Advanced Artificial Lift Methods – PE 571 Introduction

Advanced Artificial Lift Methods

Prepared by Dr. Nguyen

Advanced Artificial Lift Methods – PE 571

Introduction

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ReviewPressure Drop in a Production System

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ReviewSingle Phase Liquid IPR and OPR

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The flowrate value at which a specific well flows for a set of operational

conditions using only the energy stored in the compressed reservoir fluids is

called “natural equilibrium flowrate”


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ReviewDarcy’s Law - IPR

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ReviewDarcy’s Law - IPR

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ReviewIPR – Vogel and Fetkovich

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ReviewIPR – Vogel and Fetkovich

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ReviewFuture IPR

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ReviewOPR

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ReviewOPR

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ReviewOPR

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ReviewIPR vs. OPR

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Stable equilibrium: small disturbance around the equilibrium point, the system

will move back to the equilibrium condition.

Unstable equilibrium: If the disturbance is large enough, the system will move

towards another equilibrium point or loose the equilibrium permanently

ReviewStability

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Fluctuations on the Pwh,

qsystem < qsteady state

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ReviewStability

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ReviewStability

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ReviewStability

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ReviewStability

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ReviewStability

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ReviewStability

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ReviewStability

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ReviewStability

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ReviewStability

Several techniques might be used when the system reaches to the unstable

point such as:

• If the well has an artificial lift installed it can be put into production to help

the well overcome the unstable point. After that if the artificial lift is not

required we can leave the well under natural flow.

• If the well does not have an artificial lift installed, we can do several things:

Agitation, swab, gas injection, nitrogen injection …

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ReviewStability – Tubing Heading

• High reservoir pressure

• Small PI

• Big tubing string

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If the fluctuations are small then the well will produce a steady state flowrate.

If the fluctuations are large, the production in this well will cycle with time. This is

called the tubing heading.

Tubing heading is characterized by pulsating well head pressure (EX: caused by

slug flow) and constant casing pressure. It occurs mostly in wells fitted with a

packer during the final stage of life. During this period, liquid is lifted through a

portion of the tubing and then falls back resulting a cycle flow.

Under these conditions, the production test data from this well are very difficult to

match the IPR and OPR simulations.

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• Very high PI

• Big tubing string

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ReviewStability

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ReviewStability – Casing Heading

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Documents

Advanced Artificial Lift Methods – PE 571 Introduction