OTC-24798-MS

Smart Gas Lift Valves Eliminate Multiple Slickline Trips in Gas Lift
Operations
Zhiyue Xu, SPE, Bennett M. Richard, and James H. Kritzler, Baker Hughes
Copyright 2014, Offshore Technology Conference

This paper was prepared for presentation at the Offshore Technology Conference Asia held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 2528 March 2014.

This paper was selected for presentation by an OTC program committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper have not been
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Abstract

In many gas lift systems, dummy valves are loaded in side-pocket mandrels to isolate the annulus from the tubing where
pressurization is required to test the tubing and annulus, set a hydraulic packer, or activate an isolation device. If the well then
requires gas lift to unload the completion fluid or to assist the well to flow, slickline intervention is required to remove the
dummy valves and install the live gas lift string. The process can be long and cumbersome and can pose risks to existing
infrastructure. Production is also delayed while a new live valve unit is installed.
This paper presents a smart gas lift valve with disintegrable nanostructured composite material technology. The valve is
installed in the well to function as a dummy valve during completion operations. It is converted from a dummy valve to a live
valve through in-situ disintegration of the nanostructured composite plug in brine during the cleanup process. This eliminates
multiple slickline trips or well intervention after the completion, and enables unloading and immediate production of these
wells optimized gas lift conditions.
The nanostructured composite material for the smart plug is lighter than aluminum but as strong as some mild steel. The smart
plug has a pressure rating of 5,000 psi or higher and disintegrates in sea water within 12 to 50 hours, making it an ideal tool for
offshore gas lift applications. So far, more than 1,000 gas lift valves equipped with disintegrable nanostructured composite
plugs have been installed in gas lift wells producing offshore Southeast Asia. The nanostructured composite material, the valve
design, the lab test data and the successful field case history are presented.

Introduction

Gas lift has become a preferred choice of artificial lift to improve well productivity and economics, particularly for offshore
wells with short life expectancies, such as the "harvest" or "disposable" wells in the Gulf of Thailand and other regions
throughout Asia Pacific and the world. The advantages of a gas lift system include its relative downhole simplicity, flexibility,
reliability, its ability to operate during changes in production rates, and its occupyingies very little space at the well head. It is
believed that gas lift adds about 250,000 barrels of oil (bbl) to the total production of an average well during its life, a
significant added asset value.
The ideal depth for injecting gas may change with time as the wells pressures, fluid type, and productivity change. Multiple
gas lift valves are usually installed in a well to ensure optimal production during these changing conditions. A four-valve gas
lift system is shown schematically in Fig. 1(a) and a live gas lift valve in Fig. 1 (b). In Fig. 1 (a), each gas lift valve is
installed in a side packet mandrel (SPM), which in turn is put on the production tubing of a gas lift well. Gas is injected into
the annulus between the tubing and casing. Tubing and casing pressures cause the valve to open and close, thus enabling the
gas to be introduced into the fluid in the tubing and the fluid to rise to the surface. The SPM the gas lift valve to be installed
and removed by wireline while the mandrel remains in the well, eliminating the need to pull the tubing to repair or replace the
valve as required in a conventional gas lift mandrel.
After initial installation of a live gas lift valve system, pressurization is required to test the pressure integrity of the tubing or
annulus, set a hydraulic packer, activate an isolation device or run cement through completion with gas lift assemblies.
Damage often occurs to a live gas lift valve during unplanned pressure reversal or by cement debris. The damage results in
2 OTC-24798-MS

costly well completion failures [2]. One common practice for avoiding damage to a live valve is initially loading a higher
pressure rating dummy valve in the side-pocket mandrel to isolate the annulus from the tubing during pressurization or
cementing-through operation. If the well then requires gas lift to unload the completion fluid or to assist the well to flow,
wireline intervention is performed to change out the dummy valves with the live gas lift string. The wireline intervention can
be time-consuming and pose risks to existing infrastructures. Production is also delayed while a new live valve unit is
installed. In addition, slickline crews are a finite resource and sometimes cannot be scheduled on a gas lift valve change-out
project for many weeks leading to platform production going unoptimized. It is estimated that one month of waiting on a
change out for a 1 by 20 well platform can result in as much as 100,000bbl in lost production. The paper presents a smart gas
lift valve with disintegrable nanostructured composite material technology. The smart valve is installed in the well to function
as a smart dummy valve during completion operations and then converts from a dummy valve to a live valve through in-situ
disintegration of the nanostructured composite plug in brine during cleanup process. The approach completely eliminates
multiple slickline trips or well intervention to replace dummy valves with live valves and significantly increases completion
operation efficiency of offshore wells. The nanostructured composite plug is very strong, chemically resistant to drilling mud,
slightly reactive with fresh water, and disintegrates within 12 to 50 hours in salt water. The nanostructured material, smart
valve design, lab test data, and successful case study are presented.

