Boosting Well Oil Production by Converting Gas Lift Activation to an Electric Submersible Pump

Abstract The production in the basin named "X" (for confidential reasons) through the well called "Z" (for confidential reasons) located in the eastern part of the basin X decreases as time goes despite its activation by gas lift. The goal of the paper is to activate the well Z by converting its activation by gas lift to an electric submersible pump (ESP) in order to maximize its production. From the completion and PVT data processed in PIPESIM and integrating a number of calculations by nodal analysis and decline curve methods, the results obtained show that the well Z without activation does not produce. The activation of well Z by gas lift reveals that the optimal flow rate is 213 STB/d and is very low therefore economically uneconomic with a profitability of 721, 214. 663. The replacement of the gas lift activation by the ESP activation allows the well Z to provide an optimal flow rate of 1450 STB/d with a water percentage of 83. 3% and a profitability of 6, 525, 693. 13, guaranteeing an operation for thirteen years with a return on investment after eight months. This activation conversion from gas lift to ESP allows for the enhance of production from high percentage of water wells in the same geographical areas and to consider the reactivation of abandoned wells or wells that are assisted by other methods such as gas lift.