Intelligent Gas Lift Peter Watson, Camcon Oil Limited

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Cameron Laing, LETS Limited

Intelligent Gas Lift – Why?

June 17th-18th, 2014 2 SPE EuALF

• Weak equipment design

• Weak & inflexible operational design

• Requires intervention

• Frequent wire-line problems

• OK for depletion drive reservoirs

Current “1950s Technology” is no longer fit for purpose

North Sea sub-sea wells - example data

3

• ~$15m per intervention (semi-sub)

• 1 well lost completely

• 90+% valves failed combined TRO

re-test and reverse flow check test

• Only 1 passed TRO test

• Well fluids in dome / de-pressured

dome / cracked mandrel / bent

latches / loose latches / one field

installed latch not locked in mandrel

13 valves pulled from 4 wells, < 3 years old

June 17th-18th, 2014 SPE EuALF

Conventional Valve Operating Limits

4

Max CHP

IPO Re-Opening

Stability Limit

June 17th-18th, 2014 SPE EuALF

Injection Rate Flexibility

5 2014 Gas Lift Workshop

3mm

Port

4.5mm Port

Intelligent Gas Lift – Flexibility

6 2014 Gas Lift Workshop

• Ideal depth of injection changes

• Optimum gas allocation changes

• Recognised in the original 1954

retrievable valve patent

• Continuous injection through IPO

valve not “recommended” by

vendors but “implied” in designs

for many sub-sea wells

• Flexible designs produce more oil

Well Inflow Performance

changes over time

June 17th-18th, 2014

The Benefits of “Flexible” Lift

June 17th-18th, 2014 7 SPE EuALF

Full Model

results for

this typical

North Sea

subsea

completion

simulation

are

available

on the

Camcon

website

What now ?

Feb. 3rd – 7th, 2014 8 2014 Gas Lift Workshop

• Further development

of the old ideas?

• High Pressure Gas Lift?

• Casing integrity

• Cost

• Hydraulic Gas Lift Valves?

• For single point gas cap lift

• Multi-point awaiting field test

Are there alternatives?

What is the solution?

9

• Remote control

• Variable rates of injection

• Without using injection pressure control

• Data acquisition

• Retrievable Annular Safety Valves

2013 36Th ASME/ALRDC International Gas Lift Workshop

What the experts said !

June 17th-18th, 2014 SPE EuALF

Camcon “Apollo” Gas Lift Unit

10

• ¼” control line for remote control

• 6 independent, electrically actuated,

valves for variable injection rate

• Not injection pressure controlled

• No temperature sensitivity

• Real time pressure and temperature

• Real time well and field optimisation

• Without intervention

The solution

June 17th-18th, 2014 SPE EuALF

First Installation

June 17th-18th, 2014 SPE EuALF 11

Apollo Gas Lift: Oman Installation

12

• Brought “on line”: in October 2013

• Valves run closed on installation

• Valves actuated remotely

• Electrical connections secure

• Data transmission ongoing in real time

• Operator testing ongoing.

• Field challenges experienced and addressed

First unit installed and operational

June 17th-18th, 2014 SPE EuALF

Original Data Plot Apollo Gas Lift: Oman Installation

Downhole Temperature and Pressure

Pick up re-start of gas injection and

unloading valve closure

Chart clearly shows impact of intervention activity Apollo Gas Lift: Oman Installation

Well intervention in

progress

Tubing Pressure Shows “Unloading Valve Action” & Temperature Tracks Production.

Unloading valve

action seen here

Apollo Gas Lift: Oman Installation

16

Apollo Gas Lift: Oman Installation

Apollo Gas Lift: Oman Installation

17

Plans going forward

• Expand reference base of users

• On Shore

• Off Shore

• Flow testing

• Higher P & T, Longer Reach

• Multiple Unit Installation

• Intelligent Well and Field Optimisation

June 17th-18th, 2014 SPE EuALF

What are the applications?

18

• Intervention limitations: subsea / high angle /

bed space / wireline crew scheduling or skillset

• Dual Gas Lift Completions

• Multi well start-up & optimisation acceleration

• Liquids removal from gas wells

• Unloading control to protect surface separators

• Deepwater flow control (fibre optic line built in)

Onshore and Offshore deployments

June 17th-18th, 2014 SPE EuALF

Intelligence in the Upper Wellbore

19

Move to the 21st century with intelligent gas lift

• Surface controlled

• Electrically actuated valves

• Multi Ported

• Real time well and field optimisation

• Without intervention

THANK YOU

June 17th-18th, 2014 SPE EuALF