Different Applications for Artificial Lift

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Different Applications for Artificial Lift
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• An artificial lift is used to lower the
  bottom hole pressure (BHP) and raise production
  in a liquid well. Positive-displacement pumps,
  like progressive cavity pumps (PCP) or beam
  (sucker-rod) pumps are used to enhance production
  by lowering intake pressure. However, centrifugal
  pumps can perform this same job, expect with an
  electrical submersible pump (ESP) system.

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• Other artificial lifts include jet hydraulic
  and reciprocating pumps and plunger lifts. Many
  oil wells and gas wells will need an artificial
  lift to increase liquid production, but these
  lifts have many more applications. Below is a few
  examples of artificial lift applications.

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Deep Water Oil Pumping

• Deep water oil pumping would only be mildly
  successful without an artificial lift or subsea
  lift system. Lifts and flow boosting systems can
  be a major part of deep water oil production and
  essential for making an oil drilling project
  commercially viable. There are two artificial
  lifts that are perfect for this job the subsea
  multiphase boosting pumps and electrical
  submersible pumps (ESPs).

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• However, its best to choose a pumping
  approach that accounts for infrastructure,
  reservoir and environmental factors. Gas lifts
  can be combined with these systems and used in
  demanding deep-water conditions, such as on
  caissons and the seaflor.

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Bitumen Production

• As the demand for energy increases, so does
  the demand for hydrocarbons like bitumen or heavy
  oil. Because bitumen doesnt flow freely, this
  also means an increase in a production process
  thats already slow, expensive and arduous. This
  is where artificial lift systems come in. Bitumen
  is recovered from oils sands via mining, but not
  all these deposits can be mined.

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• So, thermal recovery techniques must be
  employed. Thermal recovery techniques include
  cyclic steam stimulation (CSS), steam-assisted
  gravity drainage (SAGD) and steam flooding all
  made possible with a high-temperature ESP system.
  In every method, the high temperature reduces the
  oils viscosity and allow it to flow faster. High
  temperature ESP systems have and will continue to
  improve heavy oil production techniques.

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Removing Liquid from Gas Wells

• Generally, gas wells dont need the assistance
  of an artificial lift. However, these wells can
  produce liquids (liquid loading) mostly water,
  that can accumulate in the well bore, increase
  pressure (back pressure), limit gas recovery, and
  block or inhibit gas flow. An artificial lift is
  needed to continuously remove liquid and maximize
  inflow and outflow in gas wells.

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• This lift essentially reverses liquid loading
  by lowering the bottom-hole pressure (BHP).
  Reverse liquid loading is essential in aging
  reservoirs, as pressure in gas wells declines
  with age, thus allowing more liquid accumulation.
  So, artificial lift methods are used to remove
  this liquid, including progressive cavity pumping
  using a PCP pump, sucker rod pumping using a
  carbon rod, electrical submersible pumping and
  hydraulic pumping.

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