Types of Wells & Artificial Lift

Jet Pump Artificial Lift Well Types

Hydraulic jet pumping offers many benefits to operators. Most hydraulic jet pump users experience a reduced number of workovers, which lowers overall lease operating expenses. Unlike other forms of lift, which have specific well-type applications, Hydraulic Jet Pumps can be used in virtually any well type. Whether you have a vertical well, horizontal well, or need to remove water from a natural gas well, JJ Tech’s ULTRA-FLOW Jet Pump System could be your most effective solution.

Vertical Wells

Depending on depth, artificially lifting a vertical well with a Rod Lift is the most common and typically the most efficient form of lift – provided the well was drilled straight, and it does not produce sand or paraffin. Regardless of what challenges a vertical well might present, workovers are expensive and negatively impact your bottom line. With a Jet Pump system there is no mechanical connection from the surface to the downhole pump, so well deviations do not cause issues. Rod Lifts and PC pumps both have a string of metal rods (reciprocating or rotating) inside metal tubing, which can cause the rods to part and/or cut holes in the tubing, almost always requiring a workover to correct.

Since there are no moving parts inside a Jet Pump, sand and solids production do not cause rapid wear on sealing surfaces or impellers. In other types of lifts, sand or solids reduce efficiency or can cause complete downhole pump failure, requiring an expensive and time consuming workover. Conversely with a Jet Pump system, if components show signs of wear over time, the Jet Pump can be reverse-circulated to surface, serviced, and pumped back into place without the need for a workover rig, with downtime of hours instead of days.

Natural Gas Wells – Vertical and Horizontal

The ULTRA-FLOW Jet Pump System can also be used to produce liquid-loaded natural gas wells. The Jet Pump does not actually produce the natural gas from the well, it produces the liquids that hold the gas back. Without artificial lift, liquids can load up in a gas well over time, creating a “hydrostatic head” that limits gas production.

The Jet Pump is used to produce liquids from the well, reducing this hydrostatic head, allowing the gas to flow with less restriction thus increased production. Concentric strings of tubing are used to produce the liquids from the well, and the natural gas flows more freely up the casing annulus to the surface.

Vertical gas wells are typically produced with a Jet Pump from below the perforations. Horizontal gas wells are typically produced from the “heel” section of the well (65 – 80 deg).