Gas Lift

Production Technology
Lecture 11b - Gas Lift, Section 2 - Hardware
Recommended Texts: Handout and

Artificial A ifi i l Lift Lif Methods, M h d Kermit E. Brown, Volume 2a PennWell Publishing Co, Tulsa, OK, 1980
Akim Kabir Senior Lecturer Department of Petroleum Engineering Curtin University of Technology

Aug 2008
Section 2 - Hardware

Slide 1

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Schematic of Surface System

COMPRESSION STATION GAS LIFTED WELL EXPORT LINE PROCESS GAS/OIL SEPARATOR

WELL LBORE

FLOWLINE

SURFACE FACILITIES NEAR WELLBORE REGION

Section 2 - Hardware

Slide 2

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Gas lift System

FTHP Liftgas bubbling up the well, lightening the fluid column in the well

Produced Fluids + Lift Gas

Low Pressure gas High Pressure Gas

S Separator

CHP Gaslift Compressor

Liquid

Lift gas injected at the deepest mandrel Pwf

Section 2 - Hardware

Slide 3

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Subsurface Gas Lift Equipment

High Pressure Lift Gas Casing Produced Fluids + Lift Gas

Tubing

Unloading valves (Closed after Unloading) Operating Valve (Always open)

Tubing, Casing, Packer, Mandrels and Gas Lift valves Gaslift Valves are housed inside the mandrels and the mandrels is part of the tubing g Upper valves are for unloading Bottom valve is for operation

Casing/Tubin g Annulus

Packer

Reservoir

Perforations

Section 2 - Hardware

Slide 4

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Gas Lift Mandrels

5 1/2 MMRG-4, 1 1/2 POCKET ROUND OU MANDREL DESIGN SG
Orienting Sleeve Tool Discriminator G Latch Lug Polished Seal Bore

CAMCO

ENGINEERING DATA
PART NUMBER SIZE MAX O O.D. D MIN I.D. DRIFT I.D. THREAD TEST PRESSURE INTERNAL TEST PRESSURE EXTERNAL LATCH TYPE KICKOVER TOOL RUNNING TOOL PULLING TOOL MATERIAL TENSILE STRENGTH (EOEC) 05712-000-00001 5 1/2 7 982 7.982 4.756 4.653 17 LB/FT MANN BDS B x P 7740 PSI 6280 PSI RK, RK-1, RKP, RK-SP OM-1, OM-1M, OM-1S RK-1 15079 1 5/8 JDS 15155 410 S.S., , 13 CR 22 HRC MAX 490,000 LBS

Section 2 - Hardware

Slide 5

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Gas Lift Mandrels

CAMCO

A Tubing Retrievable Mandrel A.

B A Side Pocket Mandrel B.

Section 2 - Hardware

Slide 6

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Gas G s lift Valve V ve Features e u es

Bellows protection g Max dome charge Check valve Stem travel Metallurgy Elastomers Max fluid rate

Top Latch
Section 2 - Hardware

Slide 7

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IPO O G/L G/ Valve V ve Components Co po e s

Check valve to hold in nitrogen charge Dome area which holds nitrogen pressure charge Valve bellows. Grows in length with internal pressure. pressure Valve stem with ball tip Valve seat Valve choke Check valve. Seats when fluid velocity is in upward direction.

Section 2 - Hardware

Slide 8

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Gaslift G s V Valve ve Installation s o

A gas lift valve is run and pulled with a special kickover pulling tool

Section 2 - Hardware

Slide 9

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Type ype o of G Gas s Lift V Valves ves

3 basic types of gas lift valves, each available in 1 & 1-1/2 sizes:

Dummy valves l

Orifice valves l
Square edged (DKO-2) Venturi (nova)

Unloading valves l
Injection pressure (casing) operated valve (BK-1) production pressure (fluid) operated valve (BKR-5, RF-1) Throttling/proportional response valve (LM-16R) Combination valve

Section 2 - Hardware

Slide 10

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IPO O Valve V ve
Advantages
Flexible to uncertainty of well data External control rather than well control Re-opening of unloading valves can be avoided

Disadvantages
Requires higher injection pressure Field personnel need to intervene once the well is unloaded and flowing to reduce injection pressure to close the unloading valves If well quit quit, unplanned shutdowns shutdowns, etc. etc operator need to readjust injection gas

