Application of Electrical Submersible Pumps in Natural and Artificial Water-Drive Reservoirs

ABSTRACT A comprehensive review of theory and laboratory research pertaining to the recovery of oil from porous media is presented leading to the conclusion, contrary to earlier views, reservoir rocks are considered to have heterogeneous wettability. Because of this, oil will flow at very low oil saturations and hence yields much lower residual oil saturation. Further immobile oil may be made mobile and residual oil saturation decreased by increasing the pressure gradient in' the reservoir. During the past forty years the author has been active in evaluating the performance of petroleum reservoirs. Use of electrical submersible pumps (ESP) has been demonstrated to increase oil production rate, ultimate oil recovery, and economics based on evaluations of strong bottom and edge water drive and waterflood operations at high fluid withdrawal rates. This paper presents the state-of-the-art and science of theory, laboratory research and field studies on this subject. The scope of ESP field applications presented includes operations in eight countries and eight U.S. states. A wide range of structures, formation, rock and fluid properties, types of drive, oil and total fluid production rates, and ESP capacities are included. Two production performance type-curves (percent oil cut-cumulative oil production and oil production rate-cumulative oil production) for ESP operations are presented and explained in accordance with theory and laboratory studies. Production performance curves for seven fields in which ESP have been used for increasing oil production rate, ultimate oil recovery, and economics are presented. A comparison of the economics including lifting costs, pump life, and payout of ESP operations in 78 Indonesian fields and 14 U.S. fields is included. Comments from thirteen major companies worldwide are included citing their favorable results from use of ESP.