Subsea Oil and Gas Production Assurance Using Artificial Lifts and Nodal Analysis

Abstract

This paper describes how the operation of deep, subsea oil wells can be analyzed and optimized using artificial lift systems. A modest explanation was offered about an enhanced Hubbert model for determining production targets at pre-feed phase of project. In addition, the impact of artificial lifts on the economics of subsea wells facing hyperbolic production decline was illustrated. The principle of Nodal analysis was highlighted and applied to optimize a proposed subsea oil production case. Configurations of a nominally rated rod pump, a multiphase pump and an electrical submersible pump were modelled in a steady-state flow using Pipesim software and the simulated results which were functions of liquid flow rate and pressure distribution across the production system exposed the behavior of the system. The results showed that over 100% volumetric efficiency was achieved using a combination of electrical submersible pump at the bottom hole and a multiphase pump at riser base. A guide is presented on how to predict, analyze and enhance the recovery curve of subsea oil production using artificial lifts and nodal-system analysis. The benefit of this work is an enabling cost-effective approach for ensuring production assurance in deep water oil and gas production.