American Oil and Gas Reporter - June 2015 - 78

Wireless
Well Analyzer with
TAM Sofftware

Wireless well analysis instruments simplify data acquisition and analysis of oil and
gas wells.
Improved Experience at Well
Easier and Faster Installation
Easier Software Navigation
GPS for Automatic Well Selection
Simultaneous Fluid Level
and Dynamometer
Safer Operation
Enhanced Analysis Options
Real Time Surface and Pump
Dynamometer
Real Time Pump Animation
Flexible Dynamometer
and Acoustic Overlays
Dynamometer Playback and Video
Generation

Echometer Company
5001 Ditto Lane
Wichita Falls, TX 76302,
USA
Phone: 940-767-4334
Fax: 940-723-7507
info@echometer.com
www.echometer.com
78 THE AMERICAN OIL & GAS REPORTER

preventing gas locking problems.
The tight-radius ESP system addresses
both the production and economic requirements of wells with high buildup
rates. It was developed as part of a broader
effort to help operators optimize production
from unconventional oil wells, with better
economics and fewer health, safety and
environment risks than other lift systems.
In the prevailing environment of lower
oil prices and a slower pace of drilling
activity, the tight-radius ESP system is
positioned to help operators maintain or
increase production in existing wells with
a minimum investment, compared with
the cost of drilling and completing a new
well.
With its ability to pass through the
bend section of a horizontal wellbore,
the system can be set below the kick-off
point, deeper in the well and as close as
possible to the producing zones. The
lower setting depth provides a larger fluid
column above the pump and permits
greater pressure drawdown for higher
production rates and increased recovery.
The technology also speeds the makeup
time during installation by greater than
50 percent to minimize downtime and
associated expense.
The greater tensile strength also provides distinct advantages during a pulling
operation. If a workover is required during
the life of the ESP, the pulling force can
be increased. This stronger pull force
can mean the difference between successfully fishing the equipment, or having
to decide between leaving it in the hole
or spending substantial sums of money
in rig and tool charges to remove it. An
easier, faster pulling job also significantly
lessens deferred oil production.
In addition to high build rates, unconventional plays initially produce at higher
production rates, but then experience
steep production declines. A large portion
of the initial production contains high
volumes of sand and other proppants
flowed back after fracturing. In these
wells, reservoir rock also releases large
amounts of gas into the formation, which
can create gas slugs in undulating lateral
sections. The slugs can last a few minutes
to more than an hour, and can effectively
displace any fluid in the pumping system.
Another advantage of deeper ESP setting
depths is higher pump intake pressures,
which improve ESP system reliability by
limiting gas accumulation in the pump
and preventing shutdowns caused by gas
locking.
Permian Basin Application
The tight-radius ESP technology has
been deployed already in multiple applications. In a Permian Basin installation

in late 2014, the system was implemented
as part of a total integrated production
solution in a horizontal well in which
traditional ESP designs had failed. It successfully passed through a tight-radius
curve and was set 445 feet deeper in the
wellbore than the previous ESP systems.
The end result was an 80 percent improvement in the well's oil production.
At 4,000 feet, the kickoff point for
the curve section of the unconventional
well exceeded a buildup rate of 12 degrees/100 feet. During the installation of
conventional ESP systems, components
were exposed to severe mechanical stress
as the system passed through the deviated
wellbore. The stress led to three previous
ESP system failures.
After analyzing the well conditions, a
fit-for-purpose solution was recommended
that included:
* A tight-radius ESP;
* An extended-range pump designed
to accommodate a wide ESP operating
range in applications with rapid production
declines;
* An advanced variable speed drive
(VSD) solution to reduce power consumption and downtime while optimizing
production;
* VSD control system software to
mitigate production interference caused
by high gas content (automatically purging
accumulated gas and controlling the drawdown rate); and
* Real-time production surveillance
to provide 24 hour-a day/seven-day-aweek monitoring and optimization.
The extended-range pump is designed
to extend operational flexibility, reduce
operating costs, improve reliability and
optimize production in changing downhole
conditions. The pump eliminates the need
for costly planned workovers and changing
artificial lift systems as production rates
in unconventional wells decline. It is
ideal for wells with quickly changing
flow rates, high gas-to-oil ratios, and
high solids content. The pump can operate
across the widest possible flow range,
from rates as low as 50 barrels of fluid a
day to as high as 2,900 bbl/d. This wide
flow range provides operational flexibility
for the duration of an unconventional
well's production cycle and maximizes
production while extending ESP system
run life.
The extended-range pump also enhances the ESP system's ability to address
gas locking and gas slugs that could
result from influxes of free, compressible
gas in the production stream. Advanced
turbulence mitigation technology increases
pumping efficiency and reduces gas locking. The bearing system allows the pump
to withstand short-term elevated temper-
American Oil and Gas Reporter - June 2015

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