Section 2 - Hardware

Slide 11

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PPO O Valve V ve
The commonly Th l used d type t of f gaslift lift valve l i in d dual l completion wells is Production Pressure Operated Gaslift Valve (PPO) Ad Advantage t
Utilizes full injection pressure at operating valve depth Deeper injection depth Little attention by field personnel

Disadvantage
More mandrels/Valves needed than pressure operated design Needs accurate well data. Increase in Water Cut/FTHP can cause the shallower valves to re-open

Section 2 - Hardware

Slide 12

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Unloading Gas Lift Valve Design

Normally required during unloading phase only Open O only l when h tubing t bi and d annulus pressures are high enough to overcome valve setting pressure Valve a ec closes oses a after te t transfer a s e to next station May y be spring p g or nitrogen g charged
Pb Dome

Chevron Packing g Stack Bellows

Stem Tip (Ball) Square Edged Seat

Pc

Pt Chevron Packing Stack

Check Valve

Production Pressure operated gas lift valve

Section 2 - Hardware

Slide 13

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A Pressure Regulator
If Pupstream > Pset, valve opens and maintains Upsteram Pressure = Pset
Diaphragm/ Atmospheric Bellows Spring

Stem Stem Tip Upstream Downstream Port Pressure Regulator

Section 2 - Hardware

Slide 14

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Gas Lift Valve Mechanics (IPO)

Diaphragm/ Atmospheric Bellows Spring

Stem Stem Tip Upstream Downstream Port Pressure Regulator

Upstream /Casing

Downstream / Tubing Spring p g Operated p Gas Lift Valve

Slide 15

Section 2 - Hardware

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Orifice Valves
THERE ARE 2 TYPES OF ORIFICE VALVE: SQUARED EDGED ORIFICE VENTURI (NOVA) Designed for accurate acc rate gas passage prediction. O One-way check h k valve l for f tubing bi integrity. i i

Section 2 - Hardware

Slide 16

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Characteristics of a Square Edge Orifice

200 180

Flow Rate e (MCF/d)

160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 0 100 200 300 400 500 600

Large sub-critical flow regime

The Square-edged q g orifice performance curve

Gas passage dependent on downstream pressure until 40 - 50% pressure lost Poor pressure recovery = large pressure drop & large energy loss

Tubing Pressure

Section 2 - Hardware

Slide 17

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Plot o of o Gas G s Rate e Versus Ve sus Pressure essu e

Gas passage for the square edge orifice
ORIFICE FLOW SUB-CRITICAL FLOW

GAS IN NJECTION N RATE (MM MSCF/D)

PTUBING = 55%

PRESSURE (PSI)
Section 2 - Hardware

PCASING
Slide 18

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Nova Valve Nov V ve

Venturi Valve (orifice type)

Typically an orifice orifice type Gas lift valve always open - allows gas passage whenever correct differential exists Achieved critical flow with Delta P of 100 psi Gas injection controlled by size and differential across replaceable p choke Check valve prevents reverse flow of well fluids from the production conduit

Section 2 - Hardware

Slide 19

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Operating Ope g Principles c p es o of the e Ve Venturi u

THE VENTURI DESIGN ALLOWS THE FOLLOWING :
BETTER PRESSURE & ENERGY RECOVERY LOWER DISCHARGE COEFFICIENT DRASTICALLY REDUCED SUB-CRITICAL FLOW REGIME CRITICAL VELOCITY (VELOCITY OF PRESSURE TRANSMISSION/SONIC VELOCITY) ATTAINED WITHIN 10% PRESSURE DROP REDUCES INFLUENCE OF DOWNSTREAM PRESSURE ON GAS PASSAGE = REDUCED RISK TO PROPAGATING INSTABILITY
Nozzle-Venturi Gas Lift Valve Project P Pressure vs. Flow Fl R Rate t S Summary
4000 3500
1400 psi Upstream

f/d) /d) ow Rate (Mcf/ Flo

3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0 0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400
400 psi Upstream 900 psi Upstream Improved Orifice Valve Conventional Orifice Valve

Downstream Pressure (psi)

Data shown is from actual flow tests

Section 2 - Hardware

Slide 20

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Nova Versus Nov Ve sus Square Squ e Edge dge O Orifice ce

GAS INJEC G CTION RAT TE (MMSCF F/D) CRITICAL FLOW

SUB-CRITICAL FLOW

CRITICAL FLOW

PTUBING = 55%

PTUBING = 90%

PRESSURE ( (PSI) )

PCASING

Section 2 - Hardware

Slide 21