Hybrid technology uses both gas injection like a gas lift valve and jets fluid like a hydraulic jet pump with no moving parts down hole to produce a well. Gas is injected down the annulus through the tool creating a venturi that jets the fluid and increases the gas to liquid ratio, which essentially turns the well back into a free flowing well.

In the oil and gas industry, there are many tools that will help produce the minerals that we use every day in high volumes. Among these, the most common are gas lift valves, rod pumps, plunger lifts, hydraulic jet pumps, and submersible pumps. Each of these techniques and tools has been effective in removing fluid from a well bore, but they have a negative impact on the environment and the producer’s bottom line. Rod pumps and submersible pumps are expensive to install, and they are costly to maintain.

The downtime and maintenance associated with rod pumps are well known to the oil and gas industry. With rods parting, pumps sticking, or holes worn in the tubing, workover rigs may be necessary to pull the same well several times per year and sometimes per month.

The conventional hydraulic jet pump is more efficient than a rod pump and has a wide range of nozzle sizes and chambers available to change the volume of fluid pumped. According to Trico Industries Inc., some of the disadvantages may be problems in maintaining a satisfactory supply of clean power fluid, downtime due to equipment failure, and the complexity of the operations. Multiple tubing strings are also needed, as well as hydraulic power lines. Also, moving parts such as the standing valve and jet pump have to be removed by reversing flow, bringing it up the production string and causing a mechanical pain. Nozzles often become clogged, which can reverse the flow and cause the standing valve and jet tool to hang up. After that happens, a rig is needed to pull the pump out to clean, replace, or redress the jet tool.

Hybrid technology

TJLS Corp. bought an oil and gas well owner’s invention as a solution to these challenges. Tex-Jet is today’s “hybrid” in the oil and gas industry — a combination of the conventional gas lift valve and the hydraulic jet pump. It is an artificial two-phase lift system that uses bottomhole pressure and gas injection pressure to jet fluids up the tubing string without any downhole moving parts. The tool and packer are set below the top of the fluid level and as close to the perforations as possible. Gas is injected down the casing from a properly sized compressor into the inlets of the tool, forcing produced fluids through the production string. In some instances, we are able to use nitrogen to dewater gas wells until the wells are producing enough natural gas to effectively use a compressor. The tool is nearly impossible to clog. If it does, back pressure on the tubing will blow out any debris, thus virtually eliminating a workover rig.

Workover rigs and associated trucks and equipment run up and down the highways burning fuel and polluting the air, but they also leave an environmental footprint in other ways. Workover rigs, equipment trucks, water haulers, and other trucks severely disrupt communities by increasing traffic, noise, and damage to roads and sometimes personal property in high-impact areas or urban environments like Dallas/Fort Worth. The Barnett Shale brought thousands of companies to the area to participate in this phenomenal play. This influx has caused great concerns and complaints from the residents. Producers are under increasing pressure to minimize disturbance to the community while maximizing production. We have helped several of these producers by virtually eliminating the need for workovers. For instance, the tool has been in operation for more than two years in the same well without having to be pulled. Before the new tool was installed, the company had to pull the rods and tubing two to three times per month, costing them a small fortune plus disturbing the community with the annoying traffic of the rig crews and their noise.

The tool is used mainly to maximize production and eliminate downtime. It has maximized production in the Barnett Shale by making wells more consistent. With conventional gas-lift valves, the wells would spike and fluctuate in production, which is disappointingly inconsistent. When a well is consistent, a company can get a more precise measurement of production. The tool also uses approximately 50% less gas volume to inject with than the conventional gas-lift valves, creating an increase in production while cutting the compression need in half. A properly designed, centrally located compression facility can now lift twice as many wells as conventional gas lift valves.