IPA03-E-059

PROCEEDINGS, INDONESIAN PETROLEUM ASSOCIATION

Twenty-Ninth Annual Convention & Exhibition, October 2003

THE APPLICATIONS OF JET PUMPS AS A COST EFFECTIVE WAY TO ENHANCE

GAS PRODUCTION AND RECOVERY

M.M. Sarshar*
Najam A. Beg*
Ian Andrews**

ABSTRACT The pressure of this gas is often considerably below

The produced or processed gas is often at a lower
pressure than that demanded by the transportation or
process system and costly compressors are generally
used to boost its pressure. In some applications the
field layout and operation conditions also cause
restrictions in production from the producing wells.
The use of jet pumps is a cost effective way to boost
the pressure of low pressure (LP) gas or increase
production from LP wells at a fraction of the cost of
compressors. Jet pumps can also help to debottleneck
the existing compressors.
This paper describes the principle of their operation,
factors affecting their performance and the common
range of applications of the system in the oil and gas
industry. Some recent field examples are given,
together with comments on the economic aspects of
their use. Recent field applications have proven that
the payback period for the capital is achieved in a few
days to a few weeks, depending on the field
conditions.
INTRODUCTION
Transportation, utilization and export of the produced
gas often bring about both technical and economical
challenges for the operators when the pressure of the
gas is low.
The pressure of the produced gas is often boosted
using costly compressors in order to meet the required
delivery pressures. In addition, there is often gas from
the later stages of the process system in the fields
with a very low pressure.
* CALTEC Limited, UK
** BP, UK
that of the transportation lines or the inlet of the
compressors and, as a result, in many cases, it has
been flared as waste gas. The flaring of waste gas is
becoming more and more unfavorable and
unacceptable because of environmental issues.
A cost effective solution to some of these problems is
the use of jet pumps which are in most cases of much
lower cost than the alternative boosting systems. This
paper describes the principle of their operation and
refers to some of the recent field examples
worldwide. The economic benefits of the jet pump are
also highlighted for these field examples.
JET PUMP TECHNOLOGY
Jet pumps, or sometimes known as “eductors” or
“ejectors”, are simple passive devices which use
energy from an existing high pressure (HP) fluid to
boost the pressure of the low pressure (LP) fluids.
The general configuration of the jet pump is shown in
Figure 1. High pressure (HP) fluid passes through a
nozzle where the velocity of the flow is increased
substantially. As the flow passes through the nozzle,
part of the potential energy (pressure) is converted to
kinetic energy (velocity). This energy conversion
results in the generation of a low pressure zone in
front of the nozzle. It is at this point where the low
pressure fluid is introduced. The high momentum and
energy of the (HP) motive flow carries the LP flow
through a mixing tube where transfer of momentum
and energy takes place. The mixture then passes
through a diffuser where the velocity is gradually
reduced and further pressure recovery takes place.
The pressure of the mixture at the outlet of the jet
pump is at an intermediate level between the HP and
LP pressures.
The jet pump therefore offers two main benefits;
a) It enables the low pressure fluids to be exposed
only to the low pressure zone in front of the
nozzle and not to the back pressure imposed by
the high pressure fluids or the downstream
process or transportation system.
(b) The jet pump boosts the pressure of the LP fluids
to that of the inlet of the pipeline system, the
manifold or process facilities.
The fluids may be gas, liquid or a mixture of the two.
In this paper the gas application is mainly considered
with a brief reference to jet pump applications in
multiphase oil production.
Jet pumps are not new and date back to 1852,
invented by James Thomson in England. In the past
fifteen years, further research and development work
has led to an improved design and efficiency and a
better understanding of their operation and use in the
oil and gas industry and promises to offer cost saving
and simple solutions to some of the said boosting
problems.
PERFORMANCE IN GAS PRODUCTION
APPLICATIONS :
The performance of the jet pumps handling gas is
dictated mainly by the following factors;
P HP / PLP or HP/LP Pressure Ratio
FLP / FHP or LP/HP Flow Ratio
Pd / P LP or discharge/LP Pressure Ratio
The performance may be presented by the
dimensionless pressure ratio of Pd/P LP , which is the
ratio of the discharge (Pd) to LP pressure (P LP ).
Figure 2 shows a typical range of performance curves
for jet Pumps. The performance is also affected to a
lesser extent by other factors such as the operating
temperature and gas properties. It is worth noting that
in order to achieve a discharge to LP Pressure ratio of
greater than 2, relatively high HP/LP pressure and
