Robert H. Gault, Bethlehem Steel Company, Supply Company
Many of us today are being confronted with a new and different problem, that of obtaining maximum production from a given well. This problem can arise from a number of different sources. Perhaps we are starting a waterflood program and we need to utilize our present equipment as far as possible in the life of the flood or perhaps we are finding that out wells are making as increasing volume of water and that we must handle increasing amounts of fluid to obtain maximum production. In addition, there is the everyday problem of those of us who are responsible for equipment selection. We need to know the maximum capabilities of our equipment design and the best methods to utilize these capabilities; we can then select adequate equipment for the full lift of the well at minimum installation cost. This means that at some time in the well life, we must expect this equipment to deliver its maximum production capabilities. Most of users today look at only three or, at the most, four possibilities in our search for maximum production. Many times we do not even attempt to evaluate these various methods to find out which one will give as the best utilization of the equipment at the least cost.