Successful Application of an Innovative Geometry of Progressing Cavity Pump in Application with High Sand and Gas Content. Colombian Successful Case in La Cira Infantas

Abstract

Abstract Located in the Middle Magdalena River Valley basin, in the department of Santander, municipality of Barrancabermeja in the rural area of El Centro. La Cira-Infantas is the oldest Field in Colombia and with it, the oil industry was born in Colombia. It has proven reserves of 172 MMBOPD, it reached a production of 65000 barrels in 1939 until it declined to 5000 BOPD in 2005. Through an association contract between two operators, looking for the implementation of new technology, in 2017 45000 BOPD were obtained. During its operation and through the implementation of the secondary recovery method in the field, a high gas and sand content was identified as a problem for high fluid production wells. This has generated premature flailures in the artificial lifting system with Progressing Cavity Pumps during the production of the Arenas C interest zone that raises the costs to the point that makes them economically nonviable. According to the needs of the field and looking for new and better solutions, the design and application of a pump with a special geometry that allowed giving viability to the operation of these problem wells, was performed, thus expanding their run life and reducing costs associated to their intervention. The implementation of this type of pump has allowed a 63% reduction in installation, maintenance and operation costs, and 86% in differed and production loss costs; in general, a 67% economic benefit versus the conventional system was obtained providing technical and economic viability to the development of these reserves.