CHAIR - JIM BENNETT EXXONMOBIL API GAS LIFT TASK GROUP CHAIR - JIM BENNETT EXXONMOBIL

TASK GROUP MEMBERS JACK BLANN ERIC BRAUNER JACK BRINK JOE CLEGG MEL COHEN KEN DECKER ED DEMOSS CLEON DUNHAM PAUL EADS FAUSTINO FUENTES BOB GRAY ALI HERNANDEZ NORMAN HEIN KEN HILSE JIM HOLT MIKE JOHNSON ERIC LAINE JIM LEA WAYNE MABRY JOHN MARTINEZ SHAUNA NOONAN HENRY NICKENS MARK OGLIER BOOTS ROUEN ROGER STINSON CINDY TUCKNESS TOM VAN AKKEREN TOMMY WHITE HERALD WINKLER BURNEY WARING

NEW MEMBERS NEEDED WORK ON RECOMMENDED PRACTICES OPERATION, MAINTENANCE, AND TROUBLESHOOTING IS UNDERGOING REVIEW AT THIS TIME SUGGEST OTHER TOPICS AND PUT TOGETHER A TEAM TO WORK ON THE RP PRODUCTION PRESSURE OPERATED (PPO) DESIGN DUAL GAS LIFT INSTALLATIONS INTERMITTENT LIFT DESIGN AUTOMATION AND CONTROLS FOR GAS LIFT INSTALLATIONS CONTACT JIM BENNETT TO JOIN jim.r.bennett@exxonmobil.com

LIST OF SPECs AND RPs – 11V1 Spec 11V1 – Gas Lift Valves, Orifices, Reverse Flow Valves and Dummy Valves Wayne Mabry – Work Group Leader Spec on gas lift valves orifices, reverse flow valves, and dummy valves Will be replaced in the future by ISO specification

LIST OF SPECs AND RPs – 11V2 RP 11V2 – Gas Lift Valve Performance Testing Ken Decker – Work Group Leader Covers the test procedures for flow performance testing of wireline retrievable and tubing retrievable IPO (injection pressure operated), and PPO (production pressure operated) gas lift valves

LIST OF SPECs AND RPs – 11V5 RP 11V5 – Operation, Maintenance, and Trouble-Shooting of Gas Lift Installations Cleon Dunham – Work Group Leader Covers RPs on kickoff and unloading, adjustment procedures, troubleshooting diagnostic tools, and location of problem areas for gas lift operations The RP is in the initial phase of revision – contact Cleon Dunham to participate

LIST OF SPECs AND RPs – 11V6 RP 11V6 – Design of Continuous Flow Gas Lift Installations Using Injection Pressure Operated Valves Joe Clegg – Work Group Leader Sets guidelines for continuous flow gas lift installation designs using injection pressure operated valves

LIST OF SPECs AND RPs – 11V7 RP 11V7 – Repair, Testing and Setting Gas Valves John Martinez – Work Group Leader Applies to repair, testing, and setting gas lift valves and reverse flow (check) valves. It presents guidelines related to the repair and reuse of valves; these practices are intended to serve both repair shops and operators.

PROPOSED RP – UP FOR APPROVAL – 11V8 RP 11V8 – Gas Lift System Design and Performance Prediction John Martinez – Work Group Leader The RP emphasizes gas lift as a system and discusses methods used to predict its performance. Information must be gathered and models validated prior to a system design, which must precede wellbore gas lift mandrel and valve design. The subsurface and surface components of the system must be designed together to enhance the strengths of each and to minimize the constraints.

RP 11V8 1.0 Overview of a Gas Lift System 2 1.1 Major Components of a Gas Lift System 2 A. Gas Compression and Distribution System B. Subsurface Equipment C. Gas and Liquid Gathering System 1.2 Ways in Which System Components Interact 5 2.0 Types of Gas Lift Systems 7 2.1 Continuous Gas Lift 7 2.2 Intermittent Gas Lift 8 A. Two-Packer Chamber B. Insert Chamber 2.3 Gas lift with Plunger 10 2.4 Gas Lift Tubing/Packer Alternatives 11 A. Open B. Semi-Closed C. Closed

3.0 Information Required for Effective Gas Lift 13 3.1 Fluid PVT Data 13 A. PVT Data Available B. PVT Data Not Available 3.2 Flowing Pressure and Temperature Surveys 17 A. Pressure Surveys B. Measured Temperatures 3.3 Production Tests 19 A. Test Accuracy B. Test Frequency C. Test Duration D. Flowline Purging 3.4 Gas lift Valve Performance Information 23 A. Types of Gas lift Valves B. Valve Opening C. Valve Gas Passage Performance 3.5 Field Constraints 25 A. Available Pressure for Injection B. Minimum Wellhead Pressure C. Maximum Gas Availability D. Other Constraints

4.0 Well Deliverability 32 4.1 Basic Models 32 A. Fluid Pressure Profile B. Gas Pressure Profile C. Temperature Profile D. Inflow Performance 4.2 System Models 40 A. Production Rate vs. Bottomhole Pressure B. Production Rate vs. Injection Depth C. Production Rate vs. Injection Gas Rate D. Production Rate vs. Wellhead Pressure E. Effects of Deeper/Shallower Injection Depths F. Predicting Gas Requirements

5. Factors which Affect Potential Production Rate and 5.0 Factors which Affect Potential Production Rate and Gas Injection Requirement 46 5.1 Casing Pressure and Gas Injection Rate 46 5.2 Depth of Injection 48 5.3 Casing, Tubing, and Flowline Sizes 49 5.4 Gas lift Valves 51 5.5 Reservoir Depth, Pressure, and Temperature 52 5.6 Well Inflow Productivity 53 5.7 Percent Water in Produced Fluid 54 5.8 Solution and Free Gas in Produced Fluid 54 5.9 Operating Separator Pressure 55 5.10 Wellbore Deviation 55

6.0 Other Gas Lift Design Considerations 57 6.1 Gas Supply 57 A. Compressor Power B. Suction Pressure vs. Gas Lift Gas Requirement C. Gas Dehydration D. Chemical Additives 6.2 Gas Lift Gas Distribution System 67 A. Trunk Line System B. Spider System C. Combination System 6.3 Injection Gas Measurement and Control 69 A. Gas Measurement Methods B. Gas Injection Rate Control Methods C. Automatic Measurement and Control 6.4 Gathering, Testing, and Handling of Produced Fluids 72 A. Effects of Various Wellhead Designs B. Flowline Effects C. Effective Well Testing 6.5 Special Design Cases 73 A. Dual Completions B. Annular Flow C. Lifting with CO2 or N2

7.0 Gas lift Optimization 76 7.1 Economic Basis for Optimization 76 7.2 Determination of Gas lift System Economic Costs and Benefits 77 7.3 Implementation of Field Optimization 79 7.4 What is Practical and What is Impractical 81 8.0 Computer Design Tools 83 8.1 Vertical Pressure Profile Models 83 A. Empirical Models B. Mechanistic Models 8.2 Vertical Temperature Profile Models 87 8.3 Well Inflow Performance Models 88 9.0 Operating Considerations 91 9.1 Gas lift Operator's Problems 91 9.2 Design Strategies for Effective Long Term Operation 95 9.3 Check List of Gas lift System Problems and Recommendations 96

API GAS LIFT TASK GROUP TO VOLUNTEER- CONTACT CHAIR - JIM BENNETT EXXONMOBIL EMAIL: jim.r.bennett@exxonmobil.com