ORGANIZED BY: WEATHERFORD

Hydraulic Lift System

SPEAKER: TOBY PUGH
ATTENDEES:
Muhammad Shahnawaz
Ali Naveed Sheikh
10/29/2013

The Workshop laid the key emphasis on the application of Hydraulic Lift System as part of Artificial Lift
System in general and use of Jet Pumps in particular; there working mechanisms and summarized
Capital, Operational and Maintenance Costs.
 Workshop on Hydraulic Lift System
Working Principle
The fundamental operating principle of subsurface hydraulic pumping is known as Pascal Law: Pressure
applied at any point upon a contained liquid is transmitted with equal intensity to every portion of the
liquid and to the walls of the containing vessel.

The hydraulic pumping system that is being

marketed today takes liquid from a liquid
reservoir on the surface, puts it through a
reciprocating multiplex piston pump to increase
its pressure and injects the pressurized liquid
known as power fluid down hole through a
tubing string. At the bottom of injection tubing
string, the power fluid is directed into the nozzle
of the jet pump which has been set well below
the producing fluid level. The energy of the
power fluid is transmitted to the appropriate
component of produced fluid via down hole
pump in order to bring reservoir fluid to the
surface as illustrated in the figure.

TYPES OF POWER FLUIDS

Two types of power fluids commonly in practice
are:-

Power Water (commonly used )

Power Oil (Expensive/ Used when
lubrication to tubing is required)

ADVANTAGES
One of the primary advantage of
hydraulic pumping systems over other
systems is that no rig is required to
retrieve free pumps.
This system is flexible in adjusting to changing production rates.
Both jet and pumping systems are able to produce at high rates from greater depths than a rod
pump, ESP or Gas Lift.
Jet pumps have no moving parts and therefore no mechanical wear. Thats why they have long
run lives. Average life of a Jet pump is 3-4 years as compared to the life of piston pump that is 5-
6 months.
Jet pumps have low maintenance cost and are field repairable.
Jet pumps have high tolerance of solids in the production fluid.
The power fluid serve as diluents when producing viscous crudes.
 Workshop on Hydraulic Lift System
Disadvantages
This technology is often misapplied; general lack of knowledge about the system
There is complexity in manufacturing of hydraulic piston pumps
Surface pressure of as much as 5000 Psi might be a safety hazard
A jet pump cannot pump-off a well. It requires a minimum flowing bottom hole pressure in
order to avoid power fluid cavitation. This minimum pressure can be as low as 2% to as much as
30% of hydro static based on TVD.
Jet pumps have low operating efficiencies which results in high installed horse power than what
is needed by other forms of lift.