Design of Material and Smart Gas Lift Valve

The integrated design process began by establishing the statement of requirement (SOR) for a smart gas lift valve. Smart
GLVs must be easy to adopt and install in the current side pocket mandrels during initial installation, function as a strong
dummy valve with high pressure and temperature ratings to prevent flow of cement from the tubing into the annulus during
the cementing phase of completion, or isolate the annulus from tubing during other pressurization phases of completion, and
disintegrate when in contact with brine or sea water during cleanup process to reestablish annulus to tubing communication for
gas lift without slickline intervention. Using the aforementioned SORs, material scientists developed a high-strength,
disintegrable nanostructured composite material for installation into the valves. Multiple generation valve designs and
functional tests verified the material and valve performance. Finally, the optimized material and valve design are constructed
into a final product for field tests.

The nanostructured composite material is manufactured by consolidating reactive metal powders coated with metallic and/or
ceramic reinforcements. Material composition and microstructure can be engineered at the micro- or nanoscale to vary the
material strength and disintegration rate. Layered coating, its composition, and the overall process control of the grain
structure provide the key structural elements contributing to the unique performance. Typical concentrations of ions present in
seawater, completion brines, formation fluids, or remediation acids in addition to typical downhole temperatures of 120
0
F or
higher trigger a predictable homogeneous dissolution of the nanostructured composites. The combination of high strength and
controllable disintegration rate is accomplished through engineered nanostructures between metallic grains, which become
activation points for dissolution and can be triggered on demand. The nanostructures also act as strengtheners, which yield a
composite material with high strength and toughness. The coating composition and layer structure and associated processing
can be changed to increase material strength by several orders and the corrosion rate by several hundred times. The rate of
disintegration can be accelerated by well conditions such as temperature and fluid chemistry or acid.

Fig. 2 presents two common gas lift operation practices with conventional dummy valve and live gas lift valve. Problems
associated with the dummy-to-live valve method include:
Cost and risk of multi slickline runs to replace dummy valves with live valves;
Delay of optimized gas lift production.

Practice II in Fig. 2 involves installing live gas lift valves rather than dummy valves during initial completion, a method that
has proven efficient in reducting operation time and cost, and risk of the gas lift valve change out job by a slickline unit.
However, live gas lift valves cannot hold much pressure as compared to dummy valves while the system is pressurized to test
the tubing and annulus, set a hydraulic packer or activate an isolation device. Furthermore, during a one-trip cement-through
completion, damage to live valves during unplanned pressure reversal or by cement debris can occur, resulting in costly well
completion failures.

The smart gas lift valve with nanostructured disintegrable material technology in Fig. 3 provides a solution to the
aforementioned problems. The smart GLV design has a time-controlled disintegrable plug assembled in the nose section of the
valve to replace the two nose holes in the standard valve design while keeping the same geometry, cone-shaped nose tip and
the reverse flow check dart design of a standard gas lift valve. The smart gas lift valves with time-controlled disintegrable
plugs are installed in the side pocket mandrels (SPM) prior to running the SPMs downhole. The disintegrable plug initially
functions as a dummy plug to isolate the annulus from tubing during completion. The plug then disintegrates in brine during
the cleanup process and transforms the temporary dummy valve back to a live valve for gas lift, eliminating multiple slickline
OTC-24798-MS 3

trips for wells. The high strength of the plug material also guarantees the same high pressure and temperature ratings of the gas
lift assembly as have dummy valves.

