Abstract
The case for a unique form of gas lift unloading, termed liquid-assisted gas lift (LAGL), is presented. This work demonstrates that the injection of a gas/liquid mixture allows the transport of gas to a deep injection point with injection pressure considerably lower than single-phase gas injection. The LAGL is demonstrated in a 2,880-ft-deep test well, by use of natural gas and water. The test well is kicked off with an injection pressure that would normally be higher than the pressure for single-point single-phase gas injection at this depth. Experimental results indicate that the proposed technique can lower the surface injection-pressure requirements by up to 75% for the scenarios investigated in this study compared with single-point gas lift unloading.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 73-84 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | SPE Production and Operations |
| Volume | 33 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Feb 2018 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Funding
Renato P. Coutinho is a research assistant and PhD-degree candidate in the Petroleum Engineering Department at Louisiana State University. Previously, he worked for 3 years as an assistant professor at the Center of Technological Education, Brazil, and was also a graduate research fellow sponsored by the National Petroleum Institute, Brazil, for 5 years. Coutinho’s research interests include multiphase-flow characterization, flow assurance, gas lift technologies, and production optimization. He has authored or coauthored more than 15 technical papers. Coutinho holds an MS degree in transportation engineering with a minor in petroleum engineering and a BS degree in chemical engineering, all from the Federal University of Ceara, Brazil. He is a member of SPE.