Embedding Process Safety Practices in Gas Lift Operations – FZ19 Field Experience

Abstract Good Process Safety performance is not a given. It is a value lived through discipline – focusing on the brilliant basics of process safety every single day. In the history of the oil and gas industry, many incidents have taught us painful lessons about the importance of process safety, and how situations could go catastrophically wrong if we do not get this right. The typical questions that we ask ourselves: "How can I be more certain that such an incident does not occur in my asset or facility? How robust are my risk assessment tools and system? What is a safe operation? What leading and lagging indicators should I track to give me an assurance overview? Where can I make improvements? Process Safety is therefore about making sure all our physical assets from drilling rigs, offshore platforms, manufacturing and processing facilities, and fuel retail sites are well designed, safely operated within the operating window and properly maintained. A typical gas lift system is a closed system where high-pressure gas is injected into the well annuli through gas lift valves to help reduce the wellbore fluid gradient and produce more liquid to the surface. In this closed system, the interaction of the various components of the gas lift system ensures that the injected gas comes out as an aggregation of both the formation gas and the injected gas (Total gas). Therefore, process safety in gas lift operations is about barrier management-ensuring that we own our barriers and always keep it strong which ultimately results in keeping all hydrocarbons safely in the pipe, well or reservoir avoiding loss of containment. This paper presents a case study as to how Process Safety fundamentals have been successfully implemented in the FZ19 field's gas lift operations with the aim to enhance system performance and strengthen safety barriers. It explores how technical diagnostics, risk assessment, and cultural transformation have been deployed to improve reliability, reduce incidents, and embed a process safety mindset at all organizational levels.