lower LP/HP flow ratios are required, as shown in
Figure 2. In some applications where the required
discharge to LP Pressure ratio is above 2, more than
one jet pump may be used in series to achieve the
desired target. Figure 2 also shows that for high
HP/LP pressure ratios a better level of boost is
achieved for the LP flow and a smaller amount of HP
gas is required in comparison with the flow rate of the
LP gas.
RANGE OF APPLICATIONS
The application of jet pumps in gas production varies
and the following are the most common examples;
• Boost production of low pressure gas wells
(Figure 3)
• Well kick-off
• Removing produced liquid accumulated in gas
wells
• De-bottlenecking existing compressors (Figure 4)
• Boosting the pressure of LP processed gas to an
intermediate pressure (Figure 5)
• Boosting the pressure of very low pressure (LLP)
gas to prevent flaring. (Figure 6)
• Ideal for pressure boosting in remote or
hazardous environment.
In these cases the source of the (HP) motive pressure
could be from one of the following;
• HP well(s)
• Lift gas
• HP gas from the outlet of a compressor
• Gas from HP separators
• HP gas from any other sources such as (HP)
pipelines etc.
• HP liquid, which has specific limited applications
The higher the pressure of the motive gas, the more
beneficial would the jet pump be in generating the
required level of boost for the LP pressure, using a
minimum amount of HP gas. A further benefit of
using HP gas from sources such as lift gas, or the
outlet of a compressor is that this pressure, apart from
being relatively very high, remains unchanged, while
if HP Wells were used their pressure would
eventually decline with time.
In most cases, the boost in production of the aging
wells has been achieved using HP motive gas from
high pressure wells (Ref 2), or from the existing
compressors as in the case of the described INDE
field.
Figure 5 shows how by lowering the operating
pressure of the separator the back pressure on
producing wells can be reduced, thus increasing oil
production.
Well kick -off can in some cases be achieved by using
the jet pump at surface. By lowering the flowing
wellhead pressure of the well below the normal
operating pressure of the production line or the
manifold pressure, the well may in this case flow at a
rate sufficient to offload the liquids that have been
accumulated in the well bore during its normal
operation or shutdown. The success of this operation
is, however, dependant on the flow rate and pressure
of the HP gas available and the conditions of the well.
Removal of the accumulated liquids in gas wells or
gas pipelines has been achieved successfully as
experienced in fields operated by Agip and BP.
Boosting the pressure of very low pressure gas (LLP)
which is often flared is a challenge as the level of
boost required or the discharge to LP pressure ratio is
often well in excess of two. In some cases this ratio is
in excess of five to six. Such a high level of boost is
achievable but demands a high pressure gas with a
significant HP/LP pressure ratio and flow ratio as
shown in figure (2). In some applications more than
one jet pump (two or possibly three) may be required,
demanding a significant volume of HP gas (Figure 6).
Despite these challenges, using several jet pumps is
often more economical than the alternative options
such as the use of additional compressors or
upgrading the compressors. The use of jet pumps is
therefore well worth considering in these cases,
particularly in circumstances where flaring is not
permitted.
While HP liquid (oil or water) can be used
successfully as the motive flow to boost the pressure
of LP gas, the jet pump requires a relatively high
volume of the liquid phase to achieve the desired
boost and if high pressure gas is available, in most
cases, it offers a better solution.
FIELD EXAMPLES
Hewett field North Sea:
One of the earliest examples is the jet pump installed
in 1987 – 1988 on Phillips petroleum’s, Hewett field
in the Southern North Sea (Ref.1). In this case,
Phillips petroleum faced a potential shortfall in gas
production from the Hewett field to meet their sales
agreement quota. A cost effective solution with a
short period for the delivery of the system was highly
desired. The review of options such as upgrading the
existing compressor and further drilling and workover
of some wells showed to be very costly, with long
duration to implement.
An assessment of using jet pumps proved to be very
attractive both from the economic point of view and
for the delivery period. The motive gas was provided
by high Pressure Rotliegend wells (160 MMscfd @
800 Psig) on one platform and the Zechestein wells
(71 MMscfd at 375 Psig) for the second 52/5A
platform. These jet pumps enabled the production
from the two platforms to increase by 25 MMscfd and
15 MMscfd, which amounted to an increase of 25%
and 41% respectively (see table 1). This solution was
economically so attractive that a payback period of
four weeks was achieved.
The Monster Jet Pump! –Indefatigable (INDE)
Field-UK
