Gas Lift Principles And New Developments With Applications To The Rocky Mountain Areas
Authors: Kirkpatrick C.V. 
Published: December 2007

Kirkpatrick, C.V., Member AIME, University of Houston, Houston, Tex.

Publication Rights Reserved

This paper was prepared for the Rocky Mountain Joint Regional Meeting in Denver, Colo. May 27–28, 1963, and is considered the property of the Society of Petroleum Engineers. Permission to published is hereby restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words, with no Illustrations, unless the paper is specifically released to the press by the Editor of the Journal of Petroleum Technology or the Executive Secretary. Such abstract should contain conspicuous acknowledgement of where and by whom the paper is presented. Publication elsewhere after publication in the JOURNAL OF PETROLEUM TECHNOLOGY or the SOCIETY OF PETROLEUM ENGINEERS JOURNAL is usually granted upon request providing proper credit is given that publication and the original presentation of the paper.

Discussion of this paper is invited. Three copies of any discussion should be sent to the Society of Petroleum Engineers office. Such discussion may be presented at the above meeting and, with the paper, may be considered for publication in one of the two SPE magazines.

This paper reviews the fundamental principles of the gas lifting of fluids including mechanics I valve spacing, continuous and intermittent flow design, and miscellaneous applications, such as duals, closed rotative systems, chamber installations and small conduits. The basic problem and steps in the solution are concisely stated. Specific Rocky Mountain area producing problems and their implication for gas lift are discussed. These include small conduits, chambers, paraffin, hydrates, sour crude and gas, gyp deposits, high volume to stripper production, well spacing patterns, and temperature variations. Specific examples of continuous flow well gas lift design using digital computer applications are given. These include the effect of well P.I. and temperature variation on valve spacing and charging. Gas requirements for prorated and nonprorated wells are discussed. Intermittent gas lift well design by problem examples are also given. These examples illustrate multi-point injection, low and high static fluid level wells. Small conduit problems with new fluid flow correlations for vertical pipe are included. A comparative evaluation of the economics of artificial lift method with particular reference to the Rocky Mountain area is discussed.

Introduction

Historically, gas lift is one of the oldest means for "artificially" producing liquids from. the earth. In addition to gas lift, present day "artificial" lift methods include conventional and long stroke sucker rod pumping, subsurface hydraulic power pumping [rodless], and centrifugal electric-powered pumping. Each of these methods has certain advantages and limitations peculiar to it, and the operator is often faced with a difficult decision in selecting the optimum artificial lift technique for his wells. This paper proposes to examine in some detail the gas lift method of artificial lift. The principal advantages of gas lift are readily stated as:Economics usually favor gas lift both from the standpoint of initial investment and operating cost;It represents a very flexible producing method, being capable of producing from several barrels per day to many thousands of barrels per day;Conservation practices in terms of the produced field are enhanced in areas which have gas lift systems;System design can be readily evaluated analytically.