Electric Submersible Pump Installation via Sealed Injection Port
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Solution Overview
Problem
In wells with positive well head pressure, such as SAGD wells, installing or removing an electric submersible pump requires depressurization through cooling, which prolongs the servicing process due to the need to cool and reheat the well.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a coil tubing string with an electric submersible pump and control lines, along with a pump-receiving housing, allows for the insertion and removal of the pump without depressurizing the well by maintaining a positive pressure and using a sealed injection port system to manage the pump's placement and retrieval.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the well is cooled to depressurize it for pump installation or removal, then the pump can be installed or removed, but the servicing time increases due to cooling and reheating requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into separate functional components: a pump-receiving housing for assembly/disassembly, a sealable injection port for pressure isolation, and a blowout preventer for safety control. This segmentation allows pump servicing to be performed in an isolated, pressurized environment without requiring well cooling, thereby reducing servicing time while maintaining operational safety
Solution Approach 2:
The pump-receiving housing acts as an intermediary chamber between the surface equipment and the pressurized wellbore. It provides a controlled environment where the pump can be assembled or disassembled while the injection port maintains pressure isolation, eliminating the need to cool the well for pump servicing operations
2Loss of time
If the well pressure is maintained positive during pump installation or removal, then servicing time is reduced, but the risk of pressure control issues increases
Solution Approach 1:
The injection port is sealed and the pump-receiving housing is pressurized with nitrogen or inert gas before pump installation or removal begins. This preliminary pressurization establishes a safe, positive pressure environment that prevents well fluid leakage and maintains pressure control throughout the servicing operation, eliminating the need for well cooling while ensuring reliable pressure management
Solution Approach 2:
The pump-receiving housing is pressurized with nitrogen or inert gas to create an inert atmosphere that prevents well fluids from leaking during pump servicing operations. This inert environment maintains positive pressure control and eliminates the need to cool the well, thereby reducing servicing time while ensuring reliable pressure management throughout the operation
Data Source
AI summary
A method of servicing an electric submersible pump in a well with a positive wellhead pressure includes providing production tubing in the well casing, a coil tubing string within the production tubing having an electric submersible pump at a downhole end of the coil tubing string, and a pump-receiving housing above the injection port of the wellhead. With the injection port sealed and the pump-receiving housing opened, the electric submersible pump may be inserted or removed from the pump-receiving housing. With the pump-receiving housing closed and the injection port opened, the electric submersible pump may be moved to or from the production tubing in the well.