Slim hole completions are often used in lower productivity wells.

These normally use a string of 2-3/8 to 31/2-inch OD pipe as the production casing. Smaller size tubing, (e.g., 1 to 1-1/2-inches in diameter) is then run inside this casing (Figure 8: Slim hole gas lift completion).

Figure 8

Slim hole completions are especially useful for producing from two or more zones without commingling. Production rates for continuous gas lift will depend on the ID of the tubing, but can range from 150 B/D for 3/4-inch tubing to 900 B/D for 1 1/2-inch ID tubing. The rates for intermittent injection in slim hole wells are considerably lower.

DUAL INSTALLATIONS
Gas lift wells, like flowing wells, can be designed with parallel or concentric dual tubing strings (Figure 9: Dual gas lift installations). The two most common configurations are (1) parallel strings of 2 3/8-inch OD tubing inside 7-inch casing and (2) parallel strings of 3 1/2-inch OD tubing inside 9 5/8-inch casing (API RP 11V8, 2003).

Figure 9

Gas is supplied through the tubing-casing annulus, and injected into two separate tubing strings. The zones may be produced using the same type of lift method (i.e., both on continuous or both on intermittent lift), or the two methods may be used in combination (e.g., one zone is on intermittent lift while the other is on continuous lift). For a dual installation to work, the valves must be spaced to prevent interference between the two zones, and selected so that the desired amounts of gas are injected for each zone.

COILED TUBING INSTALLATIONS

Coiled tubing can be used to convert a flowing well to gas lift without having to pull the main production tubing string, simply by placing conventional gas lift mandrels at the appropriate depths on the coiled tubing string and then running it inside the production tubing. The smaller diameter of the coiled tubing restricts its use to lower-productivity wells.

ANNULAR FLOW INSTALLATIONS

In most gas lift operations, production is confined to the tubing because of safety issues, regulatory requirements and company operating policies. This is especially true offshore. In some areas, however such as the Middle East, where wells produce at rates up to 80,000 B/D operators use annular flow gas lift. In this process, gas is injected down the tubing and production is from the annulus. A bull plug is placed at the bottom of the tubing to contain the injected gas. A small-bore orifice or check valve can also be used for this purpose.