Electric Submersible Pump Selection via Thermo-Hydraulic Simulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manual selection and sizing of electric submersible pumps (ESPs) via trial-and-error methods are time-consuming and experience-dependent, failing to efficiently account for various operational and equipment limitations, such as flow rate and brake horse power (BHP) constraints, in optimizing oil production.
Innovation Solution
A method utilizing thermo-hydraulic data simulation, processor-based controllers, and polynomial coefficients to select and size ESPs by evaluating multiple pump types, calculating optimization indices, and generating visual displays to identify preferred pumps for specific production scenarios.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual trial-and-error method is used for pump selection and sizing, then user experience can be utilized to make judgments, but the process becomes time-consuming and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical trial-and-error selection process with an automated computer-based system that uses software to perform thermo-hydraulic simulations, evaluate pump performance, and generate recommendations automatically, eliminating the need for manual iteration and significantly reducing selection time
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service pump selection by providing an automated tool that guides users through the selection process without requiring expert knowledge. The software automatically evaluates multiple pump options against specified criteria and presents optimized recommendations, allowing users to independently complete the selection process
2Reliability
If manual trial-and-error method is used for pump selection, then various operational limitations can be considered, but the method depends heavily on user experience and is inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual evaluation of operational limitations with automated computer-based analysis that systematically checks pump performance against specified constraints such as flow rate ranges, power limits, and operational requirements, ensuring consistent and reliable evaluation without human error or bias
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-evaluating multiple pump options against all operational limitations before the user makes a selection. The software automatically filters and ranks pumps based on how well they meet specified criteria, presenting only the most suitable options to the user
3Productivity
If automated selection system is implemented, then selection time is reduced and efficiency is improved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by designing an integrated software system that performs multiple functions within a single platform: thermo-hydraulic simulation, pump performance evaluation, constraint checking, optimization analysis, and recommendation generation. This multi-functional approach consolidates what would otherwise require multiple separate tools into one unified system
Data Source
AI summary
The present approach includes implementations for generating thermos-hydraulic data via a simulation and evaluating the thermo-hydraulic data pertaining to one or more parameters of a production system. The approach includes receiving operating parameters and receiving coefficients of polynomials for constructing a plurality of pump performance curves. The approach includes performing a selection step. The selection step includes selecting a pump from a plurality of pump types, and sizing the pump based in part on the thermo-hydraulic data, the operating parameters, and the coefficients of polynomials. The approach includes repeating the selection step until each pump of the plurality of pump types has been considered to generate a subset of pumps from the plurality of pump types. The approach includes performing an optimization step on the subset of pumps. The approach includes generating a visual display to identify the set of preferred pumps.