Fluctuation in artificial lifting production usually causes production loss and brings impact to system run-life. This article describes how ALPOS deals with fluctuation in artificial lifting production.
Production loss
By responding to every fluctuation, ALPOS will adjust the artificial lifting system into its best configuration to adapt to the ever-changing operating environment.
For example, very often we are trying to push the well to produce at its highest capability. When a certain well is being pushed to its limit, very often the single phase or bi-phase flow would turn into much more complicate multi-phase flow which contains gas. The system performance curve would start to fluctuate in presence of gas. When ALPOS is signaled that a well is fluctuating due to gas problem, one of the real-time action would be lower the frequency to stabilize the reservoir pressure and turn the flow back to oil/water flow, and ALPOS will try to increase the frequency back by smaller steps if it senses the reservoir supply is recovering.
If no corrective method were carried out the system would be performing like this:
With ALPOS the performing curve would be like this:
The increase of production under ALPOS is estimated to be 7%~15%.
Impact on run-life
For every time the fluctuation strikes, the mechanical and the electrical systems suffer.
i) Mechanically, take above ESP in gassy condition for example, working under gassy condition means shorter run-life or even potential failure, depending on volume percentage of the gas. By less exposing our artificial lifting system to the gassy condition, the run-life will be extended, at least by the number of months ALPOS keep the well right above the bubble point pressure. According to the above comparison, the run-life would be extended for at least 10 months for the mechanical system.
ii) Electrically, for every time there is a load surge/drop from the mechanical system, there will be a corresponding reaction to the electrical system, which means the electrical system will experience an overload/underload. By experiencing that, the system will be aging faster than expected. As we can see from above graph, ALPOS will keep the system away from continuous fluctuation, by which it increases the run life of the electrical system.