Mark Reese, National Production Systems
Over the last 50 years hydraulic lift has proven its worth to operators worldwide in varying lift conditions, both on and offshore. Since the development of hydraulic lift in the 1930's, the products and technology have rendered hydraulics a viable means of artificial lift in today's oilfield. Through understanding and foresight, the operators can optimize the production and minimize the operating expense through equipment flexibility and performance. By utilizing the flexibility of a hydraulic lift system, both the surface and subsurface equipment can adjust to changing well conditions through the life of the well without major equipment change-outs. Optimizing equipment performance through efficiency, treatment, and monitoring, the operator is able to keep a handle on lifting costs. The following will cover the flexibility and performance on a casing-free single well hydraulic lift system. Many of the topics covered also apply to other types of single zone completion installations such as parallel-free, gas vent, etc.