4 - 1 - Presentation --- Anadarko --- Pacemaker Automation Testing

Gas Well Deliquification Workshop

Sheraton Hotel, Denver, Colorado

February 17 20, 2013

Ball and Sleeve Plunger System Automation Algorithm Utilizing Ball Fall Rates

Ben Smiley & Jordan Portillo Anadarko

Outline

Purpose

Pacemaker Benefits/Challenges

Potential Solution

Afterflow Calculation/Process

Trial Well

Production Performance

Conclusions

Feb. 27 - Mar. 2, 2011 2011 Gas Well Deliquification Workshop

Denver, Colorado

2

Purpose

Problem

Expanding field with new operators inexperienced at plunger lift operations

Objective

Create a plunger program capable of running a pacemaker plunger with limited inputs

Feb. 27 - Mar. 2, 2011 2011 Gas Well Deliquification Workshop

Denver, Colorado

3

Recap of Pacemaker Benefits

More cycles per day

Ball falls against flow

At SI, sleeve falls at ~5000

fpm (57 MPH)

Less fluid load per trip

Requires less casing pressure to lift

Lower Flowing Bottom Hole Pressure

Continually lift fluids off formation

Creates less line spikes

Near-continuous gas flow

Feb. 17 20, 2013 2013 Gas Well Deliquification Workshop Denver, Colorado

4

Pacemaker Challenges

Require significant operator time to optimize upon

installation

Hard to troubleshoot require knowledge and

experience

Well conditions are dynamic with fluctuating

line pressure and low FBHP


5

Potential Solution

Dynamic After-flow Program

Inputs

Surface Flowrate

Tubing Pressure

Gas Composition Assumptions

Output

Ball Fall Rate

Calculation

Ball location 0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

0 1000 2000

Flo

wra

te (

MC

FD

)

Ball Fall Velocity (FPM)

IPS Fall Chart by Tubing Pressure (SPE 93997 [1])

10

25

50

75

100

125

150

175

200


6

After-flow Calculation

7

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

4500

0 200 400 600 800 1000

Velo

cit

y

(FP

M)

Pressure (psia)

Ball Fall Velocity vs. Pressure (SPE 93997 [1])

Ball FPM zero gas V Gas FPM @ input rate Ball FPM @ input rate

Ball Type Weight

(lbs) Test Flowrate (MCFD)

Well Surface Pressure

(psia)

Tested Ball Fall Rate

(FPM)

Silica Nitrate Ball 0.164 200 25 1000

Titanium Ball 0.23 395 100 1000

Zircon Ceramic Ball 0.29 495 125 1000

Steel Ball 0.387 605 125 1000

Cobalt Ball 0.437 700 150 1000


After-flow Calculation Process


8

Ball

Type

Shut-In

Depth

Gas

Gravity

Average Well

Temperature Tubing ID

Static

Input

Z Factor

Calculation

Tubing

Velocity

Gas

Density

Drag

Coefficient

Ball Fall

Velocity with

Flow

Ball Fall

Velocity with

No Flow

Dynamic

Input

Surface

Pressure

Surface

Flowrate

End Result

Cumulative Ball Depth

Pacemaker Cycle Example

9 Feb. 17 20, 2013 2013 Gas Well Deliquification Workshop Denver, Colorado

[1]

Possible

Liquid Load

Gas

Calculation

Interval

Sleeve slides over

rod ball falls & calculations begin

Ball & sleeve

rise together

Ball & sleeve

rise together

Ball calculated to be

halfway to bottom 10 sec shut in to release sleeve

Ball & sleeve reach

bottom close to

same time

Candidate Wellbore

Uintah Basin

Greater Natural Buttes

Fluvial Tight Gas

Mesaverde & Wasatch

3,000+ Perforation Interval

Typical LGR = 70 BBL/MMCF

10 Feb. 17 20, 2013 2013 Gas Well Deliquification Workshop Denver, Colorado

Production Timeline

Operator

Initial

Pacemaker

Install

Pacemaker

Program

installed

Plant

Upsets

Program

Issues

Production/Pressure Timeline

PLC Program

Installed

12

Initial Problems (Shaded Area)

Program

sticking in Pause

Open

Dropped

Offtime Paused

Open

Retrieval

tool Slickline

13

Production Results

PLC

Program

Installed

14

Plunger Trend

81 Plunger Trips per day

15

Plunger Cycle Example

1 1

1 2 2

3 3

1 = Start Ontime 2 = Plunger Arrival 3 = Begin Offtime 16

Plunger Lift Optimization Tool (PLOT)

Plunger Lift Correlation Equations and Nomographs Carrol Beeson

Calculates the minimum required casing pressure to

effectively run a plunger

Well is hovering minimum required casing pressure


17

[2]

Conclusions

Program successfully ran and optimized a pacemaker setup by pressing START

Lowered casing pressure to the minimum required casing pressure to run a conventional plunger (Beeson Correlation)

High cycle count will reduce scale buildup but increase equipment wear

Need more experimental data

Realistically suitable for all pacemaker candidate wells?

Can this program effectively run without consistent line pressure?

Test Step-up/Step-down shut-in depth

Possibly help with quick line pressure fluctuations

Program installed in future Test Pad


18

Questions?

Acknowledgments

Dan Volz

Trenton Hegerhorst

Mark Peck

Deven Oaks

Callo Lee

Braden Robinson

IPS


19

References

1. Garg,D., Lea, J.F., Cox, J., and Oetama, T. New Considerations for Modeling Plunger Performance, SPE 93997, Presented at the Oklahoma City Production Operations Symposium, 2005.

2. Beeson, C.M., Knox, D.G., and Stoddard, J.H. Plunger Lift Correlation Equations and Nomographs, Petroleum Engineer, 1957.

3. Lea, J.F., Nickens, H.V., and Wells, M.R. Gas Well Deliquification. 2.

Gulf Professional Publishing, 2008.

20 2013 Gas Well Deliquification Workshop

Denver, Colorado

Feb. 17 20, 2013


21

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 Well Deliquification Workshop, they grant to the Workshop, the Artificial Lift Research and Development Council (ALRDC), and the Southwestern Petroleum Short Course (SWPSC), rights to:

Display the presentation at the Workshop.

Place it on the www.alrdc.com 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 use of this presentation is prohibited without the expressed written permission of the author(s). The owner company(ies) and/or author(s) may publish this material in other journals or magazines if they refer to the Gas Well Deliquification Workshop where it was first presented.


22

Disclaimer

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 Well Deliquification Web Site.

The Artificial Lift Research and Development Council and its officers and trustees, and the Gas Well Deliquification 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 Well Deliquification 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.

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4 - 1 - Presentation --- Anadarko --- Pacemaker Automation Testing