Gas Lift

Modern unconventional wells increasingly rely on gas lift compression, representing ~30% of initial artificial lift systems in the Midland Basin and ~40% in the Delaware Basin by 2024. Permian produced gas is often liquid-rich, containing higher propane and butane concentrations and specific gravities typically ranging from 0.72–0.79 (and occasionally up to ~0.97), forcing compressors to operate...

The efficient management of gas lift systems is pivotal in minimizing operational costs and maximizing production for a large majority of unconventional wells. By leveraging automated workflows to efficiently build and tune physics based nodal analysis models, operators can optimize well performance and gas injection rates thus reducing operational expenses. A cornerstone of effective gas lift...

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...