Field Installed Coiled Tubing Gas Lift Completions

Abstract

Gas lift has long been used as a petroleum industry vehicle for secondary artificial lift. Typically run in a conventional jointed tubing completion string or, more recently, in manufacturer installed spoolable systems utilizing continuous pipe; new applications utilizing modifications of existing equipment and processes have enabled "on-location" make up of coiled tubing conveyed gas lift strings and subsequent installation and/or extraction of same. This application was designed as an alternative to conventional gas lift systems as well as other means of artificial lift in order to effectively address mechanical problems due to wellbore conditions and expensive and frequent workover operations all dictated by marginal well economics from tail-end field reserves. Results from this completion method have been mechanically and economically successful for this application and field installed coiled tubing gas lift has been expanded to exploit other formation types.