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The Polished Rod Transducer (PRT) is a practical and effective tool for well analysis, offering the ability to acquire dynamometer data quickly with minimal disruption to pumping operations. This paper provides guidance on best practices for obtaining reliable PRT readings and improving diagnostic accuracy. The paper begins with a brief overview of how the PRT measures load through polished rod...

Building upon the successes of cathodically protected rod strings in rotary applications, this study extends the evaluation to reciprocating sucker rod pump operations using anode-coated coiled rod strings. The paper presents results from a pilot project involving four wells for a major California oil and gas producer, achieving a remarkable 11-fold improvement in Mean Time to Failure (MTF)...

Downhole separation is a critical process for proper sucker rod pump operation. This technology has been successfully applied in vertical wells, providing a solution for gas interference. New horizontal wells present a new challenge to this technology, since slug flow is a predominant flow pattern when sucker rod pumps are implemented. Many experimental studies have been conducted in the past that...

As rod lift systems are extended to greater depths and tasked with higher production rates, operators face increasing complexity in maintaining reliability and cost-effectiveness. Elevated loads, deeper pump landings, and aggressive environments introduce compounded risks, including rod and tubing wear, bending fatigue failures, corrosion fatigue, and connection reliability issues, among others...

Sand production has been recognized by the oil and gas industry as one of the most significant challenges affecting the operation, efficiency, and longevity of unconventional rod-pumped wells. As sand and other solid particles migrate into the pump assembly, they create abrasive conditions that accelerate wear on critical components. This abrasion not only reduces pump efficiency but also...

A major Bakken operator repeatedly experienced insufficient pump fillage and lower-than-anticipated production volumes in rod-pumped horizontal wells due to poor gas and sand separation. Unable to achieve the desired results after deploying a variety of different gas- and sand-mitigation techniques, the operator partnered with Endurance Lift Solutions to deploy the patented ELS Guardian™ separator...

The oil and gas industry has used Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) for decades to match production to inflow. In sucker rod pump applications, it is well understood that optimizing pumping speed dramatically improves pump efficiency and failure rate. However, the same technology provides the opportunity to make multiple speed changes in a pumping cycle. The effects of speed changes within a...

This study evaluates a 3-1/2 in. tubing well converted from continuous gas lift to plunger-assisted gas lift (PAGL) using a bypass plunger that initially failed to complete cycles under flowing conditions. The objective is to diagnose the root cause, determine operational boundaries for PAGL in 3-1/2 in. tubing, and assess the feasibility of PAGL relative to tubing replacement and higher gas...

Operators of marginal plunger lift wells face significant challenges in optimizing performance while managing tight economic constraints. These wells, characterized by lower flow rates, are often highly sensitive to operational costs, making it difficult to justify investments in advanced digital automation and control systems. Yet, these wells represent a substantial portion of production assets...

Large-scale plunger lift operations demand surveillance methods that can balance proactive optimization with targeted field intervention. To replace route-based monitoring, Occidental Petroleum developed an integrated closed loop control program as well as SCADA based exceptions for its 2,000+ plunger lift wells. Plunger Lift Artificial Intelligence (PLAI) delivers proactive plunger lift...

The plunger lift process can be divided into four distinct cycles: buildup, upstroke, after flow, and liquid discharge. One key parameter that can be measured for optimizing oil production is the total gas flow rate produced during the liquid discharge cycle. Typically, the only known parameters are the controller’s on and off time, so post-processing is required to identify the liquid discharge...

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...

Frac hits in unconventional developments often cause persistent liquid loading, increased flowing pressures, and reduced lift efficiency in offset gas-lift wells. These effects are largely driven by trapped frac fluids, elevated water saturation, and unstable multiphase flow, all of which delay production recovery. This paper evaluates the use of targeted surfactant treatments to accelerate post...

Oil and gas operators increasingly face difficulties optimizing production from wells characterized by variable flow regimes and dynamic pressure conditions. Conventional gas lift systems are often unable to respond effectively to these fluctuations, resulting in inefficiencies, elevated downtime, and reduced hydrocarbon recovery. These challenges are compounded by the need to control costs...

Intermittent gas lift (IGL) is emerging as a key late-life artificial lift method for the growing number of aging horizontal wells in the Permian Basin. With more than 20,000 wells on continuous gas lift, operators face challenges in converting to IGL and operating it effectively. This study synthesizes lessons gathered from controlled IGL experiments at the Texas Tech Oilfield Technology Center...

This paper explores the High Pressure Gas Lift Upper Completion Design Strategy in the Delaware Basin, focusing on optimizing gas lift design for a life-of-well approach that ensures optimal economics. Various design options are assessed to balance cost savings, reliability, and operational efficiency. A comparative analysis of different gas lift designs, including Single Point (no GLV), Side...

OBJECTIVES/SCOPE: The presentation will review a new modeling workflow utilizing dynamic, iterative nodal analysis  with cumulative-based IPR indexing to generate production profiles for different operating scenarios for a given base-case production forecast. Output profiles can be tested for value in an economic model. This workflow has been used to rebase the high-pressure gas lift strategy in...

Objective/Scope: Presentation will review design, installation, and results of recent novel artificial lift pilot in the DJ Basin. GALLOP (Gas Assisted Liquid Lift Oscillating Pressure) is a new variant of gas-lift, designed to unload horizontal wells from the lateral. Unloading from the lateral can add years to a well’s life by preventing heel loading when reservoir pressure drops too low to keep...

In the Delaware Basin, traditional well control during high-pressure annular gas lift installations often introduced risks of formation damage, restricted wellbore access, costly interventions, and extended non-productive time. A dissolvable packer eliminated these drawbacks by delivering reliable pressure isolation without kill fluids, snubbing, or retrieval operations, enabling day-one gas lift...

Effective back-check performance is critical in gas-lift systems to prevent reverse flow during injection shut-in. As well-integrity requirements strengthen, operators require barrier solutions that do not impede unloading efficiency or gas-lift performance.

This paper presents a Patented, barrier-qualified 1-inch back-check system engineered to maximize flow capacity while delivering reliable...

Compressor downtime remains one of the primary causes of lost production, unstable injection performance, and fugitive methane emissions in gas lift operations. This paper reviews a zero-methane emission compression optimization system designed to stabilize gas lift performance by mitigating gas lift compressor issues, reducing shutdown frequency, and capturing methane emissions. The closed-loop...

This case study presents a comprehensive evaluation of how the integration of advanced electric submersible pump (ESP) technologies, efficient gas handling devices, high-efficiency induction motors, and continuous real-time digital surveillance can drive both operational efficiency and sustainability in upstream oil production. The focus is on 22 wells operated by SOGC, Inc. in the Williston Basin...

The thermal behavior of Electrical Submersible Pump (ESP) systems deployed in unconventional wells is poorly characterized, particularly when exposed to elevated gas volume fractions and transient flow regimes. Traditional point temperature measurements provide limited spatial resolution and do not capture how gas interference influences heat distribution along pump stages, seal sections, and...

Electric Submersible Pumps (ESPs) face significant performance challenges when free gas enters the system, and bubbles obstruct fluid flow through the pump impellers–a phenomenon known as gas locking, which can induce premature failure. This complication is amplified during gas slug events, which are inevitable in unconventional reservoirs common to the Permian Basin. This paper presents...

This study analyzes a comprehensive dataset of mid-to-late life Electric Submersible Pump (ESP) designs deployed in Delaware Basin wells to identify the most effective configurations for high Gas Volume Fraction (GVF) environments. Downhole GVFs are normalized across wells, and ESP designs are categorized by pump stage count, gas-handling pump type, gas separator configuration, and casing size...