Kevin McNeilly, Austin Wheeler, Martin Lozano, Ehab Abo Deeb, BPX Energy
Mohammad Masadeh, Jason Wittenstein, Moossa Kavungal Areekat, Baker Hughes
Electric Submersible Pumps (ESPs) face significant performance challenges when free gas enters the system, and bubbles obstruct fluid flow through the pump impellers–a phenomenon known as gas locking, which can induce premature failure. This complication is amplified during gas slug events, which are inevitable in unconventional reservoirs common to the Permian Basin. This paper presents compelling results from real field deployments that highlight superior recovery capabilities achieved through the CENesis PHASE™ Multiphase Encapsulated System. The CENesis PHASE™ solution fully encapsulates the ESP system to naturally separate gas from the fluid, preventing the gas from entering the ESP. This optimized ESP system overcomes challenging well conditions such as high gas-liquid ratios by greatly improving gas separation efficiency through enhanced system geometry. For numerous cases where ESPs previously underperformed in gassy applications, the systems were upgraded to the CENesis PHASE™ solution and closely observed. Performance data before and after the transition were analyzed with emphasis on production trends and operational improvements.
This solution has proven to be successful in more than 500 ESP installations in the USA land by mitigating gas slugs, increasing oil production, and reducing ESP motor temperature shutdowns. The study will present more than 30 CENesis PHASE™ systems across multiple fields since 2022 with a Delaware basin operator. Results of the phase system demonstrate increased run life of the population ESPs, achieved by the configuration’s ability to maximize the well draw down and eliminate gas related shutdowns. By reducing downtime, the operator improved oil production and avoided inescapable costly failures. Evident through the analysis of production and ESP operational data before and after implementation of the optimized ESP, it is clear the approach to find a remedy to gas complications was successful.
This paper will present the key enabling technologies of the CENesis PHASE™ system including the novel encapsulation concept in combination with unique flow management. There will be a strong focus on quantitative production enhancements in Permian’s challenging gas-saturated wells. The study will provide valuable insight for operators by exposing them to world-class solutions aimed to overcome this common production obstacle.