Tech Transfer Track

Artificial Lift R&D Council Forming

A new organization called the Artificial Lift Research and Development Council (ALRDC) is being formed to provide information and services to all organizations and persons who are involved or interested in artificial lift. ALRDC is being developed to be a world-wide, independent, not-for-profit organization consisting of producers, supply/service companies, academia, R&D groups, and others interested in artificial lift.

ALRDC's vision is to be a primary contact point for anyone interested in applying and/or advancing the technology of artificial lift. Its two primary goals are to globally disseminate artificial lift information and to identify, facilitate, and coordinate artificial lift R&D projects.

More information, including membership costs, can be found on the ALRDC web site at http://www.alrdc.com. Launching this fall, ALRDC is seeking members. For more information, contact Dave Wallis, Interim Director (phone 713-693-4972 or email at dave.wallis@aldrc.com.

Insight On Selecting Restimulation Candidates

Since 1998, the Gas Technology Institute (GTI), and contractor Advanced Resources International, has conducted field R&D work directed towards determining the best approach(es) for selecting restimulation candidates. Three basic approaches-production, virtual intelligence, and type curves-have been evaluated in three basins (East Texas, Piceance, and Green River).

Although lowest in data and interpretation requirements, production analysis (or comparing well performance with offsets) suffers in identifying good wells that could perform even better, and it lacks in areas where reservoir heterogeneity is high. Type curve analysis does require more data, including petrophysical evaluation, but it can be managed. Interpretation requirements are high. Highest data requirements are for virtual intelligence (neural networks, etc.) methods, which can limit the applications in which they are used.

The different candidate selection methodologies select different wells for different reasons. Fundamental findings regarding their use are:

• Where reservoir quality is relatively uniform and production has been relatively stable, production statistics should be considered.
• When production data quality is good and petrophysical information is available, type-curves should be considered.
• When reservoir and completion/stimulation complexity is high, virtual intelligence methods should be considered.

Why should you care? As part of the above study, nine wells were selected for restimulation treatments. Six of the nine treatments were termed successful. Considering both success and failures (i.e., all nine wells), average reserve costs for incremental reserves was $0.26/mcf. Restimulation makes sense if candidates are properly selected.

Excerpted from article by Scott Reeves, Advanced Resources International, Inc., in GTI's Gas Tips, Fall 2001. For further information, contact GTI's Steve Wolhart, Reservoir Diagnostics Manager, phone 281-876-0619 or email steve.wolhart@gastechnology.org.