Use of downhole high pressure gas in a gas-lift well and associated methods

A method of producing petroleum products from a gas-lift well using downhole pressurized gas from a subsurface pressurized gas zone, said method comprising the steps of:

• supplying said downhole pressurized gas from said gas zone into a well casing of said well;
• routing time-varying current to an electrically controllable gas-lift valve using an induction choke located downhole about a tubing;
• regulating flow of said downhole pressurized gas from within said well casing into an interior of the tubing, said tubing extending within said well casing;
• allowing oil from a subsurface oil zone to enter said tubing wherein the subsurface oil zone is separated from the pressurized gas zone by at least one impermeable zone;
• lifting said oil in said tubing using at least in part gas bubbles of said downhole pressurized gas to lower the density of the mixture in said tubing;
• and
• producing petroleum products from said tubing at the surface;
• further comprising the step of:
• regulating flow of said downhole pressurized gas between one space within said well casing and another space within said well casing with a controllable packer comprising an electrically controllable packer valve.

A method of operating a petroleum well comprising a wellbore traversing a gas producing formation and an oil production formation and a tubing comprising the steps of:

• isolating the gas producing formation from the oil producing formation;
• powering a downhole device operable to permit fluid communication between the formations, said power being supplied by an AC signal applied to the piping structure of the well;
• routing gas from the gas producing formation to the interior of the tubing using said down hole device;
• and
• producing oil from the oil producing formation using the routed gas to aid in lifting the oil to the surface;
• wherein the downhole device comprising a packer having a controllable valve.