You never know who you’ll meet at a trade show.
The TechTAC® team recently attended the Society of Petroleum Engineers Artificial Lift Conference and Expo in The Woodlands, Texas. Near the end of the event, I found myself in the hotel elevator with an executive from a company that manufactures downhole gas separators. We talked briefly about the trade show and our complementary products. As this executive exited the elevator, she said, in effect, “I tell all my customers that if they run a gas separator with a traditional tubing anchor, they’re just throwing away money.”
Obviously, this executive wasn’t diminishing the value of her company’s gas separators. Rather, she was pointing out that doing a great job removing gas from crude is only effective if that separated gas has a way to escape. A standard B2 anchor features an OD that’s nearly as large as the well casing. That tight annular area often leads to plugging, which in turn traps gas below the anchor. Eventually the rod pump becomes gas locked, forcing an expensive workover.
Running a Gas Separator with the Slimline TAC
In contrast, when a gas separator is deployed with a Slimline® Tubing Anchor Catcher, the separated gas can flow up the annulus and around the anchor, rather than being trapped below it. The reduced OD of the Slimline creates up to 245% more flow-by area than a standard B2 anchor. In other words, a Slimline TAC plus a gas separator is uniquely effective at addressing formation gas.
As one manager at a major distributor of artificial lift technology put it this way: “The combination of the 5.5-inch Slimline TAC and a gas separator is a top-of-the-line solution for mitigating the issue of gas locking.” Many production companies and operators concur with that assessment.
“We were having trouble with high fluid levels because the fluid could not sufficiently drop past a standard anchor,” said the senior completion foreman with a U.S.-based oil and gas company. “Those elevated levels were causing some pump failure due to gas locking. We tried the Slimline TAC, and in every well we tested, fluid levels were at or just above the anchor.”
A Solution for Your Wells?
If your wells are experiencing nagging issues with gas locking, a gas separator plus the Slimline TAC may be the answer. TechTAC is supported by more than 100 Authorized Dealers across North America. Many of those pump shops and service companies also offer gas separators. If you have additional questions about how the products work together or where to find them, you can contact the team at TechTAC. Our tubing anchor experts are ready and eager to help!
