Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company

Anthony J Bermea

Michael C Romer

Ted Alan Long

Christopher C Frazier

Joseph Salviz

Billy-Bob Walker

Dustin H Rose

Daniel R Flowers

Hydrocarbon wells including electrically actuated gas lift valve assemblies and methods of providing gas lift in a hydrocarbon well. The hydrocarbon wells include a wellbore that extends within a subterranean formation and downhole tubing that extends within the wellbore. The hydrocarbon wells also include a lift gas supply system configured to provide a lift gas stream to a lift gas supply conduit of the wellbore, a plurality of electrically actuated gas lift valve assemblies, a valve power supply system, and a controller. The methods include measuring a respective pressure differential between a lift gas supply conduit and a production conduit of the hydrocarbon well at each electrically actuated gas lift valve assembly in a plurality of electrically actuated gas lift valve assemblies of the hydrocarbon well. The methods also include selectively opening a selected electrically actuated gas lift valve assembly based on the respective pressure differential.

Hydrocarbon wells including electrically actuated gas lift valve assemblies and methods of providing gas lift in a hydrocarbon well

Wellbore plungers with non-metallic tubing-contacting surfaces and wells including the wellbore plungers. The wellbore plungers are configured to be utilized within a tubing conduit of the downhole tubing. The downhole tubing includes a non-metallic tubing material that defines a non-metallic tubing surface. The non-metallic tubing surface at least partially defines the tubing conduit. The wellbore plungers include an uphole region, which defines an uphole bumper-contacting surface, a downhole region, which defines a downhole bumper-contacting surface, and a plunger body. The plunger body extends between the uphole region and the downhole region and defines a downhole tubing-contacting surface. The downhole tubing-contacting surface is configured for sliding contact with the non-metallic tubing surface, defines a sealing structure configured to form an at least partial fluid seal with the downhole tubing, and is at least partially defined by a non-metallic tubing-contacting material.

Wellbore plungers with non-metallic tubing-contacting surfaces and wells including the wellbore plungers

Growing community of inventors

Midland, TX, United States of America

Anthony J Bermea