Operating Experience With ESP's and Permanent Downhole Flowmeters in Wytch Farm Extended-Reach Wells

摘要

One-third of the recoverable reserves in British Petroleum Co.'s U.K. onshore oil field, Wytch Farm, lie in an offshore extension of the field. These reserves, which have been undeveloped until recently, are now being exploited with electric submersible pumps (ESP's) in extended-reach wells drilled from onshore wellsites. The relatively high productivities achieved as a result of successful horizontal completions have pushed ESP technology to the limits in terms of capacity and power requirements. This paper presents a case history of the unique set of problems encountered during and subsequent to startup of the ESP's in the first three wells. The problems, in particular pump-suction-blockage problems, were directly attributable to the position of the ESP's in the near-horizontal section (82 to 85°) of the wells.