The success of the smart gas lift valve is the innovative nanostructured composite materials (NCM) used to create the time-
controlled disintegrable plugs. The NCM material encompasses a unique microstructure. The image on the left of Fig. 4 is a
typical scanning electron micrograph of the NCM material, which includes a substantially continuous, cellular nanomatrix
(networked white grain boundary phase) and metallic grains dispersed in the nanomatrix [3]. The nanomatrix comprises
nanoscale metallic and/or ceramic layers/coatings that act as strength reinforcements and provide the unique chemical property
that provides the time-controlled disintegration property that conventional engineering materials normally do not contain. The
image on right of Fig. 4 is a transmission electron microscope (TEM) bright field image of the nanomatrix showing the
magnified view of the grain boundary filled with precipitates of 200 nm or less that are formed from the nanoscale metallic
and/or ceramic coatings which reacted with matrix grains during full-density compaction at high temperature and pressure [4].
Design of the composition and structure of the nanoscale coatings can be changed to produce high strength in addition to time-
controlled disintegration. A family of NCM materials with various ranges of strengths and disintegrating rates were developed
to suit various field well conditions and customer operation needs for temperatures, pressures and time. Fig. 5 shows the
NCM family property map of rate of disintegration and compressive strength. The test data on the map are generated from
NCM materials with various nanomatrix compositions and/or layer structures. Compressive strength is tested using the ASTM
E9. The rate of disintegration (ROD) is measured in 3% KCl at 200F. Compared to reference material without nanomatrix
(red solid circle), compressive strength of nanomatrix-reinforced NCM material can be increased 3 to 6 times and the
disintegration rate can be enhanced by several hundred times. Such unique properties benefit from the innovative nanoscale
coatings, which are the primary constituents of the nanomatrix. Specific coating compositions are selected to work with matrix
grain composition and provide fundamental material strengthening mechanisms such as solid solution and precipitation
strengthening, strain hardening and grain boundary strengthening. NCM materials also show good ductility with elongation at
failure from 8 to 12%. A new group of NCM materials (green solid diamonds in Fig. 5) with ultra-high strength (> 100 ksi)
combined with fast ROD up to 450 mg/cm
2
/hour in 3% KCl were developed, further increasing NCM materials pressure and
temperature ratings and widening NCM material use to additional downhole products.


Lab Tests of Smart Gas Lift Valve

Before producing a smart gas lift valve for field use, extensive testing is conducted on the following:
Temperature and pressure ratings
Time at temperature and pressure rating
Disintegration rate of the NCM plug in various operation fluids encountered in an offshore gas lift well completion,
including cement, fresh water, brine and sea water
Total disintegration time for the dummy valve to convert into a live valve
Rates of disintegration of NCM material differ in various operation or wellbore fluids (Fig. 6). The NCM material is resistant
to oil-based drilling mud, slightly reactive with fresh water or cement, and rapidly disintegrates in 3% KC1 brine or sea water,
making it an ideal "designer material" for offshore gas lift valve applications.

In disintegration tests, the time-controlled NCM disintegrable plug is assembled in a fixture that duplicates the standard gas lift
valve nose design and is submerged in sea water at 275
0
F and 500 psi pressure. The mass loss of the plug because of the
disintegration reaction with sea water is measured at various time intervals. The test was stopped at 31.6 hours when the plug
lost most of its fluid sealing dimension. The plug disintegrated uniformly throughout the test period at an average rate of 0.18
g/hour. The test verifies that the plug design can meet the disintegrating or converting time requirement of 12 to 50 hours for
the dummy valve to become a live valve for gas lift (Fig. 7).



Successful Field Case

In Platong field in the Gulf of Thailand, 245 kilometers east of mainland Thailand [Fig. 8], gas-lifted production has been
gradually increased from 10% in June 2008 to 50% of total field production in June 2011[1]. Economics of a disposable well
can be further improved by new efficiency improvement technologies during completion operations. For example, mono-trip
cement-through completions with slickline run gas lift assemblies in the Platong field in 2010 reduced cost by two-thirds since
the installation unit is changed from coiled tubing to a slickline unit [2]. In a mono-trip cement through completion, SPMs
with the conventional live orifice or gas lift valves are installed in the production tubing to prepare the wells for gas lift.
Multiple slickline trips are necessary. Costly completion failures occurred, including flow cutting of the reverse flow check
4 OTC-24798-MS

valve during an unplanned pressure reversal and failure to bump the cement plug because of fluid bypass through cut or non-
checked reverse flow check valve in the nose of the valve. The failures occurred because the live gas lift valves cannot hold
the pressure as well as dummy valves while pumping cement through the SPM and activating the hydraulic packer [2].

