Increase ESP Uptime, Oil Production & Drawdown with Extract's IGP

Matt Cox

E&Ps today are looking to improve the gas handling capabilities of their ESPs as a well’s production declines and the gas-to-liquids ratio increases. Extract’s dedicated R&D team will soon release a breakthrough device designed to improve the gas-handling capabilities of traditional ESPs. This will increase uptime, production, and drawdown.

 

Early field results are promising, and the company is looking toward a release date in late spring 2023.

 

The Challenge

Maximizing production is largely about installing the right pump and maximizing its run time. The more uptime it has, the more it produces.

 

During a well’s life, however, the needs change. As the well’s production declines and its gas-to-liquids ratio (GLR) increases, it enters a gray area. Production is not quite low enough to make a rod pump fully cost-effective, but because of the depleted reservoir pressure, the lower liquid volumes, and increased gas amounts, it can be challenging to pump the well down effectively with an ESP.

 

Extract’s IGP as the Solution

Extract’s engineering team is field-testing a patent-pending Integrated Gas Processor (IGP). Its all-in-one housing combines three components designed to improve the gas-handling capability of traditional ESPs in lower-volume applications.

 

Lower Module:The lower module brings fluid into a proprietary contra-helical pump (CHP),which compresses and homogenizes the gas and the liquid.

Advantages:  Unlike the traditional centrifugal pump, the CHP allows gas to flow in both the rotor and stator. There are two flow paths through the CHP; the primary flow path is the helical flow, and the secondary is the fluid vortex generated inside the rotor/stator vanes. Because of this, the CHP is able to ingest a tremendous amount of gas which it can efficiently condition as it moves through the lower module.

 

Middle Module: From there, the unit conducts oil into a highly efficient dual-chambered gas separator, which uses a centrifuge to separate the gas from the liquid and is expelled back into the annulus. The liquid remains in the system.

Advantages: Because the gas separator is located several feet from the intake, it reduces the likelihood of the separated gas recirculating into the system. Also, due to the length of the separator, it has greater retention time allowing the separator to remove the gas more efficiently.

 

Upper Module: Next, the fluid enters the IGP’s upper module. Here it is further compressed and homogenized before moving into the ESP, which is the primary production pump.

Advantages: The gas that has not yet been conditioned and or separated out of the fluid is once more compressed and homogenized, so it is easily handled by the primary production pumps of the ESP.

 

Single Housing:All three components are contained in one housing, with proprietary threaded connections.

Advantages:The flangeless connections reduce pinch points that can restrict flow and cause pressure drops within the system.

 

The Promise

Rising costs in exploration and drilling combine with investor ROI demands to push producers to maximize production from existing wells—and to cut overhead. Extract’s IGP system is showing great promise toward delivering in both areas. Return to this space in the spring to learn more, including the release date.

 

 

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