located further from the oil-production
facilities. This resulted in the widespread use of field compressors to compress gas gathered in the field before it was
sent to the processing facilities. The field compressors tended to be smaller, high-speed, skid mounted, reciprocal
units that could be moved and quickly installed wherever required.

The use of the field compressors made gas lift easily accessible in any field where sufficient gas was available from a
local source. This brought about many closed-cycle gas lift systems where gas was separated from the produced
crude, gathered and sent to compressors, and then after compression, returned to the wells for reinjection as gas lift
gas or sold.

Both the centrifugal and reciprocating compressors are used in production facilities. However, because of their
flexibility under changing conditions and applicability to small volumes, reciprocating compressors are used far more
often than centrifugal compressors in gas lift operations.

Gas Dehydration. Because most injection gas for gas lift is now compressed in the field, dehydration of the gas has
become an important part of a successful gas lift operation. Natural gas may contain substantial amounts of water
vapor because of the presence of connate water in the reservoir. The ability of a gas to hold water in the vapor phase
is dependent upon the pressure and temperature of the gas. As a gas is cooled, its ability to hold water in the vapor
phase is reduced. The water dewpoint of a gas is defined as the temperature under a given pressure at which water
initially begins to condense from an all-vapor system. Water vapor should be removed from lift gas to prevent the
formation of liquids in the distribution system. Liquids can cause the formation of hydrates, which are solid
compounds resembling dirty ice that is caused by the reaction of natural gas with water. Hydrates consist of
approximately 10% hydrocarbons and 90% water. These hydrates may pack solidly in gas distribution systems
causing blocked valves, lines, and orifices. In distribution systems that contain acid gas fractions (CO 2 and H2S),
liquids can also greatly accelerate the corrosion of the gas-handling facilities, as well as the well casing and tubing.
Gas dehydration removes the source of the problem and is preferred over methanol injection or line heaters.
Dehydration can be accomplished by either absorption or adsorption processes. The absorption process involves the
passing of the gas stream through a liquid desiccant that has a strong affinity for water. In the adsorption process,
gas flows through a bed of granular solids called solid desiccants. The most widely used dehydration system in
oilfield and gas lift operations is the absorption-type process. The desiccant used in these systems is usually a
solution of one of the glycols; generally, diethylene glycol (DEG) or triethylene glycol (TEG) is used. The method of
operation is the same for both systems.
Surface Production Facilities
The location of surface production facilities can greatly impact the efficiency of a gas lift operation. Production
stations that provide liquid and gas separation along with other gathering facilities should be located as near the wells
as practical. Every effort should be made to minimize the length of multiphase flowlines. In some cases, substations
with a minimum of facilities can be employed to shorten the length of the multiphase flowlines.

Gas Lift Equipment

Downhole gas lift equipment consists mainly of the gas lift valves and the mandrels in which the valves are placed.
The American Petroleum Inst. (API) Spec. 11V1 covers the manufacture of gas lift valves and mandrels. [10]

Tubing- and Wireline-Retrievable Equipment. The early gas lift valves were the conventional tubing-retrievable
type, in which the tubing mandrel that held the gas lift valve and reverse check valve was part of the tubing string. It
was necessary to pull the tubing to replace a conventional gas lift valve. The first selectively wireline-retrievable gas
lift valve and mandrel were introduced around 1950. The wireline-retrievable-valve mandrel was designed with a
pocket receiver within the mandrel. A gas lift valve could be removed or installed by wireline operations without
pulling the tubing. The primary wireline device for locating the mandrel pocket and selectively removing or installing a
gas lift valve is a kickover tool. The mandrel is called a sidepocket mandrel because the pocket is offset from the
centerline of the tubing. Most sidepocket-type retrievable-valve mandrels have a full-bore inside diameter (ID) equal
to the tubing ID. These mandrels permit normal wireline operations, such as pressure surveys. This wireline-
retrievable system for gas lift valves revolutionized the application of gas lift for inaccessible wells. The newer
generation of retrievable-valve mandrels uses orienting devices to ensure successful wireline operation in highly
deviated wells. A description of such equipment can be found in API Spec. 11V1. [10]

The operating principles for a given type of tubing-retrievable or wireline-retrievable gas lift valve are the same.
Although the performance characteristics may vary between the same type of tubing- and wireline-retrievable valve,
the installation design calculations outlined in this chapter do not change. The choice between tubing- and wireline-
retrievable equipment depends primarily on the costs associated with pulling the tubing and whether a workover fluid
may damage the deliverability of a well.

