Publications

A-Field, located in West Java, Indonesia, produces oil and gas under depleted reservoir pressure. Several wells require continuous liquid unloading prior to gas production. For some wells, dewatering is also required on a weekly basis, which is very challenging to execute even in a rig-less operation using coiled tubing or a slickline swab job. Thus, artificial lift methods were assessed to produce gas. An electric submersible pump (ESP) was selected as the artificial lift method because of the availability of the asset and the resources to manage it with a high gas/liquid ratio (GLR) and low bottomhole flowing pressure. The ESP was designed to unload the water during startup and maintain the fluid level in the well at a specific depth to produce gas through the annulus. The selected ESP has enhanced shaft strength to accommodate a sudden torque spike; high-temperature motor, oil, and elastomer used to run at a low rate; a higher-rated thrust bearing; cable with lead insulation protection; downhole sensor; and a gas handler, gas separator, and overstaged pump combination. The ESP was completed with closed-loop variable speed control, a gas-lock-protection (GLP) algorithm, and remote surveillance 24/7 to optimize production and prevent abnormal operating conditions. A small gas compressor at the surface was also installed to ensure that the annular pressure operates at the lowest level possible and to prevent excessive gas from entering the ESP. The installed ESP has been operating in a very high GLR environment for more than 223 days. This project demonstrates that current ESP technology can help operators produce gas in harsh environments, especially in mature fields with depleted reservoir pressure, limited lifting options, and frequent liquid unloading, or can be used to mitigate uncertainty when a gas zone with low pressure is opened for production during a well intervention.