utilizing gas assisted plunger lift - alrdc -...

Gas Well Deliquification Workshop

Sheraton Hotel, Denver, Colorado

February 20 – 22, 2017

Matt Young “Presenter”– Flowco Production Solutions

Dave Dahlgren – Flowco Production Solutions

Dawn Lima – Bonanza Creek Energy, Inc.

Utilizing Gas Assisted Plunger

Lift

Feb. 20 - 22, 2017 2017 Gas Well Deliquification Workshop

Denver, Colorado

2

Well Pad Selection

Challenge:

Aged Horizontal DJ Basin Wells

• Low Formation GLR (2000-6000 scf/bbls)

– Liquid loading occurring throughout the tubing string.

• Frequent Paraffin Control

– Hot Oil with frequencies of 1-4 per month.

Recommended ALS Improvements:

Introduction of Plunger System to reduce paraffin build-

up and eliminate Hot Oil Treatments


Denver, Colorado

3

Well Pad Selection- ALS Recommendations

Recommended ALS Improvements:

Introduction of Plunger System

• Reduce paraffin build-up through periodic wiping of the

tubing walls

– Eliminated Hot Oil Treatments

• Removed liquid hold-up pockets throughout the tubing

string.

– Liquid hold-up due to deviation changes and low TGLR

• Reduced FBHP

– Average reduction = 120 psi per well


Denver, Colorado

4

Installation Type-Open Ended

Open Ended “Packer-Less”

Gas Lift Completion

• Gas Lift Valves Installed

without Packer or

Standing Valve during

initial Flow Back

• Gas Lift Completion

“Snubbed” In-hole with

Ceramic Burst Disc’s to

control pressure


Denver, Colorado

5

Installation Type-Open Ended

• Allows for Natural Flow

after completion.

• Conversion to other

types of artificial lift

without work-over.

• Deepens injection point

which allows for lower

FBHP


Denver, Colorado

6

Introduction of Gas Assisted Plunger Lift

Efficiently utilizes the injection gas energy in any well by providing a sealing

interface between the lift gas and produced liquids. This change in interface

effects the flow pattern thus minimizing fluid fallback.

Benefits of plunger assisted gas lift:

• Helps to maintain production on low FGLR gas lift wells

• Reduces fluid fallback in both continuous and intermittent gas lift wells

• Improves efficiency of gas lift system by cutting back on required

injection gas volumes

• Minimizes paraffin, scale, and other deposits build up on the tubing

walls


Denver, Colorado

7

Plunger Types

Two Plunger types were selected during the GLAPL project

Bypass Plungers Two-Piece Plungers

Well #1 – GLAPL Production

100

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.0

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3/17/2016 4/17/2016 5/17/2016 6/17/2016 7/17/2016 8/17/2016 9/17/2016 10/17/2016 11/17/2016 12/17/2016 1/17/2017

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/B

FP

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Daily Production

Oil Prod Gas Prod Water Prod Casing Pressure Tubing Pressure Line Pressure

Introduction of Plunger System w/ Injection Gas

Continuous Gas Lift

Compression Issues

Well #1 – GLAPL FBHP

0

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.0

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Ca

sin

g/F

BH

P P

SI

MC

FD

Casing Pressure vs. FBHP

Gas Prod Casing Pressure Calculated FBHP Poly. (Calculated FBHP)



100

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.0

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3/17/2016 4/17/2016 5/17/2016 6/17/2016 7/17/2016 8/17/2016 9/17/2016 10/17/2016 11/17/2016 12/17/2016 1/17/2017

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/B

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D

Daily Production


Continuous Gas Lift


Compression Issues


0

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.0

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sin

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P P

SI

MC

FD





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.0

50.0

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3/17/2016 4/17/2016 5/17/2016 6/17/2016 7/17/2016 8/17/2016 9/17/2016 10/17/2016 11/17/2016 12/17/2016 1/17/2017

Tu

bin

g/C

as

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/Lin

e P

SI

MC

FD

/B

FP

D

Daily Production


Compression Issues


Continuous Gas Lift


100

200

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600

.0

50.0

100.0

150.0

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300.0

3/17/2016 4/17/2016 5/17/2016 6/17/2016 7/17/2016 8/17/2016 9/17/2016 10/17/2016 11/17/2016 12/17/2016 1/17/2017

Ca

sin

g/F

BH

P P

SI

MC

FD





50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

.0

50.0

100.0

150.0

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300.0

3/17/2016 4/17/2016 5/17/2016 6/17/2016 7/17/2016 8/17/2016 9/17/2016 10/17/2016 11/17/2016 12/17/2016 1/17/2017

Tu

bin

g/C

as

ing

/Lin

e P

SI

MC

FD

/BF

PD

Daily Production


Compression Issues Introduction of Plunger System w/ Injection Gas

Continuous Gas Lift


50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

.0

50.0

100.0

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200.0

250.0

300.0

3/17/2016 4/17/2016 5/17/2016 6/17/2016 7/17/2016 8/17/2016 9/17/2016 10/17/2016 11/17/2016 12/17/2016 1/17/2017

Ca

sin

g/F

BH

P P

SI

MC

FD


Gas Prod Casing Pressure Calculated FBHP Poly. (Casing Pressure)


Feb. 20 - 22, 2017

2017 Gas Well Deliquification Workshop

Denver, Colorado

16

Production Graph Summary

GLAPL Improvements:

• Reduction of Liquid Hold Up, due to Sub-Critical Gas

Velocities

• Removed paraffin build-up and prevented pressure

restrictions throughout the tubing

• Reduced FBHP

• Minimized liquid fall back, and increased liquid

production

Forward Looking

• Run Flowing Pressure/Temperature Survey to

Identify Liquid Hold during continuous gas lift

operations.

• Help predict further reductions in FBHP by the

introduction of the Plunger Lift System.

• Experiment with different EOT placements to

identify best liquid unloading EOT inclination

point.


Denver, Colorado

18

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.


Denver, Colorado

19

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.

The views, opinions, and conclusions expressed in these presentations and/or training materials are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Sponsoring Organizations. The author is solely responsible for the content of the materials.

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