Heavy Oil Production System Optimisation Using Electrical Submersible Progressive Cavity Pumps (ESPCP) in the Niger Delta

Abstract

There is a growing interest which has accelerated efforts towards heavy oil production in recent years. This interest was stimulated by the rapidly exhausting conventional oil reserves which promises to leave the world, unless something is done, in less supply and scarcity of the world’s most dominant energy source. Unlike conventional light oil, heavy oil possesses inherent challenges in its exploitation. Additionally, this challenge is more evident in crude oil flow either from the reservoir or from the well. Due to high viscosity, heavy oil production requires special non-conventional technologies designed for this purpose. Much efforts have been put by researchers and manufactures of oil technologies in the area of drilling, completion, production and enhanced oil recoveries. Artificial lift methods provide suitable means of lifting crudes from wellbore to the surface when primary reservoir energy is insufficient to do so. The Niger Delta field has been dominated by gas lift activities before now majorly because the oil is light with high GOR making gas available for injection which is a major factor favouring the choice of gas lift. But the recent shift to gas project development makes gas availability more competitive and this may threaten the predominance of gas lift. Furthermore, the new interest in heavy oil field development requires that new artificial lift system be designed for Niger Delta heavy oil application as gas lift is not applicable to heavy oil fluid characteristics. In this paper, a new artificial lift pump is proposed for use. The pump is a hybrid of Electric submersible and progressive cavity pump possessing the best capabilities of the two, it is called electric submersible progressive cavity pump and has been tested to possess potentials for lifting heavy crudes.