A further example is the use of the Jet pump on BP’s
INDE 23A platform in the Southern North Sea. The
mature state of the INDE field meant that the
compressors were required to generate lower suction
pressures in order to maintain the desired production
rate.
The INDE platform, located in block 49/23A of the
Southern North Sea, is the central compression
facility for the field and acts as the transport hub for
the area, providing 90,000 KW of gas compression
capacity, liquid handling and hydrate inhibition
facilities. The platform receives gas from eleven
satellite platforms owned by four different Partners.
This field also receives production from two
neighboring platforms (Juliet and Kilo) operated by
Shell U.K.
These fields vary from the very large and mature
INDE field which came online in 1972, to the
relatively small North Davy field which came online
in November 2001.
The vastly different stages of depletion of these fields
placed contradictory demands on the Compression
System. The compressors are required to operate at a
suction pressure close to 95 psia in order to handle the
peak demand capacity of 460 MMscfd. This inlet
pressure for the compressors was, on the other hand,
too high for fields such as Shell 49/24 juliet and kilo
and thus restricted production from these fields.
A detailed review of the options showed that using a
jet pump was the most cost effective and fastest way
of solving this problem. The alternative solution of
upgrading the compressors would have involved three
to four times additional capital expenditure and a
much longer delivery period. Also one of the main
restrictions for the platform was that the gas received
from Shell platforms contained some liquid phase. If
a separate compressor were to be used, it would have
needed to be a multiphase booster compressor as
there was no room to install an additional gas-liquid
separator on the Platform. Conventional multiphase /
compressor pumps are, however, relatively low
volume systems and a single unit could not handle 68
to 70 MMscfd of low pressure gas.
The jet pump system was designed to provide
flexibility and minimum use of HP gas as the
production demand varied (Figure 7). The jet pump
with an overall length of over 7 meters and inlet and
outlet pipe diameters of 24” was named the monster
jet pump!, handling a total throughput of up to 140
MMscfd. A portion of high pressure gas at 1200 Psia
from the outlet of the compressor was used as the
motive flow. This enabled a reduction in back
pressure on Shell’s platforms by 30 to 35 psi, which
led to an increase in production from the field by 20%
to 25% . This pressure boosting, in turn, removed the
requirement to operate the compressors at very low
suction pressures, thus creating a net 160 MMscfd
increase in net gas export capacity.
A control valve on the HP inlet of the jet pump
enabled the correct amount of HP gas to be used
when the LP flow rates varied or when the
compressor inlet pressure changed, as dictated by
production demand. The operation of the control
valve was simply linked to the required differential
pressure between the LP inlet line of the jet pump and
its outlet target delivery pressure needed by the
compressor. This rather unconventional method of
control for the jet pump was achieved as a result of
having a high HP/LP pressure ratio of eighteen to one
and prevented wastage of HP gas at low LP flow
rates. The system also offered a further benefit of
being able to handle multiphase flow (gas-condensate
and water) without the need to separate the small
amount of the liquid phase present in the gas and
accumulated in the pipelines from Shell platforms.
The system has operated with no problems or
maintenance requirement since 2001 and, as claimed
by BP, the capital cost of the Project was recovered in
less than ten days, assuming gas price at 12 pence a
therm.
The cost effective use of jet pumps to increase
production, to prevent flaring and to debottleneck
compressors has been demonstrated convincingly by
operators including; Agip (ref 2), BP, Marathon,
Arco, Britannia, Chevron and Shell (UK). These
examples have brought about the awareness and
benefits of the system for future field applications.
THE EFFECT OF LIQUID IN GAS PHASE
Jet pumps handling gas may operate satisfactorily if a
small amount of liquid (water or condensate) is
present in either the HP or LP flow. If, however the
amount of the liquid increases to more than 1% or 2%
by volume, its effect on the performance of the jet
pump starts to become significant, as shown in Figure
8. It is worth noting that the jet pump can handle
satisfactorily transient conditions such as start-up
when a large volume of liquid accumulated in the
well bore or the production line may be discharged.
In applications when the amount of the liquid phase
produced continuously is significant and above 1% or
2% by volume, separation of the phases may become
necessary in order to maximize the performance and
the efficiency of the jet pump. Compact separators are
available to achieve this in cases where sufficient
