Possibility to Apply Gas Lift Method for Low Production Wells with High Water Cut in (A) Oil Field

Hayder H. Alsrray; Ghanim M. Farman; Anfal K. Shebli

doi:10.52716/jprs.v16i2.1105

Authors

Hayder H. Alsrray Department of Petroleum Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq
Ghanim M. Farman Department of Petroleum Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq
Anfal K. Shebli Petroleum Research and Development Center, Ministry of Oil, Baghdad, Iraq.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.52716/jprs.v16i2.1105

Keywords:

Artificial lift, Gas lift, Oil production, Pipesim, Water cut.

Abstract

Gas lift is one of the oldest methods used to produce hydrocarbon fluids from wells experiencing declining production. It works by aerating the mixture inside production tubing and forcing it to the surface. One of the reasons for declining production in oil wells is an increase in water cut or a drop in reservoir pressure, which requires one of the artificial lift methods to restore production.

(A) oil field suffers from an increase in water cut, which has affected well productivity. The wells under study have a water cut of up to 66%, resulting in very low production rates. In this research, Pipesim software was used to build a physical and fluid model, then design an optimal gas lift system that achieves the highest possible productivity from these wells. The design of the gas lift system depends directly on injection pressure, injection rate, and wellhead pressure, which in turn affect the remaining design variables. The availability of gas in the field is a prerequisite for the system's success, while injection pressure can be provided by suitable compressors. For this reason, optimal injection rates were taken into consideration to avoid excessive gas.

The results showed a significant increase in production for the wells under study, with increases percentage as 238% (from 793 to 2,682 stb/d) and 146% (from 1,100 to 2,706 stb/d). The gas lift system works to lift fluids accumulated in the well, and this does not mean it is a method for treating water cut, as water cut comes into the well from the producing formation. In other words, this increase applies to the fluids as a whole, not just oil production. A prospective study was conducted to simulate the effectiveness of the gas lift system in dealing with changes in well operating conditions, such as increased water cut or decreased reservoir pressure. The results demonstrated the flexibility and success of the gas lift system in dealing with problems and challenges that occur during production, as the simulation procedure was based on an increase in water cut of up to 90 % and a decrease in the reservoir pressure reaching 3200 psi. Despite this, the wells continued to produce at rates of 1549 and 1593 stb/d. Furthermore, this study can be applied to other wells in the field where water cut is high, demonstrating the importance of gas lift in maintaining production and its feasibility in the field.

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