Artificial Lift

A revolutionary packer-type gas separator was designed to improve gas separation efficiency downhole. A deep analysis of gas separation methods was done to better understand the nature of the process and to design a tool that could generate enhanced conditions for the gas separation phenomenon. During the research stages where data from Permian fields were analyzed to develop this new design of...

Horizontal wells are the largest capital investments made in the Permian and return on investment is essential. This project was developed to analyze the sustainability of gas lift as final form of artificial lift for unconventional horizontal wells. A pilot to run gas lift equipment deep into the lateral was developed, which involved meticulous candidate and downhole equipment selection. Two...

In a reciprocating rod lift application, production tubing failure due to metal-to-metal contact with sucker rod couplings is a common problem in the highly deviated sections of the tubing string. The coupling is forced to be the point of contact against the tubing wall, which causes high friction and excessive tubing wear during the reciprocating motion. This excessive tubing wear typically leads...

Data from fluid level, dynamometer, pressure, and motor power measurements were acquired by a standalone programmable monitoring system that uses internet and cellphone communication with the Cloud for remote monitoring of well performance. The system named Remote Asset Monitoring or RAM is described in detail in this paper that presents results from the tests that lasted several weeks, beginning...

Data from acoustic fluid level and surface pressure measurements were acquired by a standalone programmable monitoring system that uses internet and cellphone communication with the Cloud for remote monitoring of pressure transient well performance. The system named Remote Asset Monitoring or RAM is described in detail in this paper that presents results from tests that lasted several weeks...

Data from fluid level shots can be very valuable in optimizing the chemical treatment program. For example, selecting continuous treatment vs truck treatment, adjusting flush volumes on truck treated wells, ensuring slip-streams are open and adequately slipping, or raising the SN depth on wells that cannot be pumped down. Just because chemical is being introduced into the backside does not mean it...

Managing extensive Electrical Submersible Pump (ESP) operations and evaluating their performance can be a challenging task, especially in unconventional reservoirs. Varied operational environments, expansive geographical areas, large ESP populations, different declination patterns, diverse fluid properties and well designs and different service providers are some of the complications that...

Modern sucker rod pump operations rely on pump-off controller’s, surveillance dashboards, and human intervention to maximize production and pump performance. As a result, rod pump operations often suffer from high manual workload, limited diagnostics and dynamic well conditions. For wells fitted with pump-off controllers and variable speed drives, challenges remain around data gathering and...

One of the most misunderstood issues in sucker rod pumping is tubing back pressure. The great majority of wells that I have encountered in various fields have back pressure valves installed on the tubing side of a wellhead. However, a great many field personnel do not understand why back pressure is applied, how much to apply, and/or how it affects a well’s performance. This paper will discuss the...

The issues of leakage with respect to the clearance between the pump plunger outer diameter (OD) and the pump barrel inner diameter (ID) and other operation conditions have been revisited in this paper using viscoelastic models. Both Poiseuille flow rate due to the pressure difference and Couette flow rate due to the plunger motion have been considered. The purpose of this study is to better...