space is not available on platforms to install bulky
separators and a simpler operation is desired (Ref. 4).
THE EFFECT OF PRODUCED SAND
The industry is well aware of the destructive nature of
produced sand and the damage it causes to equipment
such as choke valves. Gas velocities are high through
the jet pump, particularly through the nozzle (HP
flow) and the mixing tube (HP & LP mixture). To
prevent excessive erosion, two solutions are offered
and have been used successfully;
(a) Reinforce the surfaces subject to high velocities.
This is achieved by having a coating of hard
chrome or tungsten carbide or equivalent. In some
cases the entire surface is protected by using a
ceramic insert which provides the best resistance
because of its superior hardness.
(b) The jet pump is designed with interchangeable
sections. This enables easy change out of the
eroded parts at low cost whenever needed.
The wall thickness of parts experiencing high gas
velocities is significantly more than that needed based
on the specified design pressure. There is therefore a
further adequate margin to provide added safety and
structural integrity even if the unit experiences
erosion.
NOISE
The level of noise generated by jet pumps handling
gas may exceed the general limit of 85 dBA specified
by the industry.
The noise level is defined and measured at a distance
of one meter from the jet pump. The level of noise
generated depends on the pressure ratio and flow ratio
of HP and LP gas. The generated noise travels along
the LP and discharge lines. In order to suppress the
noise and to prevent its spread, silencers can be
installed at the LP inlet and the discharge point of the
jet pump. Silencers are in form of spool pieces which
can be supplied and installed as part of the system.
OIL PRODUCTION APPLICATIONS
In oil Production applications, and in gas production
cases when the produced liquid phase is significant
and is in excess of 1% or 2% by volume, separation
of the gas and liquid phases is required for the HP
flow and in many cases, also for the LP flow.
In these applications, it is important that the HP flow
through the nozzle of the jet pump is in single phase.
The combined system involving the separation of gas
and liquid phases and using jet pumps is patented and
is marketed under the name of the “Wellcom
System”. Details of this system, its Performance, the
range of applications and the features of a compact
separator (I-SEP) used in such cases are described in
references 3 and 4.
ECONOMIC BENEFITS – CONCLUDING
REMARKS
The main benefits of the jet pumps in most
applications are the increase in production and
recovery from the field or preventing wastage or
flaring of low pressure gas, using an available source
of energy. In the case of very low pressure gas which
has been normally flared, the jet pump provides
further environmental benefits by preventing flaring
and meeting the regulatory requirements.
The capital spent for the system includes that of the
jet pump and the additional associated pipework,
valves, instruments and modifications to the existing
pipeline system which may be required. The total
capital spent can be compared against the increase in
production and the revenue from the additional gas
produced.
A simple way to assess the economic aspects is to
work out the pay-back period achieved from the
increased revenue to recover the capital spent.
Recent field examples experienced by Agip,
Marathon, BP (UK), Britannia, Phillips petroleum,
Shell and others has shown that the payback period
has ranged from as short as ten days to a few weeks.
This has shown clearly the economic attractiveness of
this concept.
The short pay-back period also enables jet pumps to
be used economically and successfully even over a
short period of a few months in applications where
the high pressure source diminishes rapidly or the LP
wells seize production. Jet pumps can therefore be
used successfully even as a temporary solution to
increase production, to meet production quota or to
prevent flaring when other longer term costly
solutions with a long lead time, such as upgrading
compressors, are being considered. The jet pumps
have also been used successfully to debottleneck the
existing compressors at a fraction of the cost of
upgrading the compressors.
REFERENCES
Ashton, K., Green, A.J., and Read, A., 1993. Gas
Production Improvements using Ejectors. Society of
Petroleum Engineers – SPE Paper 26684, Offshore
Europe, Aberdeen.
Villa, M., DeGhetto, G., and Paone, F., 1997. Use of
Ejectors for Boosting Low Pressure Oil and Gas
Wells. The Offshore Mediterranean Conference &
Exhibition in Ravenna, Italy.
Sarshar, M.M., and BEG, Dr. N.A., 2000. The
applications and performance of jet pumps in oil and
gas Production handling Multiphase flow, 2nd North
American conference on Multiphase Technology,
Banff, Canada, June 21-23, 2000.
Sarshar, M.M., and BEG, Dr. N.A., 2001. The
applications and performance of a novel compact
separator, 2nd GCC-EU Advanced oil and Gas
Technology Conference, Abu Dhabi , UAE , May 21-
22, 2001.
 TABLE 1

