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Enhanced Gas Lift Valve Performance for Sharp Edged Seat using Larger Ball Sizes

Fathi Elldakli*, Mohamed S and Mehdi SH

Theoretically, each Sharp Edged Seat has fully open stem travel based on the port and ball diameters. Gas lift valve 1.5” has 6 different port diameters (3/16”, ¼”, 5/16”, 3/8”, 7/16” and ½”). For each port the ball diameter is usually larger than the port diameter by 1/16”. Laboratory testing for sharp edged seats showed that the actual flow area is less than theoretically calculated area resulting from the bellows stacking before the stem reaches the fully open. Consequently, the valve stem restricts the flow and the flow rate through the valve declines. The purpose of this work is to examine the possibility of improving the efficiency of the gas lift valve by using larger ball size than conventionally used. For each port, different ball sizes were tested at different stem positions for the same condition (Injection pressure & Temperature). Results obtained from benchmark test displayed increasing in the flow rate as the ball size increases at the same stem travel.