Popular Artificial Lift systems
Most oil wells require some form of artificial lift system to bring the fluids to surface from the deep hydrocarbon reservoir. Most of these systems include pumps that operate near the bottom of the well but either a downhole motor or surface drive may drive them.
Historically, conventional beam or rod pumps were the primary artificial lift method. However, engineers have other types of pumping systems have been developed to service specific applications.
Three popular pumping systems that operators use around the world include:
- Electric Submersible Pumps (ESP) – designed for high production rates
- Progressing Cavity Pumps (PCP) – designed for pumping viscous and solids-laden fluids
- Sucker Rod Pumps (SRP) – designed for low production rates
Unique Challenges of Artificial Lift Systems
Artificial lift systems contain complex mechanical systems with multiple components operating in a harsh downhole environment. Since operators install the pump at the bottom of a well, only rudimentary parameters of power input, rotation speed, and pressure are generally used to monitor pump performance. Improperly designed systems requently experience pump failures, and retrieving and replacing the failed components can be very costly. This is still especially true in offshore operating environments. Consequently, understanding the factors that affect pump performance remains critical to extending pump run life, but measuring these factors in the field is difficult.
C-FER Yourself - Helping Improve Artificial Lift Performance
C-FER Technologies supports operators in improving artificial lift performance through three key areas:
Evaluating Run-life
- Collecting pump performance and failure data from multiple clients to build world-wide databases to help operators understand the factors that affect pump run life and develop operating practices to extend run-life.
- Pump vendors can also use this information to understand which failure modes and mechanisms occur in different operating scenarios so that they can modify the designs to minimize failures.
- This data is collected as part of Joint Industry Projects that focus on ESP (ESP-RIFTS) and on PCP (PCP-RLI) run-life improvement.
Software
- Developing PC PUMP software for the design and operation of PCP systems that includes a database of PCP system components from all the major PCP vendors.
- Training is also provided in the basic principles of PCPs and in how to use the software to optimize pump performance and safety.
- Developing ESPBEND software to evaluate the impact of running long ESP bottomhole assemblies in high curvature wellbores.
Performance Testing
- Testing pump performance in custom flow loops that replicate the temperature, pressure and fluid composition of operating wells to measure the energy input requirements and resulting fluid production capacity. These tests can include multiple fluid phases including oil, water and gas and elevated operating temperatures, with some oil sands applications requiring tests up to 260°C.
- Measuring the performance of pumping systems to changing fluid compositions, such as for ESPs exposed to high gas volume fraction (GVF) fluids. These tests can help evaluate the performance of specialized pump components or pump intake configurations designed to improve pump performance in these operating conditions
- Testing pump system components such as PCP stator elastomers, PCP drivehead braking systems, ESP power cables and ESP shaft seals to provide specific information for improving the design, selection and operation of these systems.
- Testing the performance of low-cost dewatering systems for shallow gas wells
- Developing and testing downhole oil water separation (DHOWS) systems for removing the majority of produced water in mature, high water cut wells.
Artificial Lift-related Joint Industry Projects
Explore Our Experimental Flow Loops
Experimental flow loop overview
Explore the operating specifications of all
our flow loops.
Custom Flow Loops
C-FER can design, construct and operate experimental flow loops tailored to meet specific testing needs.
In-flow Control device Characterization Loop
Test hydraulic performance of FCDs under real-world thermal operating conditions.
In-flow Control Device (ICD) Erosion Apparatus
Simulate different erosive operating scenarios in SAGD.
High Temperature
Flow Loop
Test downhole pump performance: temperatures, pressures, flowrates and gas/liquid ratios.
Gas Well Deliquification Flow Loop
Perform qualification and performance tests on novel gas well deliquification technologies.
Contributor
Brian Wagg, MSc, PEng.
Director, Testing Services
With over 35 years with C-FER, Brian Wagg’s current focus is on applying C-FER’s analytical and full-scale testing capabilities to projects in clean energy including CCUS, hydrogen, geothermal and small modular nuclear reactors.
