Gulf of Suez Continuous Gas Lift Real-Time Optimization Strategy

Abstract

The application of continuous-flow gas lift systems have been operating for over 40 years in Gulf of Suez Petroleum Company (GUPCO) offshore Gulf of Suez. Like any artificial lift method, it is to improve the productivity whilst ensuring the most effective use of the existing reserves. Continuous gas lift operations is favorable for these fields because of the flexibility in its production rates, ability to handle corrosive fluids, suitable for high temperature and high gas oil ratio wells, and compatibility with sand production. Some other real challenges facing the Gulf of Suez assets management besides keeping up production and maximizing reserves from mature fields are the ageing production facilities, and limited testing and data acquisition infrastructure.As more and more wells are completed with gas lift, the task of gas lift monitoring becomes more time consuming.An important part of the gas lift optimization process is the effective gathering of live field data in order to establish the performance of the field and its individual well. A source of this information so far is a bunch of well files placed in the field and or head quarter offices. Because of inadequate infrastructure for an optimization and monitoring schedule, it is required to initiate a system with today's real-time data acquisition and data transmission technology, which provide an opportunity to implement the real-time production optimization effectively and remotely by means of satellite and web interface.A pilot platform was selected to prove the concept of real-time production optimization. It is located in El-Morgan offshore field, approximately 160 miles in the south Gulf of Suez. The field consists of four (4) major platform complexes and 17 satellite platforms with over 80 current producers and around 50 injectors. Despite on-going operational difficulties and complexities, waterflood operations in this field indicate a successful exploitation of potential reserves. The field's cumulative production to date is 51% of its predicated Stock Tank Oil Initially in Place (STOIIP). Manual data gathering exercise is being implemented as a remedial solution to validate definitive benefits from the gas lift optimization process. The pilot began with a feasibility study for most reliable, safe and secured data acquisition and data transmission deployment to overcome the daily struggle of gathering sufficient, current and reliable data, and to better understand the field production potential. The strategy is further defined into several steps from efficiently monitor well behavior on a well by well basis, achieve full monitoring coverage for the field, provide quick response to well down-time, provide thorough review and analysis on well performance, hence give more time to gas lift engineers to look for other optimization opportunities around the field.