Predictive Maintenance · Gas Lift

Gas-lift instability. Caught before production drops.

An unstable gas-lift well underperforms by 10-25% of potential because the lift gas is wasted on cycling instead of continuous production. Per-well ML detects casing pressure oscillation, valve loading drift, compressor fade, and liquid loading. The combined ROI is deferred production recovery plus compression-fuel reduction.

Four gas-lift signatures.

Signature

Instability / slugging

ML detects

Casing pressure oscillation outside expected envelope

Root cause

Injection rate misaligned with formation, valve depth wrong

Action

Tune injection rate; verify valve depth schedule

Signature

Valve loading

ML detects

Injection-to-production ratio drift >20% over baseline

Root cause

Valve set point drifted, valve seat wear, scale on valve

Action

Pull valve at next scheduled workover; ML attributes to specific valve

Signature

Compressor pressure fade

ML detects

Compressor discharge pressure declining at constant rate

Root cause

Upstream compressor (gathering side) losing efficiency

Action

Cross-reference /predictive-maintenance/compressor signatures

Signature

Liquid loading

ML detects

Production drop with stable casing pressure

Root cause

Velocity below critical (gas not lifting liquid), pressure depletion

Action

Plunger consideration; or stronger gas-lift via deeper valve

Frequently asked

What gas-lift engineers ask.

What gas-lift failures does WorkSync detect?

Instability/slugging (casing pressure oscillation), valve loading (injection-to-production drift >20%), compressor pressure fade, liquid loading.

Why does instability cost so much?

Unstable gas-lift well underperforms 10-25% because lift gas wastes on cycling, not continuous production. 500 BO/d well = 50-125 BO/d lost.

Lead time?

Casing pressure oscillation: real-time. Valve loading: 1-3 weeks. Compressor fade: 1-4 weeks.

Data needed?

Casing pressure, tubing pressure, injection rate, production rate, compressor discharge pressure.

Auto-tune injection?

We flag deviation + optimal injection rate. Operator actions the change. Integration to lift-gas optimization controllers is Phase 2.

ROI?

200-well gas-lift program typically recovers 5-15% deferred production + compression-fuel reduction. Fuel reduction alone often pays for annual license.

See gas-lift ML on your wells.

4-week pilot at no license cost. We baseline your gas-lift program by Day 14.