Technology Focus: Artificial Lift (October 2023)

Abstract

Buying a vehicle can be a daunting experience. Sometimes you wish you could refer to a guide of what has worked out well for users of certain models over time and under various operating conditions. Paper SPE 213059 does this by correlating past testing of downhole centrifugal separators and adding a machine-learning twist. Once you’re about to make your selection at the car dealership, you may notice that the fine print states “mileage may vary” and wonder why that’s the case. Paper OTC 32398 explains how and why electrical submersible pumps (ESPs) are unable to perform as effectively when pumping viscous fluids by creating nondimensional models and validating them with field data. Paper SPE 214043 shows that frictional losses during plunger lifting can create a gap between actual and predicted performance. Even if you succeed in making a no-regrets purchasing decision, the day may arrive when financial, operational, or reliability considerations encourage changing vehicles and perhaps downsizing. Paper SPE 213089 describes an artificial lift selection tool for unconventional reservoirs driven by reduced-physics models that can help identify when the time is right for change. Paper SPE 213975 extols the value of gas lift downsizing by optimizing the selection and placement of Venturi, orifice, and dummy valves to spur production uplift. If you happen to have an emotional attachment to a vehicle, it can be difficult to let it go. But maybe you don’t have to; maybe you could repurpose that vehicle. Plenty of pump jacks in the history of the oil field have made use of truck transmissions instead of a standard gearbox. Paper SPE 214361 explains how ESPs could become electrical submersible generators to produce power in conjunction with injection or disposal operations. Then again, it may just be easier and less stressful to look up some bus schedules. Recommended additional reading at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org. SPE 213059 Application of Machine Learning To Evaluate the Performances of Various Downhole Centrifugal Separator Types in Oil and Gas Production Systems by Laura Camila Osorio Ojeda, University of Oklahoma, et al. OTC 32398 Relative Viscosity Model for Water-in-Oil Emulsion in Electrical Submersible Pumps: Comparing the ESP Head in a Real Scenario by Natan Augusto Vieira Bulgarelli, Unicamp, et al. SPE 214043 A Mathematical Modeling of the Plunger Lift Considering Effects of Fluid Friction and Plunger Travel Velocity by Saurabh Rajvanshi, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, et al.