With the increased cost of pulling the tubing in today’s field operations, wireline-retrievable equipment is now used in
most new wells and particularly in offshore and inaccessible wells. A wireline-retrievable gas lift valve and mandrel
are illustrated in Fig. 12.11, while a tubing-retrievable valve and mandrel are shown in Fig. 12.12. [10]

Open and Closed Installations. Most tubing flow gas lift installations include a packer to stabilize the fluid level in
the casing annulus and prevent injection gas from blowing around the lower end of the tubing in wells with a low
flowing bottomhole pressure. A closed gas lift installation implies that the installation includes a packer and a standing
valve. An installation without a standing valve may be referred to as semiclosed, and this is widely used for
continuous-flow operations. An installation without a packer or standing valve is called an open installation. An open
installation is seldom recommended.

A packer is required for gas lifting low-bottomhole-pressure wells to isolate the injection gas in the casing annulus
and to control the gas volume per cycle for intermittent-lift operations. Intermittent gas lift operations require a packer
and possibly a standing valve. Although most illustrations of an intermittent gas lift installation show a standing valve,
many actual installations do not include this valve. If the permeability of the well is very low, the need for a standing
valve is optional. The advantages of a packer are particularly important for gas lift installations in an area where the
injection-gas-line pressure varies or the injection-gas supply is interrupted periodically. If the installation does not
include a packer, the well must be unloaded after each shutdown. More damage to gas lift valves can occur during
unloading operations than during any other time in the life of a gas lift installation. If the injection-gas-line pressure
varies, the working fluid level changes. The result is a liquid washing action through all valves below the working fluid
level, and this continuing fluid transfer can eventually fluid-cut the seat assemblies of some gas lift valves. A packer
stabilizes the working fluid level and eliminates the need for unloading fluids in the annulus after a shutdown.

Considerations for Selecting the Proper Installation and Equipment. If a well can be gas lifted by continuous
flow, this form of gas lift should be used to ensure a constant injection-gas circulation rate within the closed rotative
gas lift system. Continuous flow reduces pressure surges in the bottomhole flowing pressure, flowline, and the low-
and high-pressure surface facilities that are associated with intermittent gas lift operations. Overdesign rather than
underdesign of a gas lift installation is recommended when the well data are questionable. The gas lift equipment in
the wells is the least expensive portion of a closed rotative gas lift system. The larger-outside-diameter (OD) gas lift
valve should be selected for lifting most wells if casing size permits. The superior injection-gas volumetric throughput
performance for the l.5-in.-OD gas lift valve, as compared to the l-in.-OD valve, is an important consideration for gas
lift installations with a high injection-gas requirement. The smaller diameter 1-in.-OD valve is designed to be used in
small-casing-diameter wells. Structurally, the 1-in.-OD valve is not as strong as the 1.5-in.-OD valve. Its bellows size
is much smaller, which results in an increase in the ratio of port area to bellows area. This increase in port-to-bellows
area ratio and higher bellows-assembly load rate can increase the number of gas lift valves and the injection-gas
pressure required to lift deep wells.

The gas lift design techniques presented in this chapter include several factors to compensate for errors in well
information and provide for an injection-gas pressure increase to stroke the gas lift valves. If an installation is properly
designed, all gas lift valves above an operating valve should be closed, and all valves below should be open. The
installation methods presented here are based on this premise. Gas lift valve operation is discussed in detail because
it is difficult to design or analyze a gas lift installation properly without understanding the mechanical operation of a
gas lift valve.

A large-bore seating nipple, which is designed to receive a lock, is recommended for most gas lift installations. This
seating nipple should be installed at the lower end of the tubing and, if feasible, below the packer. Applications for a
seating nipple include installation of a standing valve for testing the tubing or for intermittent gas lift operation and a
means to secure and to pack off a bottomhole-pressure gauge for conducting pressure-transient tests. The lock
should have an equalizing valve if the tubing is to be blanked off. The pressure across the lock can be equalized
before the lock is disengaged from the nipple to prevent the wireline tool string from being blown up the hole.