The Importance of the Right Lift System.
Among the most important questions for any well’s productive life is the choice of lift system. Site choice, drilling, and completion are certainly important, but getting the most oil and gas to the surface depends on matching the lift system with the well’s unique characteristics. This continues to be important as the well evolves.
The wrong decision can, at least, reduce production and profits. At worst, it can adversely affect the well’s future. Proper analysis leading to correct lift design is the key to maximizing production over the life of a well.
THE PROBLEM:
A producer in Oklahoma’s STACK play had drilled five wells over the last half of 2019, producing them with ESPs.
It also showed that gas lift’s potential production would be only about one third that of ESP.
Fifteen months later production in each well was roughly 1400 bbl/day of total fluid with a 7% oil cut.Gas production was 400 mcf. The producer had heavily sand-fracked the wells, and that sand was accelerating wear and tear on the ESP string.
As the first of the five wells came up for review, the producer called Extract for advice: Should they change to gas lift because of its lesser susceptibility to sand wear, or should they replace the worn ESPs?
THE PROCESS:
Extract employed its proprietary NODAL-based optimization software, XSIZE, to perform aComparative Lift Analysis (CLA) between the two lift types in the field in question. The CLA is a systems approach to optimizing oil and gas wells by thoroughly evaluating the complete production assembly at various bottom hole pressures.
To analyze this well, Extract collected data on current production, the installation report, well survey, fluid level and other pertinent factors. The results confirmed that pump wear was affecting production. It also showed that gas lift’s potential production would be only about one third that of ESP.
THE SOLUTION:
Based on this CLA, the customer pulled the well and had Extract replace pumps, gas separators(which were significantly worn), seals and motor leads. This would restore the ESPs to top service.
Within a few days oil production more than tripled to 300-400 bbl/day and natural gas returned to its previous top level of 1000 mdf /day.
CUSTOMER SATISFCATION:
The results spoke for themselves. Our customer immediately began fast-tracking AFEs to refurbish the field’s four other wells. They will also includeCLAs in their next drilling project.
Conclusion
For these five wells alone, Extract’s CLA can add thousands of barrels of production each month, greatly improving the company’s balance sheet, cash flow and development planning. With greater cash flow in the present and greater expectations for future wells, choosing the right lift system has opened opportunities that would otherwise be unattainable. In today’s climate of investor reluctance and market fluctuation, it is more important than ever to choose the right lift system for every well, in every field.
