gas lift recovery

Enhanced Oil Recovery by Gas Lift

Gas lift is an artificial lift method used to increase the flow of oil in oil wells. It is used when the pumpjacks natural pressure has become insufficient to raise the oil up the well, and is most commonly used on wells with a depth of 6,000 to 12,000 feet (1.8 to 3.7 km). It is one of the oldest and most reliable methods of enhanced oil recovery.

Gas lift utilizes compressed natural gas, produced right alongside the oil, that is pumped into the casing of the well at a pressure greater than the formation pressure. As the gas nears the perforations in the well, it expands, breaking up the heavy oil surrounding the perforations and forming smaller bubbles in the oil. This reduces the viscosity of the oil, allowing the natural pressure to return and push the oil out of the well.

In order to capture the oil, intake valves are placed downhole, allowing the bubbles of natural gas to escape back up the well casing into the surface. This gas is then captured, and recycled back into the well. To ensure the reusable gas stays downhole, a swab or plug is attached to the tubing, trapping the gas in the well as it passes.

At the surface, valves are installed that can be adjusted to increase or decrease the flow of gas into the well. Different types of valves can be used, including rotating and various types of butterfly valves. The goal of the valves is to ensure that enough gas is injected into the well to move the oil to the surface while not wasting any gas.

The amount of gas injected into the well is measured by a pressure gauge, which should be monitored daily to ensure that the gas is flowing to the depth of the well as planned. If the pressure drops too far, the well will stop producing.

The main advantages of enhanced oil recovery by gas lift include the ability to produce older, deeper oil wells that might otherwise have been abandoned, and reduced costs compared to other artificial lift methods. In addition, there is less risk of well damage due to the fact that gas lift does not rely on any type of pumps, making it simpler and more reliable.

In conclusion, gas lift is a reliable and cost-effective way to recover oil in deep wells. By utilizing the natural gas associated with the oil, it can extend the life of a well and increase oil production. Furthermore, it is easily adjustable and offers fewer risks of damage to the well compared to other forms of artificial lift.

Fractional distillation is an industrial process widely used in the petroleum refineries to separate crude oil into different fractions. It is a type of distillation that separates a mixture into fractions where each containing a different boiling point range.

Fractional distilling process begins with the feedstock, which is crude oil. Crude oil is heated in a distillation tower and vaporized. When the temperature reaches a certain level, the bottom fractions of the mixture begin to separate from the rest of the mixture and condense at the bottom of the tower. The vapours created during this process rise through the distillation tower column and are cooled using condensers. When the vapours reach a certain temperature, they produce condensate which is collected later.

The different molecules in the mixture contain different boiling points and fractional distillation allows for the separation of these molecules in pure fractions based on their boiling point. As the crude oil gets heated, the molecules won’t all boil at the same temperature or at the same rate. The heavier molecules with higher boiling points reach higher temperature points before they boil. Lighter molecules with lower boiling points will boil earlier. This process allows for the effective separation of molecules in the mixture.

The end product of fractional distillation is a range of petrochemicals derived from the crude oil boil off. These petrochemicals are then divided into primary and secondary fractions. The primary fraction includes products such as straight-run gasoline, naphtha, kerosene, lubricating oils and heating oils, while the secondary fraction includes products such as still gas, liquefied petroleum gas and asphalt.

Fractional distillation is a very effective way of separating crude oil into its different components. This process is essential for the production of numerous petroleum products used in various byproducts. It is also used by the chemical processing industry whenever there is a need to distill or refine complex mixtures.