ADCO ESP Pilot

Abstract

Abstract In one of ADCO's mature fields several horizontal oil wells have ceased to flow due to the high water cut. In order to accelerate data acquisition on well, reservoir and ESP performance at these higher water cuts, an ESP pilot project was performed in three wells. ADCO's past experience with ESPs in some of the main fields in deep, high temperature and GOR wells (250 deg F and 700 scf/bbl, respectively) has been poor and discouraging. To ensure that future ESP applications in these fields are successful, a comprehensive review was conducted by ADCO and industrial shareholders (ISH) to determine the root causes of the previous failures and recommend methods to improve current practices. In accordance with the recommendations, a multidisciplinary team was set up to plan and execute the ESP pilot project. The project team was responsible for the tendering, designing and engineering aspects, gathering the reservoir data, finalizing the completion strategy, equipment sizing, installation, commissioning and monitoring. The result of this effort was the successful installation and running of ESPs in two of the field's oil wells. The project success is of paramount importance as it can lead the way for future ESP applications in similar harsh downhole conditions. This paper discusses ADCO's approach to overcome the past difficulties it had in running ESPs in deep and hot oil wells starting from the review up to the installation and commissioning.