Case Study: Customized Solution Used to Successfully Set ESPs in Unconventional Wells with Complex Mechanical Geometries Where Other Artificial Lift Methods are Unsuitable

Abstract

Abstract One of the technical considerations for selecting the appropriate artificial lift system for a well is a suitable well construction; this includes the deviation, dogleg severity (DLS), direction, and wellbore size. The different artificial lift types can be affected by the well construction in different ways; some systems cannot pass through a highly deviated section, and others cannot operate in a high-DLS section. The maximum deviation that equipment can pass through without risk of permanent damage depends on factors such as equipment outer diameter, casing inner diameter, equipment length, metallurgy, and different equipment series combinations. This case study presents the successful installation of nine flanged electrical submersible pumps (ESPs) in unconventional wells operated by an independent oil and gas company in the Permian's Delaware Basin, which is one of the most-prolific unconventional oil and gas basins in the US. The results of this study demonstrate how customized strings using high-grade materials, enhanced pump types, and more-efficient motors can operate in wells with complex mechanical geometries in which standard-flanged ESPs and other artificial lift systems are considered unsuitable.