Abstract
Mutiara is a mature field located in the onshore part of East Kalimantan which has been on production for over 30 years. The field is dominated by gas reservoirs with a much lower presence of oil reservoirs. Production mechanisms range from natural depletion to weak and strong water drive, particularly in some of the shallow areas. High decline rates are very common, which results in a very dynamic and challenging environment. The main artificial lift used in this field is gas lift. However, this method is not efficient for depleted or high water cut wells. Another issue is oil wells which located in remote areas which need high investment for surface facilities including gas lift line network and sufficient pressure to lift the oil up to the surface. Therefore, more and more wells will be idle without implementation of other artificial lift systems techniques.
Several downhole pumping types have been assessed to tackle these issues such as Electric Submersible Pump (ESP), Progressive Cavity Pump (PCP), and Linear Rod Pump (LRP). Considering hilly swampy conditions of the field that requires more compact type of surface unit and flexible to match displacement rate to well capability as well declines. It is then decided to use LRP to unlock oil potential in idle wells.
The first installation of LRP was on September 2014 in X-1 well, this well is the first well drilled in 1982. This installation succeeds on bringing back the well on production. The application of LRP provides opportunity to unlock oil potential from idle wells in this mature area thus maximizing reserve by gaining a few more hundreds barrels of oil per day during the first year.
