Artificial lift refers to the use of artificial means to increase the flow of li

quids, such as crude oil or water, from a production well. Generally this is ach
ieved by the use of a mechanical device inside the well (pump or velocity string
) or by decreasing the weight of the hydrostatic column by injecting gas into th
e liquid some distance down the well. Artificial lift is needed in wells when th
ere is insufficient pressure in the reservoir to lift the produced fluids to the
surface, but often used in naturally flowing wells (which do not technically ne
ed it) to increase the flow rate above what would flow naturally. The produced f
luid can be oil and/or water, typically with some amount of gas included.
Contents
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â ¢ 1 Why use Artificial Lift
â ¢ 2 Artificial Lift Technologies
o 2.1 Hydraulic pumping systems
o 2.2 ESP
o 2.3 Gas Lift
o 2.4 PCP
o 2.5 Rod Pumps
ï § 2.5.1 Components
â ¢ 3 References
Why use Artificial Lift
Any liquid-producing reservoir will have a 'reservoir pressure': some level of e
nergy or potential that will force fluid (liquid and/or gas) to areas of lower e
nergy or potential. You can think of this much like the water pressure in your m
unicipal water system. As soon as the pressure inside a production well is decre
ased below the reservoir pressure, the reservoir will act to fill the well back
up, just like opening a valve on your water system. Depending on the depth of th
e reservoir (deeper results in higher pressure requirement) and density of the f
luid (heavier mixture results in higher requirement), the reservoir may or may n
ot have enough potential to push the fluid to the surface. Most oil production r
eservoirs have sufficient potential to produce oil and gas - which are light - n
aturally in the early phases of production. Eventually, as water - which is heav
ier than oil and much heavier than gas - encroaches into production and reservoi
r pressure decreases as the reservoir depletes, all wells will stop flowing natu
rally. At some point, most well operators will implement an artificial lift plan
to continue and/or to increase production. Most water-producing wells, by contr
ast, will need artificial lift from the very beginning of production because the
y do not benefit from the lighter density of oil and gas.
Artificial Lift Technologies
Hydraulic pumping systems
Hydraulic pumping systems transmit energy to the bottom of the well by means of
pressurized power fluid that flows down in the wellbore tubular to a subsurface
pump. There are two types of hydraulic subsurface pump:
a) a reciprocating piston pump, where one side is powered by the injected fluid
while the other side pumps the produced fluids to surface,and
b) a jet pump, where the injected fluid passes through a nozzle creating a ventu
ri effect pushing the produced fluids to surface.
These systems are very versatile and have been used in shallow depths (1000 ft)
to deeper wells (18,000 ft), low rate wells with production in the tens of barre
ls per day to wells producing in excess of 10,000 barrels per day (1,600 m³/d). Cer
tain substances can be mixed in with the injected fluid to help deal or control
with corrosion, paraffin and emulsion problems. Hydraulic pumping systems are al
so suitable for deviated wells where conventional pumps such as the rod pump are
not feasible.
These systems have also some disadvantages. They are sensitive to solids and are
the least efficient lift method. While typically the cost of deploying these sy
stems has been very high, new coiled tubing umbilical technologies are in some c
ases greatly reducing the cost.
ESP
Electric Submersible Pumps consist of a) a downhole pump, which is a series of c
entrifugal pumps, b) a separator or protector, which function is to prevent that
produced fluids enter the electrical motor, c) the electrical motor, which tran
sforms the electrical power into kinetic energy to turn the pump, and d) an elec
tric power cable that connects the motor to the surface control panel. ESP is a
very versatile artificial lift method and can be found in operating environments
all over the world. They can handle a very wide range of flow rates (from 200 t
o 90,000 barrels per day) and lift requirements (from virtually zero to 10,000 f
t (3,000 m) of lift). They can be modified to handle contaminants commonly found
in oil, aggressive corrosive fluids such as H2S and CO2, and exceptionally high
downhole temperatures. Increasing water cut has been shown to have no significa
nt detrimental effect on the ESP performance. It is possible to locate them in v
ertical, deviated, or horizontal wells, but it is recommended to deploy them in
a straight section of casing for optimum run life performance. Although latest d
evelopments are aimed to enhance the ESP capabilities to handle gas and sand, th
ey still need more technological development to avoid gas locked and internal er
osion. Until recently, ESP's have come with an often prohibitive price tag due t
o the cost of deployment which can be in excess of $20,000.
