Restoring Lost Production After Frac Hits

Surfactant-Assisted Gas Lift in the Permian Basin

FA1705 is a powerful recovery chemical for gas-lifted wells impacted by frac hits, delivering fast, measurable production gains. By aggressively reducing inter facial tension and dismantling stubborn frac-fluid emulsions. FA1705 rapidly unloads trapped liquids, eliminates fluid holdup, and restores stable gas-lift performance. The result is accelerated cleanup, minimized downtime, and a quicker return to profitable hydrocarbon production—without costly mechanical intervention.

PROBLEM IDENTITY

Frac hits in closely spaced unconventional wells induced prolonged production impairment in offset gas-lifted wells. Post-frac operating challenges included:

• Sustained liquid loading and inefficient fluid removal
• Elevated flowing and tubing pressures
• Compromised gas-lift injection efficiency
• Declining and unstable oil production rates

Conventional gas-lift optimization strategies alone were insufficient to recover well performance.

SOLUTION

A targeted surfactant package (FA1705) was deployed to maximize gas-lift efficiency by minimizing liquid holdup and enhancing multiphase flow behavior. Prior to field deployment:

• Foam stability, collapse, and emulsion tests confirmed rapid and effective surfactant action
• No adverse impacts on oil quality or produced water integrity were observed
• Full compatibility with existing corrosion and scale inhibitors was verified

The FA1705 was then continuously injected into the three impacted gas-lift wells, enabling accelerated liquid unloading, improved lift performance, and faster restoration of production.

CONCLUSION

Deployment of FA1705 treatment in frac-impacted gas-lift wells in the Permian Basin demonstrated a highly effective production-restoration strategy. By rapidly reducing liquid holdup and breaking persistent frac-fluid emulsions, the surfactant system promoted accelerated unloading, stabilized gas-lift performance, and delivered measurable reductions in wellhead and casing pressures.

Utilizing the FA1705 package significantly reduced downtime, eliminated expensive mechanical repairs, and facilitated a quicker transition back to stable and profitable hydrocarbon production. This validates that surfactant-assisted gas lift is a practical and dependable technique for post-frac recovery in unconventional wells.

• The added production alone paid for the treatment per day within the first 5 min of incremental output per day
• 268% of increased revenue for customer from increased oil production
• Increased revenue for customer from increased gas and oil production