1. (Make More Fluid with Less Valves)
41st Gas-Lift Workshop Houston, Texas, USA June 3 - 7, 2019
High Rate Unconventional GLR Based Gas Lift
(Make More Fluid with Less Valves)
Kenneth Estrada - Concho Resources
Jay Miller - Production Lift Companies
Strategy –Not to Rod Everything Up
High Liquid/Gas/BHP/Sand/Deviations
GAS LIFT GOOD ARTIFICIAL LIFT CHOICE
WHAT’S NEXT?
Strategy: Transition Thru Phases From Initial Completion-Final Depletion
Offers Significant Cost Savings
1. Won’t Electrify Field
2. Won’t kill or pull well
June 3 - 7, 2019
2019 Gas-Lift Workshop 1

2. Conventional High Rate Vertical
Bracketed Gas Lift Designs Best Uses
Constant Bottom Hole Pressure
Constant PI
Water Drive
Constant Rate Vertical Wells 2
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2019 Gas-Lift Workshop

3. Conventional High Rate Vertical3
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2019 Gas-Lift Workshop

4. Traditional Nodal Based Gas Lift
Nodal Analysis was developed to predict a well’s performance with a constant BHP, a constant PI and a constant predictable rate
Nodal analysis in unconventional wells is not a valid predictor of well performance
Unconventional wells change rapidly during their life
A multi-rate design that adapts to changing PI, pressure and rate is needed
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2019 Gas-Lift Workshop 4

5. Equidistant Spacing Austin Chalk Paradigm Shift Vertical to Horizontal
Slugging production
Solids
Multi Rate Designs needed
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2019 Gas-Lift Workshop 5

6. Equidistance Spacing 6
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2019 Gas-Lift Workshop

7. Multi Rate Designs Horizontal Well Designs
Very quickly the industry realized the designs we were using for vertical wells would not work in horizontal wells
A new Multi Rate Design Method was studied
This design needed to be a multi rate design capable of following a horizontal well’s rapid decline
The birth of the equally spaced bracketed design
The equally spaced design was thought to follow the well’s decline through the life of the well
Most of the time they work, but they miss a gas lift well’s potential to work in the high pressure part of a well’s life
In some cases even the equally spaced bracketed designs are spaced too widely
FBHP Surveys show this and led to a need to change the designs
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2019 Gas-Lift Workshop 7

8. Desktop Computers
Computers Show up on Engineers Desks in the early 90’s
Detailed well analysis becomes more prevalent
Windows based Gas Lift Design Programs become the norm
The authors of the gas lift design programs did a good job
Gas Lift design moves from an “art” to a standardized product almost anyone could do
Lots of wells are placed on these standardized designs
Problems arise because of wide spacing in the unloading portion of the wells
Many wells are pulled because the wells would not transfer to lower valves 8
June 3 - 7, 2019
2019 Gas-Lift Workshop

9. Well Analysis Uncovers Design Problems
Flowing Bottom Hole Pressure Surveys find problems
Some Unloading valves are spaced too widely
Valve chattering causes valve failures
Hydrotesting the tubing is a rare practice with new tubing
Testing the whole tubing string will not identify small leaks
Collar leaks are prevalent
These small leaks change the gas lift design’s efficiency 9
June 3 - 7, 2019
2019 Gas-Lift Workshop

10. Unconventional GLR Based High Rate Gas Lift
A design method that takes advantage of the wells initial high rate potential
This method uses the GLR Curves as a predictor of performance
Works best when well data is known
This method requires a highly skilled gas lift designer to understand how to place the high rate bracket
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2019 Gas-Lift Workshop 10

11. SBHP Effects and Importance!11
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12. High Rate Unconventional Gas Lift12
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13. ****Back Pressure****
The most overlooked problem in Permian Basin gas lifted wells
High back pressure reduces the amount of fluid you can make
High Back pressure is defined by a tubing pressure over 150 PSI
Ideal back pressure is 125 PSI
High back pressure reduces production for the life of the well
High back pressure causes
90 degree turns in the flow line
Unnecessary choke bodies
Excess gas breakout
Distance from the tank battery 13
June 3 - 7, 2019
2019 Gas-Lift Workshop

14. 100 PSI Back Pressure 14
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2019 Gas-Lift Workshop

15. 300 PSI Back Pressure 15
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2019 Gas-Lift Workshop

16. Gas Lift Well with 300 psi Back Pressure
Excessive 90⁰ Turns
2” Flowlines
Gas Lift Well with 300 psi Back Pressure 16
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2019 Gas-Lift Workshop

17. Conclusions
The High Rate Unconventional GLR Based Gas Lift Design Method has plenty of Merit
The transfer from upper to lower valves is greatly accelerated
Closing the spacing in upper valves allows this
As the well depletes the valves don’t have to be as closely spaced
Producing 2,500+ bpd total fluid rates is easily achievable
This design method has seen 270+ psi of drawdown in several days
Fluid rates as high as 2800 bpd were seen. Higher rates possible
More installations are needed to gather conclusive data
One thing we have seen is more fluid with less valves
The equidistance bracketing is no longer needed
A better wheel has been invented 17
June 3 - 7, 2019
2019 Gas-Lift Workshop

18. BHP Drawdown 18
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19. Copyright
Rights to this presentation are owned by the company(ies) and/or author(s) listed on the title page. By submitting this presentation to the Gas-Lift Workshop, they grant to the Workshop, the Artificial Lift Research and Development Council (ALRDC), and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), rights to:
Display the presentation at the Workshop.
Place it on the web site, with access to the site to be as directed by the Workshop Steering Committee.
Place it on a CD for distribution and/or sale as directed by the Workshop Steering Committee.
Other uses of this presentation are prohibited without the expressed written permission of the company(ies) and/or author(s) who own it and the Workshop Steering Committee. 19
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20. Disclaimer 20 June 3 - 7, 2019 2019 Gas-Lift Workshop
The following disclaimer shall be included as the last page of a Technical Presentation or Continuing Education Course. A similar disclaimer is included on the front page of the Gas-Lift Workshop Web Site. The Artificial Lift Research and Development Council and its officers and trustees, and the Gas-Lift Workshop Steering Committee members, and their supporting organizations and companies (here-in-after referred to as the Sponsoring Organizations), and the author(s) of this Technical Presentation or Continuing Education Training Course and their company(ies), provide this presentation and/or training material at the Gas-Lift Workshop "as is" without any warranty of any kind, express or implied, as to the accuracy of the information or the products or services referred to by any presenter (in so far as such warranties may be excluded under any relevant law) and these members and their companies will not be liable for unlawful actions and any losses or damage that may result from use of any presentation as a consequence of any inaccuracies in, or any omission from, the information which therein may be contained. The views, opinions, and conclusions expressed in these presentations and/or training materials are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Sponsoring Organizations. The author is solely responsible for the content of the materials. The Sponsoring Organizations cannot and do not warrant the accuracy of these documents beyond the source documents, although we do make every attempt to work from authoritative sources. The Sponsoring Organizations provide these presentations and/or training materials as a service. The Sponsoring Organizations make no representations or warranties, express or implied, with respect to the presentations and/or training materials, or any part thereof, including any warrantees of title, non-infringement of copyright or patent rights of others, merchantability, or fitness or suitability for any purpose. 20
June 3 - 7, 2019
2019 Gas-Lift Workshop