TECHNOLOGY FOCUS

Artificial Lift
Mike Berry, SPE, Independent Artificial-Lift Consultant

Two things stood out when I looked at As much as it pains me
this year’s abstracts. First, well over half
of the abstracts were related to electri- to admit it, by the book,
cal submersible pumps (ESPs). This is a gas lift should be the default
significant increase from the last cou-
ple of years. Second, there was a clutch
lift method for shale wells.
of artificial-lift-method-selection papers.
I have not seen many of those recent-
ly. Because this appears to be a topic of out. SPE 185128 discusses ways to oper-
interest at the moment, I chose papers ate an ESP below 800 psi. This has been
from that topic. They are good papers, a problem in multifractured horizontal
and it is a good general-interest topic, but wells. SPE 184216 discusses the effect of
selecting them meant that I had to leave horizontal-well multiphase-flow behav-
out more-specialized papers. ior on ESP operations. Long gas/liquid
I am primarily an ESP guy, so I have slugs are another problem I have been
to be cautious about bias when look- seeing. SPE 172736 discusses casing cor-
ing at papers. Biased or not, I thought rosion induced by stray currents from
several of the ESP-related papers stood weakened ESP-power-cable insulation.
Mike Berry, SPE, is an independent artificial-lift consultant. Now
approaching 40 years in the petroleum industry, he has worked
as a roustabout standing knee deep in crude and as a research
scientist testing state-of-the-art equipment in what was one of
the world’s premier multiphase-flow test loops. Berry has served
on numerous SPE committees and occasionally serves as a
PetroSkills instructor. He holds a BS degree in petroleum engi-
neering from the University of Oklahoma and is a licensed pro-
fessional engineer. Berry serves on the JPT Editorial Committee and can be reached
at michaelrberry@sbcglobal.net.
This is a topic of interest in the Middle
East but is largely ignored in the US.
I also admit to having a biased interest
in multifractured horizontal shale wells. I
thought SPE 180833 might be of interest
because it discusses optimization of oil-
well plunger lift. I have been wondering if
plunger lift might be a viable late-life lift
method for these wells. Last, SPE 180470
seemed like a solid gas lift optimization
paper. As much as it pains me to admit it,
by the book, gas lift should be the default
lift method for shale wells. JPT
Recommended additional reading
at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org.
SPE 184134 Feasibility Study of Artificial-
Lift Modes for a Deep Heavy-Oil Reservoir
by Prasanna Mali, KOC, et al.
SPE 185128 Breaking the 800-psi ESP PIP
Barrier: How a Proven Flow-Conditioning
Technology Can Dramatically Improve
ESP Performance in Horizontal Wells
by D.W. Kimery, Production Plus Energy
Services, et al.
SPE 184216 How To Diagnose and Solve
a Tripping ESP Caused by Multiphase-
Flow Behavior in a Horizontal Well
by P.M. Bruijnen, TAQA Energy, et al.

60 JPT • JULY 2017