Gas Lift

Unloading a well
 Problem
• After workover, well tubing and casing is
full of workover “kill” fluid.
– High pressure gradient
– Unable to unload fluids to bring the well to
production
 Unloading Process
• Inject gas at a pressure
higher than normal
operating pressure
• Kill fluid displaced to a
depth where pressure
in injected gas column
= pressure of kill fluid
column in the tubing
 wf gD1  g gD1
pwh   pko 
144 g c 144 g c
Pressure Valve Schematic
 Casing Pressure Valve
• Opening forces:
– Tubing pressure acting on the port area
– Casing pressure acting on the difference between
the bellows area and the port area.
• Closing force
– Dome force acting on the port area
• Valve will open when opening forces exceed
closing force.
 Casing Pressure Valve
• Force Balance
Pc Ab  Ap   Pt Ap  Pd Ap
Ap
• Define R
Ab

• Opening Pressure
Pd  Pt R
Pc 
1 R
 Note
• As tubing pressure increases, the
casing pressure required to open the
valve decreases.
Pd  Pt R
Pc 
1 R

• Initially, during the unloading process,

the pressure valve will be open.
 Example
• A pressure valve is located at 6000 ft.
The pressure in the dome is 700 psi,
and the tubing pressure at this depth is
500 psi. Find the casing pressure
required to open the valve if Ab = 1 in2
and Ap = 0.1 in2.
 Solution
• Substituting in our opening pressure
equation
Pd  Pt R
Pc 
1 R


700  500 0.1 
1  722 psi
1  0.1
1
 Closing Pressure of Valve
• Under normal operating conditions, we
would like the unloading valve to be
closed.
– Would like to inject only through operating
valve – (minimize gas requirements)
• Closing pressure determined by force
balance.
Open Valve Forces
 Force Balance
• Casing Pressure acting on entire
bellows area
• Dome pressure acts on entire bellows
area
• Tubing pressure has no effect
• Force balance Pc Ab  Pd Ab
Pc  Pd
 Unloading Process
• Would like each valve to close when
gas is injected through next deeper
valve.
– Minimizes gas injection requirements.
 Unloading Process
• First Valve
– After the first valve is
uncovered, gas enters
the tubing and
lightens the kill fluid.
– Process continues
until the operating
gradient is attained.
– Need to place a
second valve.
• Many possible
procedures for valve
placement.
 Placement of 2nd Valve

• Simplistic Approach
– Extend the casing
gas gradient to the
point where casing
pressure is again
equal tubing
pressure
• Problem
– 1st valve will not
close.
 Recommended Procedure
• Draw a straight line
connecting pressure
at depth of first valve
to injection pressure
at depth under
operating conditions.
• Use the intersection
of this line and the kill
fluid pressure line for
location of 2nd and
subsequent valves.
 Recommended Procedure
• Ensures that deeper valves can be reached
with declining gas injection pressure
• Shallower valves designed to close when the
next deeper valve starts conducting gas.
– Need to check in design.
• Note: if the deepest unloading valve is close
to the operating valve, then the operating
valve depth should be adjusted upward to
save a valve.
 Dome Pressure
• The dome pressures are calculated at
downhole temperature conditions
• Valve dome pressure is set at the
surface.
– Must adjust for temperature difference
between surface and downhole conditions.
 Gas Lift
Unloading Valve Design
 Unloading Design Methods
Pressure Operated Proportional Response
 Pressure Operated Design
• Problem: A gas lift installation is designed to
inject 350 Mscf/day at a depth of 4000 ft. The
well’s producing rate is 1000 STBO/day at a
GOR of 100 scf/STB. Oil API gravity is 30o,
gas specific gravity is 0.7. Under normal
operating conditions, gas is injected at a
surface pressure of 807 psia, so that
pressure at the gas injection depth is 890
psia.
 Problem
• There is a 50 psi pressure drop over the
operating valve. Temperature at the
wellhead and the valve are 100 oF and
200 oF respectively. The wellhead
pressure is 114.7 psia, and the kick-off
pressure is 1100 psia. The kill fluid
specific gravity is 1.05. Design the set of
unloading valves.
 Step 1
• Since the gas lift
depth and injection
rate were already
designed, plot the
operating pressure
versus depth
profile in the well.
 Step 2
• Add the
operating gas
casing pressure
profile.
 Step 3
• Calculate the gas gradient at the kick-off
pressure
– Assume the gas density in the casing
during kick-off is approximately constant.
• For gas gravity of 0.7
– Tpc = 390 oR, Ppc = 665 psia
– Tr = 560/390 = 1.44, Pr = 1100/665 = 1.65
– Z = 0.83
 Step 3
• Gas density = PM/(zRT)
=(1100)(0.7)(29)/((0.83)(10.73)(560))
=4.48 lbm/ft3
Gas gradient = 4.48/144 = 0.031 psi/ft
 Step 4

• Plot casing
pressure
versus depth
for the gas
during the kick-
off process.
 Step 5
• Calculate the pressure gradient for the
kill fluid.
– SG = 1.05;  = (1.05)(62.4) = 65.52 lbm/ft3
– Fluid gradient = 65.52/144 = 0.455 psi/ft
 Step 6

