Artificial Lift

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...