Tooling

Tooling requirements can change with every run duing gas lift valve change out operations. Prior to mobilising, discuss the wireline vendors tool shack inventory to ensure it is stocked with all of the potential tooling requirements for the operations. Discuss not only the planned tooling, but all planned & contingency tools that may be required if the operations don't go as anticipated.

The image opposite details compatible tooling for some common gas lift mandrels, valves, latches & kick over tools. The tooling in the document is not exhaustive, always discuss the tooling requirements & inventory fully with the wireline provider.

Contingencies

When gas lift valve change out operations don't go as smoothly as planned, each wireline run to attempt to recover or install a gas lift valve, may have to be determined by the results & indications observed during the previous run.

If 24hr engineering support is not available, or simply to streamline decision making, it is a very good practice to have robust contingency plans detailed prior to commencing operations.

The image opposite details a contingency plan assembled for a gas lift valve change out operation in the UK North Sea sector. 

Run Tracking

When carrying out gasl lift valve change out operations, it is a good practice to keep an accuate record of each run & the outcomes on a single spreadsheet. When jobs dont go as planned it can become time consuming to review run information if relying on filtering it out of daily reports, etc. A run tracker filled out from the very first run keeps the info clear & readily available from the outset. 

The document opposite is from a job that wasnt going to plan, however, having all the information at hand made decision making more efficient.