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Gas production is one of the main problems on ESP systems; causing premature failures and low efficiency, these are the reasons why many companies have developed a number of solutions to separate gas before reaches the pump. To solve this problem a New Downhole Gas Regulator has been developed in order to avoid large amounts of free gas flowing directly into the pump intake. This system regulates...

Horizontal Unconventional declines have a rapidly declining hyperbolic decline section and a slower declining exponential decline section. Rapidly changing production volumes from the decline curve and more rapid changes from slugging gas as a result of undulations in the horizontal leg plus sand from massive frac jobs result in challenges in artificial lift selection. This paper will explore...

This paper discusses the principal of ball lifting systems (Lizard) for oil and gas wells and its possible applications. Typical applications are: 1. Acts as moving standing valve to minimize dry runs while reducing tubing wear. 2. Will continually operate in transition area; Lizard will move the to transition flow area to deliver ball to lifting sleeve, unloading wells and work itself to the...

Harmonic Mitigation Challenges in Unconventional ESP Applications 1. OBJECTIVES/SCOPE: Modern oil field producers face increasing pressure from utilities regarding harmonic compliance, and harmonic-related penalties can be severe. A more effective approach for mitigating VSD-induced power harmonics is presented, in which the unique electrical requirements of unconventional ESP applications are...

A process for modeling multivariate Electric Submersible Pump data in a central host system is proposed in to support managing fields by exception by using artificial intelligence models to identify failure modes and operating conditions. The AI model enables operators to immediately identify failure modes and operational conditions, as it is continuously analyzing, facilitating quicker decision...

Corrosion and fatigue are the primary causes of sucker rod failures in artificial lift systems. Harsh well fluid conditions lead to material loss and detrimental pitting which then lead to initiation points for fatigue fractures to occur.

Production in aggressive service environments with higher acid gas concentrations associated with increased levels of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and carbon dioxide...

Different types of forces NOT accounted for by the wave equation are 1) mechanical friction, 2) piston force acting on the polished rod due to tubing back pressure and 3) true vertical rod weight.  Mechanical friction will be discussed from 1) over-tight stuffing box, 2) down hole sticking due to a severe dogleg in the wellbore profile and 3) friction from paraffin along a section of the rod...

Water block after hydraulic fracturing is one of the major challenges in shale oil recovery which affects the optimal production from the reservoir. The water blockage represents a higher water saturation near the matrix-fracture interface, which decreases the hydrocarbon relative permeability. The removal of water blockage in the field is typically carried out by soaking the well (i.e., shut-in)...

Friction reducer is a hydraulic fracturing fluid additive meant to lower costs by decreasing the friction pressure in tubulars during pumping operations. High viscosity friction reducers (HVFRs) have become increasingly popular in well stimulation applications in lieu of conventional slick water fluid systems involving linear and cross-linked gels. However, various factors must be considered when...

Replacing bridge plugs with Perf PODs, to plug/divert individual perforations, allows Operators to divert the stimulation mid-stage and reduce the total number of bridge plugs within a wellbore while maintaining the advantages of closer stage spacing and adding additional clusters.  The risk of a pre-set plug can be drastically reduced, along with pump down time, completion cost and resources...

Catastrophic accidents in offshore drilling operations have greatly endangered human lives, environment and capital assets. Although risks in offshore oil and gas operations cannot be completely eliminated, a substantial amount of risks can be minimized through preventive and mitigative measures. A key aspect of the offshore drilling risk is the reliability of drilling systems. According to the...

The perceived impact of chlorine dioxide (ClO2) on the corrosion of steel used in the oil patch has been a controversial issue for many years.   Although a few studies on this issue have been published, those results have been contradictory. As concerns surrounding this issue continue to be raised, a systematic study has been undertaken to understand the corrosive effects of ClO2 towards steel in...

