(2024018) Gas Lift Systems to Maximize Production through the Life of a Permian Basin Horizontal Well

Initial lifting new wells with high pressure gas lift valves when BHP and PI are at the highest to achieve a deeper point of injection, thus higher fluid rates. Converting to normal pressure gas lift when production rates are lower utilizing the balance-ported valve. Balance Ported Valve is a gas-lift valve that allows full, available gas injection pressure to be used for the unloading and operating valves. Using full injection pressure allows for a deeper point of gas injection, which lowers the FBHP, thereby increasing production. With standard IPO valves, it is necessary to design the valves with casing pressure drops in order to close the valves as the injection point moves deeper. The balance-ported valve is configured such that no design casing pressure drops are required for closing. The pilot valve can be utilized later in the life of the well once the injection point is at the bottom valve and the well produces less than 150 BFPD. The pilot valve controls the injection rate into the well in self-intermitting cycles, allowing the well to feed in between these cycles. This allows for much lower gas injection rates and slightly increased production rates.