Download Papers

Long lateral, high-rate wells in the Permian basin present unique challenges to maximize rate relative to ensuring flow stability with gas lift. Annular flow gas lift has offered a transitional lift method between high rate casing flow and traditional tubing flow gas lift to maximize well production. However, annular flow and annular flow gas lift have presented a more aggressive corrosion profile...

Since its’ introduction to the unconventional oil and gas realm in 2017, Single Point High Pressure Gas Lift (referred to as HPGL going forward) has emerged as one of the top artificial lift choices for operators in the Permian and MIDCON basins. It has become a proven technology with over 1,600 applications to date as more operators are choosing it as their primary form of artificial lift for...

Annular flow gas lift has rapidly become a popular method of initial artificial lift in the Permian Basin. The evolution of wells, over time, has resulted in higher flow rates due to advancements; this includes horizontal, multi-staged improvements in frac technology. Smaller casing strings are often installed to save on well costs, but this can limit the type of artificial lift system that can be...

The temperature allocation along the well plays a crucial role in the design performance and troubleshooting analysis of gas-lifted wells. The temperature of injection gas at each valve depth should be well-known to establish the gas flow rate spread across every valve. As gas temperature across the valve and production fluid temperature will be utilized to evaluate nitrogen pressure inside the...

The Permian Basin is well known for multiple remunerative producing zones. Recent development from the Delaware Basin has presented a need for economical chemical selections. Chemical treatment strategies applied in contemporaneous formations in the Midland Basin may not result in an optimized solids risk mitigation approach for the New Mexico Delaware Basin. Having the right treatment strategy in...

Incomplete fillage conditions where the downhole pump does not completely fill up with incompressible liquid have been widely accepted to have detrimental effects on pumping efficiency and moreover the equipment longevity in sucker rod pumping applications. Methods of synchronizing the pump displacement to the wells inflow and thus reducing incomplete fillage has been of keen interest to the...

One of the most expensive issues while workover operations are fishing and sometimes it ended up being a non-successful operation when the fish is left in the hole. The time expended trying to pull a fish in horizontal wells is particularly long and the costs are high. Proper planning and good practices should reduce the risk associated with this problem but as a contingency, a new tool has been...

This paper introduces a technology for handling solids above the discharge of the ESP pump that increases the run time of the well and prevents premature failure due to plugging or damage to the pump parts thus contributing to the reduction of carbon emissions and environmental impact. Additionally, the new technology was engineered to allow fluid injection through the tubing and its components...

Following Best Recommended Practices adds value, this paper will discuss selected Best Practices. 1. Tensile strength historically is used as an essential criterion in rod selection. The primary cause of sucker rod failures is not due to exceeding the tensile strength threshold but is due to compression from the polished rod velocity exceeding the plunger velocity. Value can be added from loading...

With the data collected over many years, we can show how we have improved the gas lift valve tear down process, and how that data collected from this process has increased longevity of wells in each, individual area. While following the API Standards of gas lift valve expectancies, both in initial installs as well as reporting once valves are pulled, data is paramount. The ability to provide...

Unconventional reservoirs bring new challenges for Electrical Submersible Pump (ESP) Systems, such as rapid decline and high gas production. As these conditions can add obstacles to the operators to efficiently produce the wells, the industry is always looking for opportunities to improve ESP performance. This study analyzes the performance of some successful ESP Applications installed to produce...

The efficiency of most artificial lift systems is reduced significantly whenever the tubing and the annulus are in communication due to the presence of unwanted holes or leaks developed in some of the hardware used in the installation. Detection of the problem from analysis production records must be followed with field tests that verify the diagnostic before proceeding with repair operations. 

C...

In mature oil fields, the success of gel treatment results depends on the ability of the gel to reduce the high permeable formation without damaging to low permeable formation. Formation damage refers to the extent of damage reservoir rocks face from various drilling techniques and/or chemical treatment during well completion. A dynamic filtration test was used to investigate this effect using...

This paper will cover multiple trials of a new combination of advanced gas and sand separation techniques which have now proven to consistently perform at an exceptional level which was previously unobtainable. Details of the performance will be thoroughly outlined. The assembly is designed to be very rugged, simple to run, and easily economical. 

There is a need in the industry for a predictive program that can mimic the vast combinations of downhole pump conditions that are found in sucker rod pumped wells. In this paper, we introduce a software that is capable of showing the all of the basic downhole pump conditions, as well as combinations of these conditions in both vertical and deviated wells. The software can show the ideal downhole...

Black Mamba Rod Lift debuted in 2019, shipping its first Complete Rod Control sucker rods in Fall of 2020. Its use has expanded across the globe in a variety of wells and drill styles, meeting various needs of operators. In 2022, Chevron began piloting Black Mamba’s Complete Rod Control designs and product in complex, problematic wells. Alternate solutions were also deployed simultaneously in...

When operating rod pumps, it is important to match the volume displaced by the pump to the inflow from the reservoir. By doing so, downhole pressure is minimized, thus maximizing production, while keeping mechanical damage and power consumption to a minimum. Various devices such as time clocks, pump-off controllers or variable frequency drives have been adopted in the industry to achieve this goal...

Production engineers rely upon a variety of data streams from the field to optimize production and maintain safe, environmentally responsible operations; without the reliable collection of this information, we cannot do our jobs. Given the challenges of operating assets spread over vast areas and the inadequacies of workflows relying upon manual measurements and communication, automated data...

This paper presents new research methods, designs, and field testing of a new type of mechanical gas separator for electric submersible pumping (ESP) systems that increases the operating flow range and separation efficiency performance, while decreasing erosion problems and improving reliability. 

A state-of-the-art test system for measuring and understanding the internal workings of two-phase...

The objective of this paper is to present oil and gas industry the advancement and improvement of the Baker Hughes ESP phase system on wells with relatively high GLR, moderate water cut, and suggest considering the presented design system in comparable wells for an extended run-life. Paper presents run-life analysis and comparison of a conventional design versus the phase system in terms of power...

Continuous sucker rod had been used for many years in sucker rod pump applications. However, several challenges have limited its acceptance in the past. The availability of service equipment, welding methodology, and selection of metallurgy all contributed to premature failures and operator frustration with the timeliness of installation and repairs.

A new approach to implementing continuous rod...

This session will explore and introduce a hydraulic drive and transmission system harnessing natural gas engines, to achieve variable speed control, regardless of the power infrastructure available at the well site. 

When paired with an automatic Pump-Off Control system and a De-Gas Compressor, which is available with a dual drive transmission option, the patented hydraulic drive system...

Surface coatings are often needed for sucker rod pump components to protect them from the harsh downhole environments of corrosives, formation solids, and even treatment chemicals. Most coatings have both positive and negative characteristics in protecting from each of the downhole aggressors, therefore further precautions must be taken to ensure the survival rate of components, given the...

Extending the run life of wells with Electrical Submersible Pumps (ESP) becomes a crucial need since it is one of the most economically expensive types of ALS. Following the need, a sand regulator has been designed to protect the pump during shutdowns, and it has been incorporated into traditional sand control configurations to offer extensive protection above and below the pump. This paper will...

Rod pumping unconventional wells is becoming increasingly challenging due to unpredictable downhole environments. Many unconventional wells exhibit significant deviation accompanied with corrosion making them difficult to rod lift without exposing downhole equipment to unpredictable damage mechanisms – specifically the rod string.

Continuous rod is a proven technology in these deviated...