• Plot pressure
versus depth for
the kill fluid in
the tubing
– Surface pressure
= wellhead
pressure = 114.7
psia
 Step 7
• Locate the depth to the first unloading
valve as the intersection point between
the kill fluid pressure line and the
pressure line for the kick-off gas.
– D1 = 2324 ft
 Step 8
• Draw a line from
the depth/
pressure location
of the first
unloading valve to
the
depth/pressure
location of the
operating gas lift
valve.
• Draw a horizontal
line from the 1st
valve location to
the operating
tubing pressure
curve.
 Step 9
• Using the pressure
in the tubing at the
depth of the 1st
valve, draw a line
with the kill fluid
gradient.
• Intersection of this
line with the line
from step 8 is the
2nd Valve location
– D2 = 3400 ft
 Step 10
• Draw a horizontal
line from the 2nd
valve depth to the
tubing curve, and
extend a line with
the kill fluid
gradient to the line
from step 8. This
is the 3rd valve
location. (3840 ft)
• Repeat the
procedure until all
valves are located
 Note
• This procedure guarantees that the
valves will close in succession with
declining gas injection pressure
Unloading and Operating Valve Performance
OPERATING VALVE PERFORMANCE
Orifice Valve
Pc = 1500 psi
1400

1200 13/64 inches

1000
Qg (Mscfd)

800 11/64 inches

600
9/64 inches
400

200

0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2
R=Pt/Pc
Unloading and Operating Valve Performance
 GAS LIFT
COMPRESSION SYSTEM
GAS LIFT COMPRESSION SYSTEM: Classification

Classification:
Open System: No re-injection of the produced
gas
Semi-closed System: Produced gas partially
re-used
Closed Rotative System: Produced gas totally
re-injected
Closed Rotative Compression System: One Well
Closed Rotative Compression System: Multi-Wells
 Compressors
Compressors are used to promote flow
of gas from lower pressure to higher
pressure system.
Classification:
Positive Displacement: Reciprocating
Rotary : Helical Lobe
Turbo-machinery : Centrifugal
 Compressors

Reciprocating
Compressors
Helical Lobe Rotary
Compressors

Centrifugal
Compressors
 Compressor Selection
pd
RT  Total Compressor Ratio
ps
1
 pd  n
R    Compressor Ratio per Stage
 ps 
k 1 1
Td  Ts R  k p Td  300 o F Stage Discharge Temperature

z s Ts q sc
ACFM  19.6 Actual Gas flow Rate: Cubic Feet per Minute
ps
k 1  q scTs   k p   kk1 
BHP  0.0857z  z s 
1
 R p  1 Brake Horse Power
k k
   
 Em Ea   k  1    per Stage
 Compressor Selection
BHP = brake horse power per stage

ACFM = actual cubic feet per minute

q sc = volumetric rate in MMSCFD

Ts = suction temperature in oR

z s = suction compressibility factor

z  z s  z d  2

Em
= mechanical efficiency
for high speed reciprocating compressor (900-1,200 RPM) use 0.93 to 0.95
for low speed reciprocating compressor (200-600 RPM) use 0.95 to 0.98
for centrifugal units use 0.95
 Compressor Selection
E a = adiabatic efficiency

for reciprocating compressors use 0.85 to 0.90

for centrifugal compressors use 0.72 to 0.85
 p = polytropic efficiency

for reciprocating compressors use 1.0

for centrifugal compressors use 0.8
ps = suction pressure in psia
pd = discharge pressure in psia
n = number of stages
Compressor Selection
 GAS LIFT
SYSTEM PERFORMANCE
NODAL ANALYSIS
Nodal Analysis for System
Performance-Gas Lift
Nodal Analysis for System
Performance-Gas Lift
Production vs Injection Rates
Production vs Horse-Power
 Economic Consideration
• Maximize Profit (not Rate)
• Find optimum rate
• Profit = Income – Costs

P  So  Co  CGI GLRQo

– P – profit
– So – selling price of a barrel of oil
– Qo – oil rate
– Co – costs for producing a barrel of oil
– CGI – gas injection costs per scf
 Economic Consideration
• For maximum
d Qo GLR 
 S o  Co   CGI
dP
0
dQo dQo
dQGI S o  Co 

dQo CGI
dGLR 1  S o  Co  
   GLR 
dQo Qo  CGI 
Optimum Rate
Nodal Analysis for System
Performance-Gas Lift
 Nodal Analysis for System
Performance-Gas Lift
Injection Point Depth Calculation
Operating Valve Performance Gas Lift Design
Injection Point

Pressure (psia)
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500
OPERATING VALVE PERFORMANCE 0
Orifice Valve Pso1 Pso2
Pc = 1500 psi 1000
1400
2000
1200 13/64 inches GLR 1
1000 3000
Qg (Mscfd)

800 11/64 inches

Depth (ft)
4000
GLR 2
600
9/64 inches 5000
400
6000
200

7000
0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2
R=Pt/Pc 8000

9000
 Nodal Analysis for System
Performance-Gas Lift
Unloading Valve Depth Allocation
Unloading Valve Performance
Nodal Analysis for System
Performance-Gas Lift
Gas Allocation Optimization