The disintegrable plugs with nanostructured composite material technology were installed in the modified live gas lift valves
to construct time-controlled smart gas lift valves. The smart gas lift valves are installed in the SPMs prior to running the
SPMs downhole. The live valves become temporary dummy valves to isolate the annulus from the tubing and provide a
proper pressure seal time for completion operations to be completed. The plugs then disintegrate in brine during cleanup
process and turn the temporary dummy valves back to live valves for gas lift. The use of smart gas lift valves eliminates
multiple slickline trips or well interventions after completion, saves service costs and reduces health, safety, and environment
risks. Because of the success of the smart gas lift valves with time-controlled disintegrable plugs, the operator requested the
smart gas lift valves for all future projects in the Gulf of Thailand. The major benefit of the new gas lift technology is
immediate oil recovery and earlier return on investment because time queued for slickline service is eliminated.

Conclusions

In a conventional gas lift system, dummy valves are loaded in side-pocket mandrels to isolate the annulus from the tubing
when pressurization is necessary. Wireline intervention is required to remove the valves and install the live gas lift valve,
which can encompass a long, cumbersome process that can damage existing infrastructure and delay production.

The smart gas lift valve with a time-controlled disintegrable plug of nanostructured composite material functions as a
temporary dummy valve during completion operations. It converts from a dummy valve to a live valve for gas lift stimulation
through in-situ disintegration of the disintegrable plug in brine during the cleanup process.

The nanostructured composite material is resistant to oil-based drilling mud, slightly reactive with fresh water or cement, and
rapidly disintegrates in brine or sea water, making it an ideal "designer material" for offshore gas lift valve applications.

The new smart gas lift valve technology eliminates multiple slickline trips or well interventions, reduces service costs and
risks, and results in immediate oil recovery and earlier returns on investments for operators.



Acknowledgements

The author wishes to thank Baker Hughes for permission to publish the work.

References

1. W. Chapman, Mono-trip cement-tolerant completions breathe new life into disposable wells, IADC Drilling
Contractor, November/December 2005, pp. 60-62.
2. C. Boonmeelapprasert, etc., Gas Lift Journey to Maximize the Asset Value in Platong Field, Gulf of Thailand,
IPTC 14807, SPE International Petroleum Technology Conference, 7-9 February 2012, Bangkok, Thailand.
3. Z. Xu, G. Agrawal, and B. Salinas, Smart Nanostructured Materials Deliver High Reliability Completion Tools for
Gas Shale Fracturing, SPE 146586, SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition held in Denver, Colorado,
USA, 30 October2 November 2011.
4. Z. Xu, A disintegrable metal matrix composite, Proceedings of 2013 TMS Annual Meeting and Exhibition. 2/3 -
3/7, 2013, San Antonio, USA.
OTC-24798-MS 5


(a)
Dome
Bellows
Check dart
Stem tip
Seat
Packing
Stacks
(b)
Fig. 1 (a). Schematic of a gas lift system with gas lift valves installed in side packet mandrels and
(b) a live gas lift valve design showing all key components.
Dummy Valve
Live Valve
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(-,,2 3&.30# 4*$5 .*30 3&.30#

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pressure reversal or by cement debris
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Fig. 2. Two conventional practices of gas lift operation and associated coat and risk issues
6 OTC-24798-MS












































Disintegrable plug Reverse flow check dart
Fig.3. Design of smart gas lift valve showing the time-controlled disintegrable plug assembled in the nose
section of a standard gas lift valve.

Fig. 4. Scanning electron micrograph (left) of a NCM material showing cellular
nanomatrix (white network) and metallic grains dispersed in the nanomatrix and
transmission electron micrograph and TEM image of the nanomatrix boundary (right).

OTC-24798-MS 7





























































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8 OTC-24798-MS




Fig.7. Rate of disintegration of NCM material in various operation or wellbore fluids.
Fig.8. Map of Gulf of Thailand. Platong field is in
Blocks 10 through 13.