Guidelines & Recommended Practices

Selection of Artificial Lift Systems

for Deliquifying Gas Wells
P Prepared by Artificial Lift R&D Council
Status
 Document written and edited
 Chair: Cleon Dunham, cleon@oilfieldautomation.com
 Team: Not applicable
 Comments: Not applicable
Formatted: Indent: Left: 0.39", No bullets or numbering

2.0 General Guidelines for Artificial Lift Systems

This section addresses general information, tools, guidelines, and recommended

practices for artificial lift in general and for each particular type of artificial lift sys-
tem in particular.

Many different types of artificial lift are used to deliquify gas wells. Some are
best used when liquid loading first occurs in a well. Some are better used later in
the life of a well, when the initial method(s) may no longer work effectively.
Some are best used near the end of the life of a well, when no other methods will
work or are economical.

This section is intended as a brief tutorial on the types of artificial lift that are
generally used for gas well deliquification. Personnel involved in artificial lift of
gas wells must be fully conversant with this information.

Sub-sections contained in this section are:

2.1 Fundamentals of Gas Well Deliquification

This covers such topics as what is liquid loading, how does it inhibit gas pro-
duction, when is some form of artificial lift required?

2.2 Pertinent Types of Artificial Lift

This briefly describes each form of artificial lift that is used for gas well deliq-
uification; it gives rough guidelines on when in the life cycle of a well each
form is pertinent

2.3 How to Use Artificial Lift Screening Tools

There are several useful tools for screening artificial lift tools for any particu-
lar application. This presents the tools, how they may be used, and what can
be learned from them.
Selection of Artificial Lift Systems for Deliquifying Gas Wells Page 2

2.4 Limits, Typical Costs, and Typical Life Expectancies of Each Type of Artificial
Lift Technology

This discusses the practical limits, typical costs, and typical life expectances
of each form of artificial lift in terms of liquid production rate, gas production
rate, depth, pressure, temperature, etc.

Copyright
Rights to this information are owned by the Artificial Lift Research and Develop-
ment Council (ALRDC). This material may be used by any member of ALRDC in
any way they see fit as long as they refer to the ALRDC Artificial Lift Selection
document where it is presented.

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