Gas Lift
Gas Lift is another widely used artificial lift method. As the name denotes, gas
is injected in the tubing to reduce the weight of the hydrostatic column, thus
reducing the back pressure and allowing the reservoir pressure to push the mixtu
re of produce fluids and gas up to the surface. The gas lift can be deployed in
a wide range of well conditions (up to 30,000 bpd and down to 15,000 ft). They h
andle very well abrasive elements and sand, and the cost of workover is minimum.
The gas lifted wells are equipped with side pocket mandrel and gas lift injecti
on valves. This arrangement allows a deeper gas injection in the tubing. The gas
lift system has some disadvantages. There has to be a source of gas, some flow
assurance problems such as hydrates can be triggered by the gas lift.. AAA
PCP
Progressing Cavity Pumps, PCP, are also widely applied in the oil industry. The
PCP consists of a stator and a rotor. The rotor is rotated using either a top si
de motor or a bottom hole motor. The rotation created sequential cavities and th
e produced fluids are pushed to surface. The PCP is a flexible system with a wid
e range of applications in terms of rate( up to 5,000 bpd and 6,000 ft). They of
fer outstanding resistance to abrasives and solids but they are restricted to se
tting depths and temperatures. Some components of the produced fluids like aroma
tics can also deteriorate the statorâ s elastomer.
Rod Pumps
Main article: Pumpjack
Rod Pumps are long slender cylinders with both fixed and moveable elements insid
e. The pump is designed to be inserted inside the tubing of a well and its main
purpose is to gather fluids from beneath it and lift them to the surface. The mo
st important components are: the barrel, valves (traveling and fixed) and the pi
ston. It also has another 18 to 30 components which are called "fittings".
Components
Every part of the pump is important for its correct operation. The most commonly
used parts are described below:
- Barrel: The barrel is a long cylinder, which can be from 10 to 36 feet long, w
ith a diameter of 1.25 inches (32 mm) to 3.75 inches (95 mm). After experience w
ith several materials for its construction, the API (American Petroleum Institut
e) standardized the use of two materials or compositions for this part: carbon s
teel and brass, both with an inside coating of chrome. The advantage of brass ag
ainst the harder carbon steel is its 100% resistance to corrosion.
- Piston/Plunger: This is a nickel-metal sprayed steel cylinder that goes inside
the barrel. Its main purpose is to create a sucking effect that lifts the fluid
s beneath it and then, with the help of the valves, take the fluids above it, pr
ogressively, out of the well. It achieves this with a reciprocating up and down
movement.
- Valves: The valves have two components - the seat and the ball - which create
a complete seal when closed. The most commonly used seats are made of carbon nit
ride and the ball is often made of silicon nitride. In the past, balls of iron,
ceramic and titanium were used. Titanium balls are still being used but only whe
re crude oil is extremely dense and/or the quantity of fluid to be lifted is lar
ge. The most common configuration of a rod pump requires two valves, called the
traveling valve and the fixed (or static or standing) valve.
- Piston rod: This is a rod that connects the piston with the outside of the pum
p. Its main purpose is to transfer the up/down reciprocating energy produced by
the "Nodding Donkey" (pumping unit) installed above ground.
- Fittings: The rest of the parts of the pump are called fittings and are, basic
ally, small pieces designed to keep everything hold together in the right place.
Most of these parts are designed to let the fluids pass uninterrupted.
- Filter/Strainer: The job of the filter, as guessed, is to stop big parts of ro
ck, rubber or any other garbage that might be loose in the well from being sucke
d into the pump. There are several types of filters, with the most common being
an iron cylinder with enough holes in it to permit the entrance of the amount of
fluid the pump needs.
References
â ¢ " Schlumberger Page on Artificial Lift" Accessed Jan 24 2007
â ¢ Petroleum Engineering Handbook Bradley H, Society of Petroleum Engineers, Richar
dson, TX, U.S.A, 1987
â ¢ Artificial Lift Optimisation Case Study Accessed Dec 19 2008