Manual loading of samples into horizontal gels, such as the agarose gels commonly used for DNA fragment sizing and quantification, is laborious and prone to errors. Manual-loading times for highthroughput gels can reach 10 min/gel, and human error can result in incorrect identification of samples because of reverse loading or other errors in the loading process. To reduce gel-loading times and to improve reliability, a novel comb has been developed that uses glass capillaries and hydrostatic pressure to simplify sample loading from microplates. Accurate sample metering is ensured by the uniform length and volume of the capillaries. The loaded comb is placed in the gel boat over a pre-cast agarose gel, and buffer is added to a reservoir at the top of the comb. Once the buffer rises over the ends of the capillaries, the samples are pushed into the wells by hydrostatic pressure. This technique was successfully demonstrated for a 24-lane comb. This capillary comb loader reduces loading time, maintains well-to-well uniformity, and retains the same geometry and appearance of manually loaded bands, making this loading method compatible with existing downstream processes and software for subsequent analysis of the gel image.

Gas lift is a preferred lifting method to produce unconventional wells across the world. During specific stages of the well life, however, it might happen that water percentage raises enough to make the tubing flow gradient too high for lifting with the maximum operating pressure and rate of injection gas. This results in unplanned nonproductive time. A slickline-deployable jet pump can be a cost-effective alternative to effectively unload the well and resume production with gas lift. The addition of a sliding sleeve door (SSD) to the tubing string, installed between the deepest gas lift mandrel and the annular packer, will allow the deployment of a slickline-set jet pump. The backup jet pump provides a valuable and cost-effective alternative in three potential scenarios: when unloading fracking fluids before beginning gas-lift production, when restoring production after an unpredicted shutdown of the gas-lift compression system, and when the producing water cut becomes higher than expected. An operator in Logan County, Oklahoma, installed the gas lift-jet pump hybrid completion in five wells. The completion was basically designed for gas lift with a standard "X" profile SSD installed between the packer and the operating gas-lift valve. The dual-purpose tubing string was installed in each well in one trip. To produce fracking fluids left in the wellbore, standard-flow jet pumps were set in the SSD, mobile hydraulic-lift surface units were hooked up to the Christmas tree and jet pump production operation started. On average, fracking water was produced 66% faster than by swabbing and rod pumping, and 33% faster than with nitrogen lift. Upon recovery of the fracking fluids, the wells were producing enough gas to successfully start the gas lift systems in approximately 6 days. This simple but ingenious dual-purpose completion approach has already proved to solve the problem of unconventional well production load-up during the early production stage of gas lifted systems. The information provided in this paper will help operators plan, design, deploy, and operate a dual-purpose gas lift-jet pump well completion.

This paper describes a Direct Fired Liquid Nitrogen Vaporizer Automation System (LN2 Vaporizer Automation) and the control equipment and techniques associated therein. This system has been developed over the last two years and has proven capable of controlling the discharge temperature of discharged nitrogen gas, across a broad range of rates and pressures in a wide range of ambient conditions, while controlling pollutants from the burner and providing for enhanced safety and reliability. The key components of the system are: a. Typical Direct Fired Liquid Nitrogen (LN2) Vaporizer System b. A Program Logic Controller (PLC) with attached sensors and actuators c. A Human Machine Interface (HMI) to allow for interaction with the system The trials and jobs carried out to date are also briefly described in this paper, together with the current perceived strengths and weaknesses of the system.