PERFORMANCE OF THE JET PUMPS OPERATING OFFSHORE ON THE HEWETT FIELD

EJECTOR 52/5A
MOTIVE GAS ROTTLEGENDES ZECHSTEIN
FLOWRATE - MMSCF/DAY 160 71
INLET PRESSURE - psi 800 375

SUCTION GAS LOWER BUNTER UPPER BUNTER

EJECTOR STATUS OFF OFF
FLOWRATE - MMSCF/DAY 100 36
PRESSURE- psi 265 170

EJECTOR STATUS ON ON
FLOWRATE - MMSCF/DAY 125 51
INLET PRESSURE - psi 235 140
TOTAL FLOW RATE - MMSCF/DAY 285 122
DISCHARGE PRESSURE - psi 295 180
RATE BENEFIT - MMSCF/DAY 25 15
 Figure 1 - General configuration of a jet pump.

Figure 2 - Gas jet pumps performance curves for a range of pressure and flow ratios.
 Figure 3 - Boosting production of LP gas wells.

Compressors

Boosted
Production To Export
Jet Pump

LP Gas From
Wells

Figure 4 - De-bottlenecking existing compressors.

 High Pressure Jet Pump

Intermediate Pressure

LP Gas

Low Pressure
Wells

Separator

Oil To Process
or Pumping System

Figure 5 - Boosting pressure of separated gas.

Alternative

Gas To Gas-lift
Compressor Or Export
s

Intermediate
Pressure Gas Jet Pump 1

LLP Gas From

Process System
Intermediate
Pressure Gas

Jet Pump 2
Figure 6 - Pressure boosting of a very low pressure gas.
 Davy Line

Export
Bessemer Line
Compressor
Jet Pump

DP
Low Pressure
Gas Wells
Shell
Juliet
Shell
Kilo
Subsea Line

Figure 7 - BP INDE platform jet pump for production and pressure boosting.

Figure 8 - Gas jet pump performance under liquid in the LP gas.