Tech Transfer Track

BORS Lift Units Profitable in Horshoe-Gallup Unit, New Mexico

Regent Energy Corp. assumed operations in the mature (discovered in 1950) Horseshoe-Gallup Unit in New Mexico. Production is from the Cretaceous Gallup sandstone at about 1,300 ft. Through its life, about 38 million bbl of oil had been recovered from HGU, from some 350 wells. But production is very mature, having been waterflooded since the 1960s. When Regent acquired the property in 1999, there were only 13 wells producing 60 bopd and 300 bwpd. Regent's depletion plan, targeted to achieve 12-13% of the 142 million bbl oil-in-place, includes selective infill drilling and reconditioning or reworking existing wells. Since taking over operations, Regent has increased production to 250 to 300 bopd (plus 1,300 bwpd) from about 120 wells. Economics are still tight in the HGU.

Late in 2000, Regent installed BORS lift units on 10 wells waiting to be abandoned. Looking at costs of $100,000 to $120,000 just to plug the wells, and significantly more if they were reworked, the option to test 10 BORS lift units was attractive. All wells were on production within less than a week after installing the BORS units.

The BORS technology is based on a proprietary mathematical formula that calculates a "balance point" in the oil column. The unit operates by lowering a flexible, cylindrical tube down through the well casing to the balance point, oil driven by reservoir energy fills the tube, the tube is lifted to the surface, the oil dumped, and the dipping process repeated. With this approach, water production and lifting costs are reduced dramatically, and production is often increased. For example, conventionally pumped wells in the Unit area average 2 bopd. During a six-week period in late spring 2001, the 10 BORS-lifted wells averaged 3.5 bopd and further optimization has increased the average to more than 5 bopd. The BORS units were producing about 1.5 bo per bw produced, as compared to 10 bw per bo in conventionally produced wells.

Excerpted from article by Ken Wiley, Regent Energy Corp. and Richard Pomrenke, Grasso Production Management, Inc., "New Technology Improves Results," Hart's E&P, October 2001, pp. 79-82.

"Hawkjaw" Drill Pipe Tongs Reduce Drill Time

Hawk Industries, Long Beach, California, has a new, proprietary drill-pipe tong system, called Hawkjaw, that reduces trip time. The new tongs, which torque to 100,000 ft-lb, are compact, requiring rig floor space of 58-in depth and 50-in width, and a smaller 65,000 ft-lb version is also available. Hawkjaw will make up drill pipe in 10 sec. or less, with a break and spin-out time of only 12 sec. In Long Beach, Chaffee Island C-441 property, THUMS noted a saving of one hr per 5,000-ft round trip. In addition to time savings, THUMS observed less damage, overtightening and bending of drill pipe and the system reduces injuries and labor on the floor. Also in California, Helmerich & Payne has used the tongs on its Rig 102 for ExxonMobil on the Hondo platform, offshore California. Well depths there run between 20,000 and 25,000 feet. The tongs were used in various operations, including working with multiple tapered strings. The tongs are versatile in that they can accommodate two different pipe sizes at one time. Profitable application is also noted by Parker Drilling Co. International in Colombia.

Excerpted from "New Drill Pipe Tongs Reduce Trip Time,," World Oil, December 2001, pp. 50-53. View online at http://www.worldoil.com/

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