Meudys Romero (Master of Science in Petroleum Engineering)
An Evaluation of an Electrical Submersible Pumping System for High GOR Wells
(79 pp. – Chapter VI)
Directed by Dr. Mauricio G. Prado
(264 words)
The presence of gas causes head degradation within electrical submersible pumping systems. The use of a bottomhole gas separator is not always feasible. This work consists of an evaluation of an electrical submersible pumping system that comprises an advanced gas handler (AGH) manufactured by REDA, which is installed upstream of the electrical submersible pump. The evaluation consisted of performing experimental tests at different intake pressures and gas void fractions, using water and air as fluids to construct the performance curves of the system.
The experimental tests were conducted at the Tulsa University Artificial Lift Projects (TUALP) experimental facilities in order to better understand the performance of the AGH. The objectives of those experiments were:
- to validate the effectiveness of the downhole pumping system using an AGH, as compared to a conventional pumping system, and to define a characteristic curve for the equipment
- to evaluate the homogenization process, or gas mixing m an AGH, as an alternative to decreasing the gas fraction handled by an ESP, and
- to generate information that can be used in AGH installations for standard submersible pumps.
faCorrelations were developed to predict the head performance of the AGH and the GN4000 pump, when handling multiphase mixtures. Correlations were also developed to determine the maximum allowable intake gas void fraction as a function of inlet pressure for the AGH, and for the combined AGH-GN4000 pumping system. Also, a correlation was developed to predict the relationship between flow rate and void fraction, where the AGH outperforms the GN4000 pump in terms of head.A step-by-step procedure to design an AGH-GN4000 pump system was developed.
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