Gas lift has been applied successfully worldwide to increase well production. Artificial lift methods include pump assisted lift and gas lift. Gas lift is an artificial lift technique used to increase flow rate of oil wells. In this method, high pressure gas is injected into the well oil column to reduce its average density and make it flow to the surface.
The main objectives of this study are to (1) investigate the effects of injection gas gravity, and reservoir temperature on the performance of gas lift, (2) develop a total-system production-optimization model using PROSPER and GAP simulation programs, and (3) increase oil production through optimization of gas injected/fluid-produced oil ratio in an Egyptian oil field utilizing the existing compression capacity. The developed production model has been used for production optimization and allocation of lift gas in a multi-well network, as well as for prediction of future system requirements and identification of any bottlenecking opportunities. The attained results indicated that (1) artificial lift using gas lift is a complex process including several variables, which have been considered for optimization, (2) the optimization of gas injection rate increased the attained oil production, (3) gas gravity of injected gas has an important effect on attained oil production while reservoir temperature has shown minimal effect on oil production, and (4) gas lift optimization in Egyptian field can help in overcoming the high pressure gas (HPG) constraints, saving gas for the nearby oil field and increasing the total production for both fields. The developed production model is completely implemented, field wide optimization is pursued and multi-well networked model is established.
The application of the attained results is expected to have real impact in improving the gas lift performance in similar fields in the Middle-East and worldwide.
