Artificial Lifting Economics (Master Class - One Day)
0900 - 1700
Monday, 12 October
Course Description
This course is designed to compare the economics of different artificial-lift (AL) methods. Artificial lift is an important element for boosting or sustaining oil and gas production from many assets all over the world. The selection of a proper artificial lift method for a hydrocarbon producing asset is very challenging, considering the various factors that come into play. Economics will play a key role. In this course we will explore ways of optimizing the costs of operating the asset with special emphasis on the artificial lift method used.
Course Objectives
- Become familiar with various types of AL methods and their applications
- Become familiar with factors for selecting the right AL method
- Understand the economic elements of AL methods
- Compare the economics of various AL methods
- Become familiar with various contracting strategies
- Identify methods for win-win solutions while dealing with service companies
Course Content
- Evaluation criteria used for selection of AL methods
- Infrastructure considerations--back up provisions for alternate lift methods
- Different contracting methods between service companies and operators
- Managing contracts with suppliers
- Sustaining efficient operations with oil price fluctuations
- When to switch to an alternate AL method
- Asset-based optimization approach for ALs
Intended Audience
This course is designed for petroleum engineers, reservoir engineers, production technologists, contracts engineers, production operations, engineering managers, and financial analysts dealing with hydrocarbon production and AL operations.
Seminar Instructors
Manickavasakan S. Nadar is a petroleum engineering consultant specializing in production engineering, artificial lift, and asset optimization. He is based in the Middle East, and has worked in various capacities in the upstream industry with major operators and service companies for the past 25 years. Specializing in system design, modeling, operation, optimization, and trouble shooting in gas lift and ESP operations, Mr. Nadar has worked in production operations, production engineering, artificial lift engineering in many fields, both onshore and offshore, and has led asset optimization teams. He is also an expert in asset optimization and the use of modeling tools for integrated asset optimization models.
Mr. Nadar earned a BS in chemistry with gold medal from Madurai University, India, and a BS in chemical engineering from Institution of Engineers, India.
As a consultant, Mr. Nadar currently is assisting major operators in the Middle-East in the artificial-lift optimization and debottlenecking of their assets. He has been a trainer and mentor throughout his career and has several SPE papers and other publications to his credit.
James Lea is currently involved in teaching industry courses on artificial lift, ESP, gas lift, beam lift, and nodal analysis for OGCI/Petroskills, along with consulting on production and artificial-lift-related projects. He has been more involved recently with gas well dewatering and is coauthor of Gas Well Deliquification by Lea, Nickens, and Wells published by Elsevier, as well as publishing several articles on related subjects. He organized the first Gas Well Deliquification Workshop 4 years ago, which has now grown to more than 700 attendees with continued direction from ALRDC. Mr. Lea was one of the founding members of the ESP Workshop, a current semiannual event in Houston. He has received the SPE 1996 Production Award, the 1990 Slonneger Awards, and was twice a distinguished lecturer for SPE. His 100 publications are related primarily to artificial lift and production.
Mr. Lea graduated from University of Arkansas with BSME and MSME in 1965–67 and received a PhD from SMU in 1970 working in the area of heat/fluid flow.
Note: Course content has been jointly compiled and contributed by James Lea and Manickavasakan S. Nadar.
