Steady-State Design Procedure for Air-Lift Pumps with Integrated Flow Assurance Analysis

Abstract

Air-lift pump applications have emerged as a promising artificial-lift option for enhancing production efficiency and reducing methane emissions in depleted wells, yet the method lacks a structured design procedure and continues to face significant flow-assurance challenges such as paraffin deposition, scale formation, and erosion. This study addresses these gaps by presenting a systematic design framework based on the gas–liquid piston-displacement principle, in which multiple pumps placed along the wellbore work together to lift fluids while minimizing required injection-gas pressure. The methodology determines the optimal number, placement, and operating conditions of the pumps needed to meet production targets and incorporates a dedicated flow-assurance assessment that screens for scale, paraffin, and erosion risks, followed by selection of appropriate mitigation strategies. The resulting steady-state design tool provides optimized pump configurations and includes an integrated diagnostic module for evaluating system performance under field conditions, alongside newly developed paraffin-mitigation methods tailored to the unique operation of air-lift pump systems. Field applications demonstrate the practicality and effectiveness of the approach, establishing this work as the first comprehensive framework that unifies system design and flow-assurance management for air-lift pumping, offering valuable guidance for field engineers and supporting improved long-term reliability and production performance.