Daniel R. Murski
Liberty Lift
The Eagle Ford, Bakken and other operating areas often prove to be challenging areas for the successful, long-term operation of gas lift valves due to numerous factors which may compromise the efficiency of the installation and reduce production and life expectancy of the valve. These factors may include well bore heat, well bore fluids and gases, well bore contaminants and debris, offset fracturing activity, natural formation pressure and introduced, non-naturally occurring pressure.
Wellbore heat and wellbore fluids act to degrade sealing components by causing expansion and contraction or other deformities of the elastomer, while wellbore gases can also cause degradation of sealing components by permeating into the sealing elastomers. Wellbore contaminants and debris may find their way into the dome bore thus contaminating the valve core causing sticking and/or find their way into the charged chamber. Offset fracturing activity can damage the elastomer or can increase the set pressure in the bellows reducing integrity of the valve.
The robust gas lift valve, suitable for harsh environments, provides a series of multi-layer protection from the negative effects associated with these factors, thus serving to increase the operational success and runtime longevity of the gas lift valve(s) utilized in the system.
The paper discusses current issues seen with traditional injection pressure operated gas lift valves. Additionally, this paper explains both the similarities and differences between common gas lift valves and the robust Warden valve highlighting the benefits of the Warden gas lift valve.
Results showing improvements in gas lift system operation, a decrease in operator interventions and increased longevity of equipment in these challenging environments are presented in this paper.