Abstract
Electrical Submersible Pumps are widely used in Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) fields in order to enhance or sustain production from matured oil fields. These high-power electro-mechanical systems are susceptible to failure due to various reasons, leading to high work-over rig intervention costs and time, in addition to substantial production deferment.
The objective of this pilot trial was to apprise applicability and feasibility of an economic innovative solution in order to address sand and debris fallback during ESP trips and shutdowns periods.
The available conventional systems within KOC to tackle the sand fallback challenge in ESP wells are not efficient or durable. It fails in a short time, leading to a significant impact on the well's deliverability and operating costs.
In 2021, KOC started applying a unique solution on wells where the ESP run life was short due to solid and sand fallback accumulating on top of the pump during ESP trips and shutdown periods. This patent-protected technology diverts falling back sand, solids, and debris into the outer chamber of the tool and quarantines them away from the pump. Upon ESP restart, internal dynamic flow ports agitate sand, and solids caught in the tool's chamber carries them to surface along with the produced fluids.
This pilot trial has gone through different stages including challenge identification, technology survey, candidate well selection process, business cases build-up, success criteria, execution and evaluation phases.
Well's performance were evaluated rigorously before and after this unique system installation for a duration of six (6) months. Several KPIs were set to conclude and judge the technology such as: ESP sensor data, ESP run life and well productivity, it was concluded that this innovative technology was able to significantly improve well's productivity and achieve prolonged ESP run life compared to the currently adopted conventional techniques.
This paper highlights in further details the operational challenges and failures due to sand fallback, technical features of this field proven technology, sharing the success case studies and shed light on the captured lessons learned for continuous improvement & optimization.
The novelty of this technology is the ability to provide a cost-effective durable solution for sand fallback issue in ESP wells to extend ESP run life, achieve production improvement and avoid costly workovers and production deferment.
