United Kingdom

Vol. 226 No. 4

Coiled tubing-deployed ESPs reduce operating costs

Apache North Sea has hired Portlethen, Aberdeen-based Qserv for the installation of coiled tubing-deployed electric submersible pump (CTDESP) services. The intent is to increase well efficiency and reduce the operating costs of Apache’s Bravo platform within the Forties field, the largest oil field ever discovered in the UK sector of the North Sea. The ESPs will be used to produce reservoir fluids and to transfer these fluids to the neighboring Charlie platform. They will then be processed through Charlie’s production systems, eliminating the requirement for production systems on Bravo platform.

Monitoring CT-deployed ESP.

This ESP technique is an extension of what is used in other regions such as Qatar, where the company has changed the process of well workover. It has achieved this through custom-designed equipment and a process of continuous improvement in the workover process while reducing well downtime and costs. The ESP configuration differs when compared to conventional systems and is deployed on 2-3/8-in. coiled tubing with the ESP power cable and umbilical lines inside the coiled tubing. The ESPs are inverted and use a bottom intake to produce the fluids up the coiled tubing/ casing annulus, negating the requirement for large-bore deployment tubulars.

The company will mobilize a 10-man crew, including workover supervision from its existing specialist personnel for this contract. The present contract results from the 28 CTDESP high-performance well installations and workovers successfully completed for Anadarko in Qatar. Ken Hood, ESP engineer for Anadarko, commented, “Our overall economics have improved through Qserv’s concentration on safety, an ability to manage the workovers, teamwork with other vendors and innovative engineering techniques. Qserv has delivered against its commitments and this has reduced our lost production by half, allowing us to reduce costs and maintain well production in our already marginal field.”