Successful Lifting of Oil with High Concentration of Hydrogen Sulfide by Artificial Lift System – Case Study

Abstract

Due to the low cost of crude oil, it is highly unusual for the operators to drill exploration wells, for the past few years. Adding that as well to the world's economy collapse due to the pandemic at the start of 2020, it is now more than ever a necessity to use artificial lift methods to lift from previously shut-in wells or maximize current production of the wells, as to grapple with the running expenses of operators. The artificial lift is a vast field with different lift methods applicable to a single well. Hence, the selection of an optimum lift method is critical. During the worst economic slump, the economic analysis will play a decisive role in the application of an artificial lift system (ALS) along with a technical review. The jet pump system is one of the most reliable artificial lift systems for lifting shut-in wells. The installation time of this system is minimal, and production starts right away. However, the system can prove to be very expensive, if the design is not done critically. This paper is about lifting a well that was not able to flow naturally. The vertical well B3 located in northern Iraq was drilled in May 2018 to a total depth of 521 meters. But the well was not able to flow naturally, and the jet pump was designed for the well based on well completion, downhole pressures, temperature and reservoir fluid properties. The evaluation and design of the downhole jet pump and surface pumping unit requirements were performed on Jet Pump Evaluation and Modeling Software. This well produced approximately 1700 BOPD. Since, the well was not flowing before the installation of the jet pump, most of the production data was obtained after deployment of ALS and production was optimized accordingly. The production had a high content of Hydrogen Sulfide as well, which was treated accordingly for safety of personnel, equipment, flow lines and environment. This paper describes the details about the application, optimization and operation of the jet pump system deployed on inactive wells with a high concentration of sour gas.