Pre-Conference Schools

In this class, we will share our many years of experience in various operational topics that can add value to your field operations.  Topics such as rod care and handling to reduce failures, operational best practices proven through multiple studies, and discussion of daily rod pump operations related to backpressure, POC/VFD settings, load and testing, hot watering, chemicals, etc.   

This one-day pre-conference school will examine representative laboratory data associated with the selection, monitoring, and optimization of corrosion treating chemicals. We will examine lab data and key performance indicators (KPIs) pertaining to tracking the effectiveness of corrosion inhibitors. We will be discussing produced water analyses, suspended solids analyses, deposit analyses, corrosion coupons, amine residuals and iron/manganese levels. We will review standardized procedures for the sampling and determination of the various monitoring techniques, define and identify possible anomalies that can occur within the data and discuss possible interferences that can impact the various test methods utilized. We will work through various corrosion scenarios as a group to help identify what types of samples and analytical testing should be gathered and performed to help in addressing the corrosion challenge presented.
 
The objectives of this pre-conference school are to review each analysis type used by chemical vendors in corrosion monitoring and discuss the interpretation and application for each test utilized.
 

Fundamentals of Sucker Rod Lift” is a one-day seminar on the principles and operations of sucker rod lift.  Each component of the sucker rod lift system is discussed including the pumping unit, rods, tubing, pump, downhole gas separator and prime mover.  How the components function and interact with each other is presented so that the attendee can understand the entire operating system and how the components interact.  An understanding of the reservoir and its production potential and behavior is also presented so that the attendee can optimize the well’s performance.  Attendees will learn the principles of sucker rod lift systems and how to produce wells efficiently.  The results of application of this information in the field will be an increase in production, a reduction in operating expense and greater profits.

Gas Lift Course Overview
The Southwest Petroleum Short Course two-day gas lift training class is designed to give oil & gas operators a full review of gas lift equipment, operations, and applications in regards to artificial lift.
Flowco Production Solutions artificial lift systems excel in the oilfield service industry. Flowco strives to provide the best solution for each operators’ production needs.
Flowco will provide the gas lift manual and all required training materials for the seminar.

Who Should Attend
The gas lift seminar is designed to provide oil & gas field personnel and engineers who handle production operations with the ability to understand and operate gas lift systems.
Engineers, operators’, and field personnel gain the understanding of the effects of gas lift in relation to a producing system.

Objective
•    Provide a thorough review about the theory, and mechanics of gas lift to operators involved in oil and gas production.
•    Demonstrate the advantages and limitations of the gas lift system.
•    Teach the attendees about system evaluations, design, installation, operation, and troubleshooting of the gas lift system. 

Course Outline
•    Introduction to Oil Production and Artificial Lift
o    Choosing an Artificial Lift System
•    Process of Gas Lift
o    Types of Gas Lift
o    Advantage/Limitations of Gas Lift
•    Valve Mechanics
•    Gas Lift Design (IPO)
o    Valve Spacing
o    Valve Pressure Setting
•    Special Application Gas Lift
•    Gas Lift Troubleshooting and Optimization
 

This course is designed to provide specific operator training with regards to electric submersible pumps (ESPs).  The course is structured to provide operation personnel with a general understanding of ESPs and their basic operations.  The course will review give a basic understanding of ESPs and their operation.  The course will also discuss basic troubleshooting techniques.

Plunger Lift has always been recognized as the most economical form of Artificial Lift for removing liquids from natural gas wells and producing higher GLR oil wells.  With the recovery of oil and natural gas prices plunger lift has become an increasingly popular lift choice.  When combined with gas lift (PAGL) it can increase the efficiency and extend the economic life of wells. This school will cover the various applications across different production parameters.  Topics will include the following:

•    Brief History of the Technology
•    Liquid Loading in Flowing Wells 
•    Various Plunger Lift Applications
•    Identifying & Qualifying Candidates
•    Surface & Down Hole Considerations
•    Surface & Down Hole Completions
•    Installation/Startup/Optimization
•    Plunger Types & Applications
•    Field Operations & Maintenance
•    Electronics/Automation/Telemetry
 

This two-day course will teach the use of operational data (e.g., daily runtime, cycles, loads) and dynamometer cards from pump-off controllers (POCs) and variable speed drives (VSDs) to analyze and optimize the performance of sucker rod pumps. Topics covered will include:
•    What operational data should be monitored, and what do changes in that data indicate.
•    Interpretation of dynamometer cards.
•    Combining operational data and dynamometer cards to better understand well operation.
•    POC and VSD configuration to optimized well performance. 
 

     This two-day training has been designed to provide basic foundational knowledge on jet pump systems. Participants will receive technical information and experience-based knowledge that will help them on the selection of the proper jet pump equipment, installation, operation, maintenance, troubleshooting and optimization. This training was conceived for production engineers, lease operators, oilfield pumpers, field production personnel, operations personnel and similar roles in the oil and gas industry.

