What Is An Electric Submersible Pump?: Artificial Lift Systems

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WHAT IS AN ELECTRIC SUBMERSIBLE PUMP?

An electric submersible pump, abbreviated ESP, is a form of artificial lift that


uses an electric motor to drive a multistage centrifugal pump to lift
resources from the well.

In the article we'll explore the following topics:

 Why producers choose to use ESPs


 The components of an ESP system
 How it operates
 Advantages and disadvantages compared to other forms of artificial
lift

WHY OIL AND GAS PRODUCERS USE ELECTRIC


SUBMERSIBLE PUMPS
Producers use artificial lift systems in more than 90% of oil wells. Artificial
lift is used to increase production fluids and are needed when reservoirs no
longer have sufficient energy to naturally produce at economic rates, or to
boost early production in new wells.

One effective and versatile method of artificial lift is the electric submersible
pump.

Producers may choose to use an ESP system because they are quiet, safe
and only require a small surface footprint.

They have a wide range of pump rate operation and can accommodate
changes in fluid properties and flow rates over the life of the well. They’re
also applicable in many corrosive environments.
ESP SYSTEMS SIMPLIFIED
An ESP system consists of multiple stages of centrifugal pumps which are
connected to a submersible electric motor. The motor is powered by heavy
duty cables connected to surface controls.

The motor rotates the shaft which is connected to the pump. The spinning
impellers draw in fluid through the pump intake, pressurizing it and lifting it
to the surface.

An inverted discharge design is configured the same, with the exception


that the pump stages are inverted to pump fluids into the well formation
from the surface. This configuration is typically used for injection of water
into disposal wells.

Let’s look at each component in more detail.


COMPONENTS OF AN ESP SYSTEM
Sensor
To optimize performance, operators can install a downhole sensor that
communicates real-time system data such as pump intake and discharge
pressures, temperatures, and vibration.
Typically, producers monitor pumps through SCADA (supervisory control
and data acquisition) systems. When it detects a pump reading that is
outside the set point, a sensor alerts the operator in real time and changes
can be made remotely or automatically by the surface controller.

Electric Motor

The submersible pump is powered by an electric motor. The size of the


motor and horsepower rating are determined by the number of stages
needed to generate sufficient head pressure to lift the liquid to the surface.
Since the size of the motor varies, the overall length and diameter of ESP
downhole equipment is determined by the motor size.

The motor temperature will increase as it operates but is cooled by the


passing fluid being drawn into the pump. The motor is filled with synthetic
oil for electrical protection and lubrication that also helps to evenly disperse
the heat that is generated

Seal-chamber
The seal-chamber isolates and protects the motor from damaging well
fluids and equalizes the pressure in the wellbore with the oil pressure inside
the motor.

It also absorbs the axial thrust produced by the pump and dissipates the
heat that the thrust bearing generates.

PUMP: Shaft, Pump Intake and Stages (Impeller &


Diffuser)
Shaft

The shaft connects the motor to the pump impellers through the seal-
chamber. The shaft is designed to be as small in diameter as possible
without compromising its strength; this allows greater volumes to pass
through the pump intake.

There are different shaft materials for varying corrosive and erosive
resistance, horsepower requirements and tensile strength.

Pump Intake —Standard, Reverse-Flow, & Dynamic

The pump intake is where the well fluid enters the submersible pump and is
directed into the impellers. Different types of intakes are used depending
on fluid properties, particularly the gas-liquid ratio (GLR). Standard designs
do not separate gas and are therefore used in wells that produce a very low
gas-to-liquid ratio.

To separate gas in a well stream with relatively high GLR, producers use
either a reverse-flow or rotary pump intake.

 In a reverse-flow pump intake the produced fluid with free gas


flows up the outside of the reverse-flow intake screen then turns to
enter through the perforations at the top of the screen. It then flows
down to the intake ports and then back up to the first pump stage.

