Artificial Lift
Better Lift. Better Recovery. Better Returns.
Increase Estimated Ultimate Recovery of Horizontal Wells with MAPS-AL Artificial Lift System
The MAPS-AL multiphase advanced pumping system for artificial lift performs the following functions:
-
Lifts the liquids from the heel section to the rod pump or plunger installed in the vertical section of the well
-
Flushes continuously solids and paraffin wax build-up out of the tubing, pump, and rod by successive batches of hot produced water (automatic hot watering)
-
Suppresses flow instability that causes large variation of liquid and gas flow rates at the pump intake
-
Prevents and mitigates proppant deposition in the lateral and the risk of its complete plugging
-
Controls flowing bottomhole pressure to manage the reservoir drawdown and depletion
-
Manage drawdown to maximize the recovery factor.
The first function is essential for reducing the frequency of sucker-rod-pumping failures (failures of all components―the pump, tubing, and rod) related to placing the pump within the heel section. Also, this function allows for the use of substantially longer multiphase flowlines.
Main Components
-
Surface equipment: Provides cycling depressurization and pressurization of casing annular space using a working fluid (water) and a surface pump.
-
Liquid-retention standing valve: Prevents the produced liquids from flowing back into the heel section of the well.
-
Tubing extension: Enables the operator to decrease gradually the bottomhole flowing pressure to minimize the rate of increase of the gas–oil ratio.
-
Conventional rod pump/plunger: Lifts the produced liquids to the surface in the vertical section of the well.
Benefits
-
Fluid level can be below the downhole equipment
-
Managed reservoir drawdown and managed depletion
-
Increased estimated ultimate recovery (EUR) up to 45%
-
Reduced flaring and venting of gas
-
Allows the use of a conventional sucker-rod pump or a plunger installed in the vertical section of horizontal wells
-
Allows the use of longer multiphase flowlines