A simple operational approach to ascertain the viability of your offshore gas lift project before fully committing:
The Meji Jacket X and Y pilot case (SPE Technical Paper).
Francis Nwaochei, SPE; Adebayo Olufemi, SPE; Vincent Eme, SPE; and John Ibrahim, SPE, Chevron Nigeria Limited; Eseoghene Nakpodia, SPE and Wole Areo, SPE, Flostar Oil & Gas Services Limited

Abstract highlights of SPE Technical paper on Flostar’s Temporary Hard pipe gas lift solutions.

  1. Gas lift is a well known technology used to enhance production from a well after it is unable to flow naturally. This artificial lift technology has been a huge success in the South Offshore area of Chevron Nigeria operations.


  2. Supplying gas to offshore locations is expensive particularly with rising cost in facilities. Such an operation entails the installation of a compressor, liquid knock out equipment, manifold configuration and associated piping which involves huge cost and space implications- two critical issues that hinder the application of gas lift in offshore locations.


  3. Improving oil recovery through gas lift on wells located on satellite jackets that lack gas supply is a critical issue that requires innovative approaches to resolve. In addition to the cost of laying gas supply pipe lines, a time factor to execute these types of project needs to be considered.


  4. Numerous gas lift opportunities have been identified in the Meji Field offshore location which currently has no gas supply for artificial lift. Given the resource constraints, several alternatives were reviewed in an attempt to proffer a technique of providing gas that would be simple, relatively inexpensive and reliable.


  5. This paper reviews an innovative concept by Flostar Oil & Gas Services Limited of channelling gas supply from a high gas producing source well to several gas lift candidate wells on the same jacket utilizing 2” WECO high pressure segmented pipe to increase production based on a 3-well pilot case at Chevron’s Meji Field. An estimated production gain of about 1150 BOPD was projected from this pilot phase consisting of 3 wells. However, this was exceeded by 33%.


  6. This concept is currently being used in Nigeria Chevron and other major E & P companies for high pressure fluid flow solutions. 


  7. Temporary Hard Piping Solutions available through Flostar Oil and Gas Services Limited.

 

This paper was presented at the 33rd  Annual SPE International Technical Conference and Exhibition in Abuja, Nigeria, August 3-5, 2009.
Copyright  2009, Society of Petroleum Engineers Inc.