 
Training Outline:
1.    Jet Pump theory and application basics.
2.    Jet pump downhole equipment configurations.
3.    Tubing string installation considerations.
4.    Surface equipment configurations.
5.    Surface equipment installation considerations.
6.    Selection process for proper nozzle/throat combination for the frac flow recovery process and early production stage. 
7.    Selection process for proper nozzle/throat combination after the frac flow recovery process - keeping up with the transient productivity index of unconventional wells.
8.    Jet pump performance & production optimization. 
9.    The jet pump minimum required flowing bottom hole pressure: how low can it go?
10.    Problems with jet pump operations; how to correct them. 
11.    Field visit to a jet pumped well. This well is located near O’Donnell TX (50-minute drive from Lubbock TX).
 

This advanced analysis and troubleshooting course for sucker rod produced wells is designed to provide comprehensive insights into the analysis of wells using dynamometer cards, with a particular focus on using the calculated downhole pump card. Information displayed in surface and pump dynamometer cards plays a critical role in diagnosing issues in sucker rod lifted wells. The course explores various aspects of dynamometer card analysis, emphasizing the identification of problems such as incomplete pump fillage, plunger motion irregularities, mechanical friction, and the impact of gas compression within the pump chamber.
Incomplete pump fillage is a common problem in rod pump wells, often stemming from different well conditions that can be misinterpreted during diagnosis. As a result, incorrect treatment measures may be applied. This course will equip course participants with techniques to accurately diagnose incomplete pump fillage causes through the analysis of pump dynamometer cards. 
A key focus of the course is the visualization of rod string dynamics in multi-dimensions within the wellbore. Understanding the time element in dynamometer cards is crucial because it reflects the time required for forces to propagate through the rod string. The course emphasizes the importance of trusting the surface card when input data is representative of operating conditions, as pump cards can sometimes exhibit misleading information when using inaccurate data or not understanding how forces are applied to the rod string. 
Dynamometer cards provide tons of insight about the downhole condition of the pump and in what condition it is operating, but not all dynamometer cards are straightforward in their interpretation.  In this section, we will look at interesting dyno cards (from POC’s and portable equipment) to determine what the cards are telling us and the value of interpreting them properly. 
Visualizing the dynamometer cards that result from different conditions that can occur in the rod pump system. Some examples include cards created by incorrect top or bottom of stroke, overtravel vs undertravel stroke, mechanical friction force applied at the stuffing box, a dogleg, or from friction at the pump. This section will also discuss potential surface and downhole conditions that can cause anomalous dynagraph cards. Observations will also be made regarding combinations of surface and downhole conditions, since it is typical that multiple conditions are occurring simultaneously in the system.
 

This course is an introduction to hydraulic fracturing design, implementation, and evaluation in horizontal wells. The instructors are Dave Cramer, Senior Engineering Fellow with ConocoPhillips and Lucas Bazan, President at Bazan Consulting, Inc. Dave and Lucas have 46 and 25 years of continuous experience, respectively, in developing and applying hydraulic fracturing technology.
 
This course is tailored for both engineers and field personnel. It consists of several sessions including group activities to test comprehension. The following topics are covered:
1.       Reservoir characterization for fracturing
2.       Fracture mechanics
3.       Wellbore mechanics
4.       Treating pressure analysis
5.       Hydraulic fracturing execution
6.       Fracturing fluids
7.       Proppants and fracture conductivity
8.       Multi-stage hydraulic fracturing: operations
9.       Multi-stage hydraulic fracturing: design
10.   Fracture modeling, production forecasting and economic evaluation
 

Production facility design must result in facilities that are cost effective, safe, easy to operate, and can be used throughout the life of the field.  Operators are also keenly interested in optimizing newly designed facilities given the constraints of equipment availability, increased equipment costs and the constantly changing price environment.  New regulations and industry standards are re-defining the design and installation of equipment. Examples include reduction of methane emissions (vapor recovery and fugitive emissions), automation, piping codes, process safety, and facility spacing guidelines.  This one-day course will include:
Equipment Selection
•    Sizing Separators
•    Tank Selection
•    Piping
•    Welding
•    Optimal Pressure Ratings of Equipment
•    Vapor Recovery Options
•    Flares
•    Metering
•    Corrosion Control
•    Electrical Area Classifications 
 Review of Latest Regulations and Standards -
•    New Climate Change Driven air requirements for Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma
•    Key Occupational Safety requirements and OSHA Changes
•    Industry Standards and Recommended Practices
•    Equipment and piping codes
 Designing for the Future -
•    Designing to Reduce Cost
•    Instrumentation Options
•    ‘Hatchless’ Tanks, ‘Tankless’ Facilities, and Emissions Control Design
•    Reducing Liabilities through Risk Based Process Safety
•    Design to Reduce Potential Injury to Personnel
 

In “Oilfield Operational Challenges Managed With Chemical Solutions” Andy, an Oxy employee, will describe real world problems with oilfield challenges that he has experienced. Becky will explore the various chemical solutions pros and cons that are available to fix the challenges. Examples include but are not limited to Iron sulfide, mineral scale, corrosion, paraffin, asphaltenes, etc.

A one-day school discussing materials, manufacturing, and testing used in the methods to overcome wellbore problems using cement slurries.  Some of these problems include fixing holes in casing, providing integrity to casing shoes and liner tops, shutting off perforations, reducing water or gas production and correcting compromised casing.  Squeeze cementing techniques, slurry designs, processes, tools and validation will be covered.