Blake Campbell - Drilling Fluids Technology, Inc.
Dr. Stuart Scott and Seth Fitter - Texas Tech
Rafael Beltran - Mewbourne Oil Company
Frac hits can introduce large volumes of water into offset producing wells, disrupting established gas-lift performance and creating persistent liquid loading, unstable slugging, elevated injection-gas requirements, and delayed oil recovery. Conventional responses may include increasing injection gas, adjusting operating parameters, or allowing the well to recover gradually. These approaches can be ineffective when the accumulated liquid cannot be efficiently transported through the production system.
This presentation covers Delaware Basin field case studies evaluating the application of a continuous surfactant program as an operational enhancement to gas lift following frac-hit fluid loading. The treatment was designed to reduce the effective density and improve the mobility of the produced liquid column, allowing the available gas energy to transport liquids more efficiently through the tubing(or casing for annular flow). Candidate selection, chemical placement, initial dosage, optimization procedures, and surface-foam management are discussed.
Across the cases reviewed, treatment response was evaluated using oil, water, and gas production; tubing and casing pressure; injection-gas rate; flow stability; and time to response. Successful applications produced measurable changes within approximately 6 to 12 hours, including reduced pressure cycling, more stable liquid production, improved oil recovery, and—in selected cases—the ability to maintain production at lower injection-gas rates. Observed oil rate improvements ranged from approximately 5% up to 200% in the strongest-response cases. Performance was influenced by water cut, gas-liquid ratio, available gas energy, completion configuration, and the volume and location of retained fluid.
The results demonstrate that SAGL can provide a practical, nonintrusive option for accelerating frac-hit recovery when sufficient gas energy is present but liquid transport remains inefficient. The presentation also identifies candidate-selection criteria, operating indicators, and conditions associated with weak or unsuccessful response to help operators determine where this approach is most likely to provide economic value.