Artificial Lift Mechanisms

There are several artificial lift mechanisms that are commonly used in the oil and gas industry to boost production from oil wells as the natural reservoir pressure declines over time. The most prevalent types include:

- Rod Lift Systems - Rod lift is one of the oldest and most widely used artificial lift methods. It involves the use of a pump located downhole that is powered by a rotating rod string from the surface. The various components of a rod lift system include the pumping unit, sucker rods, tubing and downhole pump. Rod lift systems can be further classified as beam pumps or progressive cavity pumps depending on the type of downhole pump used.

- Gas Lift - Gas lift injection involves introducing compressed natural gas or nitrogen into the flow stream to decrease fluid density and allow production to flow more easily. Gas lift valves located downhole open when sufficient gas pressure is reached to inject the gas into the tubing-annulus gap.

- Submersible Pumps - A submersible pump is a centrifugal pump completely immersed in the fluid in the well. Power is transmitted via an electric cable from a motor located above ground. Submersible pumps offer advantages over rod pumps as they have no surface moving parts and can lift fluids significant vertical distances.

Technological Advancements

The oil and gas industry has continuously strived to maximize recovery from mature oilfields through innovative applications of Artificial Lift Systems. Several technological enhancements have been introduced in recent years to optimize performance, reduce costs and prolong the economic lives of wells:

- Intelligent Well Systems - The integration of downhole sensors, controls and data transmission capabilities has enabled condition-based monitoring and remote optimization of artificial lift operations. Intelligent completions allow dynamic allocation of lift resources based on real-time data to maximize productivity across large producing areas.

- Electric Submersible Pumps - New ESP motor designs incorporating permanent magnet motors achieve high efficiencies in demanding downhole environments. Dual intake pumps address multiphase applications more effectively. Distributed temperature sensing enables accurate monitoring with fiber optic cables for preventative maintenance.

- Progressive Cavity Pumps - Modern progressive cavity pumps have greater fluid handling capabilities, lubrication systems for extended runs, and modular designs facilitating field replacement of wet-end components for improved reliability. Telemetry options provide downhole performance tracking.

- Gas Lift - The use of nitrogen instead of natural gas as the lifting medium allows gas lift operations in uneconomical gas-to-oil ratio conditions. Distributed sensing along flowlines helps identify injection point issues for remedial workover planning. Gas-methane injection helps increase reservoir contact and sustained production.

- Hybrid Lift - Hybrid systems that effectively combine gas lift for the upstream sections with more efficient ESPs or rod pumping in the lower sections optimize production across the entire length of long horizontal or high-depletion wells.

- Digital Technology - Cloud-based monitoring platforms, advanced analytics and machine learning are increasingly leveraging big data from artificial lift and surface networks to derive actionable insights. This facilitates aggressive production optimization through intelligent decision-making.

Case Studies

Several oil and gas operators have successfully demonstrated significant production gains and cost reductions through fit-for-purpose application of modern artificial lift technologies.

In the Permian Basin of West Texas, an independent producer increased daily oil rates from legacy rod-lifted wells by 30% within a month of changing to a ESP system featuring distributed temperature survey telemetry. This allowed proactive addressing of downhole issues indicated by thermal anomalies.

In the Utica shale play of Ohio, a supermajor deployed intelligent completions with real-time downhole monitoring on 50 new wells. Cloud-based analytics identified optimization opportunities across the network, leading to a 20% increase in cumulative oil recovery over the first year of production compared to conventionally instrumented designs.

In offshore Gulf of Thailand, gas lift sales gas optimization utilizing distributed multiphase flow meteringmeasurement and allocation targeting maintained ten year old platform production at over 20,000 bopd - doubling its initial capacity - through intelligent allocation of lift resources.

As mature reservoirs globally approach the end of primary depletion, widespread application of such technological enhancements to conventional as well as unconventional artificial lift systems will play a pivotal role in maximizing ultimate hydrocarbon recovery from aging assets. Ongoing digital transformation initiatives also promise to streamline operations and drive further productivity and efficiency gains industry-wide.

Get more insights on Artificial Lift Systems

About Author:

Ravina Pandya, Content Writer, has a strong foothold in the market research industry. She specializes in writing well-researched articles from different industries, including food and beverages, information and technology, healthcare, chemical and materials, etc. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ravina-pandya-1a3984191)