A New Approach for Gas Lift Method Optimization for an Iranian Oilfield

Optimization and simulation for determining the optimal injection rate in a well operating under gas- lift are based on balancing the buoyancy improvements from the additional gas in the production stream with the corresponding increase in the flowline back- pressure and its negative impact on the overall deliverability. Such an approach, while useful in determining the maximum production improvement achievable for an individual well, ignores a number of practical and relatively significant aspects that tend to complicate the real- world application. Another major complication arises from the limitations associated with the available compressors. Typically, these facilities are designed to handle the requirements identified when gas- lift is first introduced. As the field depletes, the requirement for lift gas increases. Inevitably, the operator is challenged with the classical gas- lift allocation problem: how does one allocate limited available injection gas to maximize overall field production Other factors that influence the economics of a field- wide strategy include the reservoir depletion behavior, the effect gas-lift of varying water- cut, the impact of both capital and operating costs, and the detailed performance characteristics of the compressor units. This paper presents an investigation on different effect of various parameters to enhance production rate with gaslift for one of the Iranian oil field, using a simulation software package for different pressure calculation of two phase in vertical and horizontal stream that is, Pipesim™. The results obtained on Shadegan oil field are plotted at the end of this paper.