Gas Lift Tricks You Can Use: Innovation Adventures in Gas Lifting
Gas Lift (GL) has been in use for over a century, but it can still be improved through innovation and field testing. This presentation will review more than a decade of GL technology projects and resulting learnings. Topics include equipment reliability, surveillance, optimization, troubleshooting, and production improvement.
GL may not be resilient enough in certain applications. Hydraulically fractured wells have created solids-related reliability challenges. More than 40 check valve models were subjected to an erosive flow loop. Weaknesses were identified, and two survivors emerged in the process.
Data is key to GL surveillance, but not all assets possess the required quality. Wireless sensors were deployed at legacy offshore assets to enrich data acquisition and optimize by proxy. Ultrasonic gas flow meters were vetted in the lab and field to ensure they could meet injection gas metering needs at locations where testing is rare.
Sometimes the data indicates a GL well is not achieving its potential. CO2 tracing is a proven method of identifying where GL gas is being injected without affecting production. A radioactive tracing pilot was undertaken to validate an even simpler concept. Even if the GL is on target, lift hydraulics could be enhanced if slip among produced fluids could be reduced. Surfactants were piloted in various GL configurations to determine their effectiveness.
As these complementary topics demonstrate, GL optimization requires an integrated, multidisciplinary approach. This presentation aims to show that technology advances can be driven by asking and acting on the question, “Why can’t this be better?”
Registrations close on Wednesday, November 4 at 8AM.
Date/Time
Thursday, November 5, 2026
Registration & Breakfast: 7:30 AM MT
Start Time: 8:00 AM MT
End Time: 9:00 AM MT
Location
Calgary Petroleum Club | 319 5 Ave SW, Calgary, AB, T2P 0L5
*This event will be in-person only, and will not be recorded.
Speaker Bio
Michael Romer
Production and Operations, ExxonMobil Technology and Engineering
Michael C. Romer, P.E. is Principal Artificial Lift (AL) Engineer at ExxonMobil and is on the Upstream Production Optimization team in Houston. He has been with ExxonMobil for more than 20 years, primarily focusing on global AL. Michael developed ExxonMobil courses on gas lift, ESPs, rod pumps, and deliquification and enjoys delivering them worldwide.
Michael is the API 19G (Gas Lift) Task Group Chair, SPE Americas AL Conference Chair (2028), and an SPE ESP Symposium committee member. He holds BS and MS degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Tennessee and the University of Illinois, respectively.
**Please Note
Breakfast will be served. Please be sure to include your dietary restrictions during the online registration process so we can do our best to accommodate.
An event reminder will be sent the day before and the morning of the event.
Group Discounts
Group discounts are now available! A discount of 10% will be applied at checkout for groups of 6-9 people, and a discount of 15% will be applied for groups of 10+ people. Please note the discount will only be applied if all tickets are purchased in the same transaction.
If you wish to reserve a table, please email calgarysection@spe.org and specify your company name and the specific event title/date to hold the reservation. Please note that table reservations only apply to groups of 8.
Tiered Pricing
Our Tiered Pricing structure for Calgary Section Technical Luncheons allows us to offer lower prices for SPE Members while ensuring continued value for non-members. The new system includes three pricing tiers, with a limited number of Tier 1 and Tier 2 tickets available to encourage and reward early registration. We hope this creates more flexibility and choice for everyone attending our events. If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to contact us at calgarysection@spe.org.
Group Discount (10+ People) · Group Discount (6+) People