These reversals in direction allow for a natural separation of the


lighter gases from the liquid. The separated gas travels up the casing
annulus and exits the casing at the wellhead. Longer reversing paths
can be utilized to increase the separation of the gas from the liquids

 A rotary pump intake, also called a dynamic gas separator, uses


force to help separate the gas. The rotary separator works similar to a
centrifuge. It utilizes a rotating chamber, paddle wheel, or induced
vortex to impart centrifugal force on the fluid.
 The rotor or induced vortex forces the heavier fluid to the outside &
allows the free gas to migrate to the center of the chamber and exits
through the discharge ports back into the well. Gas separator
assemblies are often connected in tandem to improve the overall
efficiency in high gas applications.
Centrifugal Pump (Impeller and Diffuser)—Stages
The stages of the centrifugal pump are what increase the pressure of
the fluid. Each stage is made up of a rotating impeller and stationary
diffuser. The stages can be stacked to incrementally increase the
pressure until the desired flow rate is achieved.
The fluid travels through a rotating impeller which increases its
kinetic energy, or velocity. It then enters the diffuser, converting the
energy to potential energy which raises the discharge pressure. The
fluid repeats the process in each stage of the pump.
This operation will continue until the fluid reaches the design
discharge pressure. The increase in pressure is called the total
developed head (TDH) of the pump.
The impellers are crucial to the operation of an ESP because they
determine the flow rate. Radial flow impellers have vane angles close
to 90 degrees and are usually for lower flow rates. Mixed flow
impellers have vane angles close to 45 degrees and are for higher
flow rates.

Power cable
The power cable delivers the required power to the ESP motor from the
surface. It will be banded or strapped to the production tubing in intervals
from below the wellhead to the motor to support its weight and keep
mechanical wear from occurring.

It is a specially constructed power cable made for harsh environments with


a durable outermost layer impervious to physical and electrical
deterioration.

check Valve
A check valve may be threaded into the tubing, a few joints above the
pump. It is installed to keep the tubing above the pump full of liquid when
the pump is not operating.

Surface components for the ESP include electrical supply, communication


equipment and the ESP controller.

Controller
The ESP controller maintains the proper flow of electricity to the pump
motor. Depending on the application, variable speed or soft-start
controllers are used.
 A variable speed drive (VSD) can be either manual or automated.
An automated VSD reads the downhole data recorded by the SCADA
system and adjusts the motor speed to optimize production rates.
The VSD allows the pump to be operated continuously or
intermittently.
 A soft-start controller operates at only one speed. To prevent the
motor from being under a heavy load at the start, it slowly brings the
pump motor up to its designed operation speed and maintains that
single speed.

ADVANTAGES OF USING AN ELECTRIC SUBMERSIBLE


PUMP
 Adaptable to highly deviated or horizontal wells but must be set in
straight section.
 Permit use of minimum space for subsurface controls and associated
production facilities.
 ESPs are quiet, safe and require a smaller surface footprint compared
to other lift systems, making them the best option in offshore and
environmentally sensitive areas.
 High volume capabilities. ESPs can accommodate the dynamic
evolution of fluid properties and flow rates during the life of the well.
 Provides for increased volumes and water cuts brought on by
pressure maintenance and secondary recovery operations.
 Allows placing wells on production even while drilling and working
over wells in the immediate vicinity.
 Applicable in a range of corrosive environments. The pumps can be
manufactured from high-grade, corrosion-resistant materials for
applications with high-GOR fluids, high temperatures and fluids
containing corrosive acid gases.
DISADVANTAGES OF USING AN ELECTRIC
SUBMERSIBLE PUMP
 Will tolerate only minimal percentages of solids in production.
Although special pumps with hardened materials exist, ESP run times
can be severely compromised in fluids with a high percentage of sand
and solids.
 Costly removal operations and lost production occur when correcting
downhole failures.
 With lower than 400 BBLD volumes, power efficiency drops sharply;
ESPs are not particularly adaptable to rates below 150 BBLD.
 Need relatively large (greater than 4½-in. outside diameter) casing
size for the moderate- to high-production-rate equipment.
An ESP system consists of multiple stages of centrifugal pumps which are
connected to a submersible electric motor. The motor is powered by heavy
duty cables connected to surface controls.

The motor rotates the shaft which is connected to the pump. The spinning
impellers draw in fluid through the pump intake, pressurizing it and lifting it
to the surface.
An inverted discharge design is configured the same, with the exception
that the pump stages are inverted to pump fluids into the well formation
from the surface. This configuration is typically used for injection of water
into disposal wells.

Let’s look at each component in more detail.

COMPONENTS OF AN ESP SYSTEM


Sensor

To optimize performance, operators can install a downhole sensor that


communicates real-time system data such as pump intake and discharge
pressures, temperatures, and vibration.

Typically, producers monitor pumps through SCADA (supervisory control


and data acquisition) systems. When it detects a pump reading that is
outside the set point, a sensor alerts the operator in real time and changes
can be made remotely or automatically by the surface controller.

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