Top Ten Challenges In Jet Lift Production Operations and the Solutions Successfully Implemented in Producing Oil Wells In the South Texas Region

Jet lift systems have earned a strong reputation as an effective artificial lift method for unconventional oil well production across the most prolific hydrocarbon-producing regions in the United States of America. In prolific reservoirs such as the Permian Basin, Eagle Ford, and Bakken, operators have successfully utilized jet lift as the primary lifting method for challenging oil wells. Additionally, operators in the Eagle Ford Basin have consistently employed jet lift as the main production technique for their wells.

Like any other artificial lift system used in unconventional oil well production, jet lift has its strengths and weaknesses. Its most notable advantage over other powered production methods is its ability to handle a wide range of flow rates, from 10 barrels of fluid per day (bfpd) up to 5,000 bfpd, using the same jet pump size. The jet pump “free pump” feature, which allows the operator to hydraulically retrieve and reinstall the jet pump without the need for workover or wireline using only reverse power fluid circulation; and is also widely recognized as critically important in the artificial lift selection matrix.

The most common problems that need to be addressed during the implementation of jet lift systems typically include: uncertainty regarding the placement of the jet pump cavity or the optimal depth for the deviation seating point; determining the right moment to start producing the well using the jet pump after the early flowing-well production stage; identifying the most effective initial nozzle-throat combination; selecting the most cost-effective surface equipment capacity (horsepower) for the user; managing the well's transient behavior by resizing the jet pump nozzle-throat combination; preventing cavitation in the jet pump during both early and late production stages; and, finally, developing a properly designed strategy to convert from jet lift to rod lift.

This paper provides a clear discussion of the issues and challenges associated with jet lift operations, along with field-proven solutions successfully implemented in the Eagle Ford formation across approximately 150 jet-pumped wells.