American Oil and Gas Reporter - June 2015 - 77
SpecialReport: Artificial Lift Technology
ESP System Optimizes Deviated Wells
By Jehiel Aguilar
and Cristian Von Zedtwitz
HOUSTON-Operators are increasingly
drilling tight-radius horizontal wells in
unconventional resource plays in order to
maximize the reservoir's exposure to the
borehole. However, complex wellbore
geometries with tight turns and high dogleg
severities can create artificial lift challenges
that restrict the operator's ability to optimize
production and recovery rates.
Wellbore construction decisions in deviated or horizontal wellbores often limit
the installation of electric submersible
pumping systems, in particular. A case
in point is a newly drilled horizontal well
in Oklahoma. The operator faced a tough
choice when the well path got off track,
leaving a deviation of 21 degrees per
100 feet at a true vertical depth of 5,945
feet. The operator had planned to use an
ESP as the preferred artificial lift method
for the well, but the traditional ESP
system could not pass through the severe
dogleg. The industry standard buildup
rate is only six degrees per 100 feet for
an ESP system to pass through the curve
section.
In the past, the operator would have
been left to choose between two unappealing alternatives: incur the cost of
redrilling the well, or switch to a less effective method of artificial lift. However,
the solution in this case was to apply a
new option: a tight-radius ESP system
designed to reliably pass through highdeviation curve sections and maximize
production by allowing the system to be
set as deep as possible in the wellbore.
The tight-radius ESP was installed
successfully and passed through the 21
degrees/100-foot dogleg, allowing the
operator to meet the daily production
target of 400 barrels of fluid without incurring additional drilling costs. The system has functioned down hole without a
problem since the initial installation.
The curve ESP system solved the Oklahoma operator's dilemma because it eliminated the "weak link" that often keeps
ESP systems on the sidelines as an artificial
lift option in deviated or horizontal wells
with tight-radius bend sections.
While tight-radius well designs also
are used in conventional and deepwater
applications, horizontal wells in unconventional plays frequently are drilled at
steep angles with tight turns to reach
multiple producing zones, improve drilling
efficiency, and increase reservoir access
to economically and efficiently maximize
ultimate reserves recovery.
To address this limitation of ESP systems, an extensive research and development study was performed to identify the
weak points in an ESP system and each
individual system component when bending stresses were applied to the equipment.
The study correlated and validated years
of field data on ESP reliability when passing through deviations in the wellbore.
Based on the results of the study, the
tight-radius ESP system was developed
to minimize stress concentrations at the
weakest points in the system. It combines
a new mechanical design and better material properties to allow the same bending
profile across the complete system.
The design was tested exhaustively
and the test protocol included tensile
strength tests, compression tests, torsional
tests at the component level, and total
system bend tests. Both before and after
the system bend tests, the ESP system
was subjected to performance and vibration
testing to confirm there was no performance degradation. The tests validated that
the system can reliably go through bends
of up to 25 degrees/100 feet, and that the
tensile strength of the patented design is
three times greater than standard ESP
systems.
Boltless Connections
Traditionally, ESP system components
are connected by a flange that uses bolts
to secure the sections. In tight-radius
wellbores, the bolted flanges connecting
the ESP system components are subjected
to extra stress, resulting in potential equipment damage.
In contrast, the tight-radius system
uses patented boltless connections between
the pump, motor, seal and gas separator.
These connections replace the traditional
bolted flange design, allowing the ESP
to not only pass reliably through steep
build-rates curve sections without damaging the system, but also to be set deeper
in the lateral section of the well.
Placing the ESP at the lowest possible
setting depth allows for a higher-volume
pump, which increases overall reserves
recovery. Plus, deeper setting depths often
have higher pump intake pressures, which
improves ESP system reliability by limiting gas interference in the pump and
Tight-radius ESP technology designed to reliably pass through bends up to 25 degrees
per 100 feet with three times the tensile strength of standard ESP systems gives operators a new option for optimizing production and reserves recovery in highly deviated
wells. In a Permian Basin horizontal well, the system passed through a tight-radius curve
and was set 445 feet deeper in the wellbore than previous ESP systems, resulting in an
80 percent improvement in oil production.
JUNE 2015 77
American Oil and Gas Reporter - June 2015
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Oil and Gas Reporter - June 2015
Contents
American Oil and Gas Reporter - June 2015 - Cover1
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American Oil and Gas Reporter - June 2015 - Contents
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