Sweating the Asset by Extending Well Run Life Through Bp to ESP Conversion in High Viscous Oil Field

Abstract

Abstract Field A, located in the southern region of Oman, is one of the fields expertly managed and operated by Petroleum Development Oman (PDO). Field A experienced a high unscheduled subsurface deferment and a high artificial failure index before 2020, resulting in decreased oil production and increased restoration costs. Most of the wells in Field A are horizontal and completed with standalone screens and were equipped with Beam Pump (BP) or Progressive Cavity Pump (PCP) artificial lift systems. To address these problems, a thorough evaluation of the current artificial lift system was conducted with the involvement of all stakeholders. The objective was to identify the root causes and find potential solutions to reduce the overall failure rate of the pumps in the field. It was determined that frequent pump failures in Field A were mainly caused by erosion and corrosion resulting from sand and solids production. To overcome these challenges and minimize pump failures and delays, a comprehensive conversion plan was proposed. The plan involved replacing the existing Beam Pumps with Electrical Submersible Pumps (ESPs) based on successful trials conducted in the same area previously. Starting from 2017, a total of 71 wells underwent the conversion process, which also included deepening the pumps. The implementation of ESPs led to a significant improvement in the overall failure rate of the artificial lift system in the field. The failure rate dropped from 28% in 2019 to 22.5% in 2021, and it continued to decrease to 19.5% in 2022. Furthermore, the occurrence of unscheduled delays in subsurface operations decreased by 85% in 2022 compared to previous years. As a result, the optimization of Field A, measured by the percentage increase in oil production, rose from 3% in 2020 to 15.3% in 2022.