With the increase in activity in the Delaware Basin, preparing wells for the pressure spikes seen from offset fracs is crucial in order to maintain safe operations.  It is important to take risk and economics into account when deciding how to prep a well. Most importantly, historical data should be factored into the decision making process and used to build the program guidelines.  Factors that...

The purpose of this project is to conduct a Dynamic Filtration Test to Investigate the Effect of Preformed Particle Gels (PPGs) on Un-swept, Low-Permeable Zones/Areas. A filtration test is a simple means of evaluating formation damage. This work use schematically dynamic filtration test experiment design apparatus to carry out the various filtration test experiments. It use different core samples...

There is a growing need for energy throughout the world and this increase in demand for energy has now also put a strain on the current sources of energy. In the process of oil/gas production, there are large amounts of water released into the atmosphere as well as into the ground or soil. This water contains chemicals such as Sulphur and Nitrogen oxides, Bitumen, Calcium, Base oil, and Sodium. It...

Success in the oil and gas industry comes with effectively juggling four key elements: money (made or lost), risk, technical capability, and competition. Information is key to managing this process. Data sharing is the controlled process of providing information to and obtaining information from your competitors in such a manner to ensure your success (and theirs, as well). When well executed...

Case study of mill-out operations in the Permian Basin which evaluate chemical program and processes used. Results show how existing processes and chemicals used or lack thereof, can affect equipment and undo the preventative chemical treatments used during the hydraulic fracturing process. The study looks at field water testing performed during various mill-out operations and considered workover...

Rod pumps are not the ideal system of lift when it comes to handling gas. We can only do so much with the configuration downhole especially for wells with open hole completions. Despite the limited options, we are coming to find that we can do better by manipulating parameters at the surface. Historically, we have manipulated back pressure on the tubing in order to control when gas breaks out of...

There are many challenges associated with sucker rod lift in deviated wellbores that can lead to high failure rates and lost production. Tubing failures are amongst the costliest workovers and are often a result of metal to metal contact between the rod coupling and the tubing. Evaluating tubing on-site using both gamma and electromagnetic inspection allows for proper design optimization before...

Oasis Petroleum has ~1000 rod pump wells in the Bakken producing from 8000’ - 10,000’. A focused effort has been made over the past few years to reduce the failure rate from ~1.0 failures/well/year to the current rate of .68 failures/well/year. This has been the result of a holistic approach which has encompassed improvements in rod design, surveillance, training, development of Standard Operating...

Rod lift design methods remain overwhelmingly unchanged since the mid-20th century. Meanwhile, drilling and completion technology has undergone a dramatic transformation. The innovation gap between the two technologies and low-flow artificial lift has resulted in the need for improved design and workflow methods to more effectively operate an unconventional well throughout its lifecycle. New...

When an insert rod pump gets stuck in tubing there will be a significant increase in well-servicing events. These events cost the consumer money and also places the worker's safety at risk. 

The Highway 80 area reviewed the number of stuck rod pumps in tubing conditions that had occurred from 2010 to mid-2017.  In total, there were 825 pumps that were unable to be pulled with rods, which...

Problem being addressed: Determining optimized Gas Injection Rate for Gas Lifted wells to maximize lift efficiency. Challenges: While Gas Lift is the most natural artificial lift method, ever-changing surface and downhole conditions cause significant inefficiencies. The changing conditions require frequent adjustments to surface-injected gas rates to maintain the most efficient lifting gradient...

There are many potential failures in production wells which result from corrosive downhole environments, mechanical aspects of artificial lift or a combination thereof. Tubing failures constitute a costly failure mechanism in production wells. Tubing inspections can provide valuable insight on the condition of tubing as well as the distinction between causes of tubing degradation. This information...

When optimizing a reciprocating rod lift installation, key control parameters must be extracted from the downhole data. Traditionally, downhole data in the form of position and load data is derived from surface data using the wave equation. Downhole position and load data must be carefully analyzed to extract key control parameters for reciprocating rod lift optimization. IRIS introduces a new and...