Dual ESP Completion System
Installed Successfully
S h e i l a P o p o v, K & M E n t e r p r i s e s
A dual electrical submersible pump (ESP) system has
been installed successfully in a dually completed, high-
flow-rate well. The test installation was performed at the
Laguna field in Ecuador as an alliance technology project
between Occidental (Oxy) Petroleum Corp. and
Schlumberger Ltd.
The dual ESP completion system allows simultaneous
but separate production streams. The cost-effective tech-
nology provides a means to maximize production rates
and ultimate recovery in field situations suited for this
method of artificial lift.
The completion uses two Russian Electrical Dynamo of
Arutunoff (REDA) ESP’s. An ESP is a multistaged cen-
Te c h n o l o g y U p d a t e
trifugal pump with a downhole motor, the power for
which is supplied from the surface by a cable clamped to
the tubing exterior. Some ESP’s have up to 80,000 Bcf/D
rate capacities. From a reservoir standpoint, they operate
most effectively in low gas/oil ratio, high-fluid-productiv-
ity wells. When high production rates are desired, ESP
systems are an attractive alternative to gas lift in fields
lacking a reliable source of compressed, sweet gas for arti-
ficial lift.
From an economic standpoint, the dual ESP comple-
tion system serves as a cost-effective production enhance-
ment solution that maximizes project net present value by
enabling simultaneous, high-rate streams to be produced
separately from a single wellbore. Geographically, the dual
installation design is particularly applicable in regions
such as Ecuador, where local regulations restrict or pro-
hibit commingling of produced fluids from two or
more zones.
Fig. 1—The REDA dual ESP completion system consists of short-string upper and long-string lower assemblies.
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The dual ESP completion system consists of two assem-
blies—one for the lower productive zone and one for the
upper (Fig. 1). The upper short string was assembled
alongside the long-string lower assembly. When posi-
tioned, the long-string tubing was clamped to the short-
string ESP assembly using dual string clamps, which also
served to protect the ESP power cables and capillary tubes
used for chemical injection.
Several innovative, technology-based solutions were
applied in the project. To isolate between the producing
zones, a Schlumberger Multiport packer was used. The
packer has multiple pressure-isolated ports through
which tubulars, capillary tubes, electric power cables,
and, if needed, hydraulic control lines may pass.
For this dual completion in particular, packer penetra-
tion requirements included the two tubing strings, two
ESP cables, and three chemical injection capillary tubes
(Fig. 2). Space constraints were tight. One ESP cable and
two 3/8-in. capillary tubes penetrated each of two 1.9-in.
mandrel ports, which were designed with a special
adapter that allows passage while maintaining pressure
integrity between the packer and ESP cable and capillary
tubes. The penetration design incorporated standard
Boston Insulated Wire (BIW) ESP packer penetrators.
Another key technical solution was the shroud design
for the lower ESP equipment, which was created specifi-
cally for this project and manufactured in Ecuador. One
ESP cable and two chemical injection tubes had to pene-
trate the ESP shroud using a BIW Trident penetration sys-
tem. Again, space constraints were tight between the ESP
equipment and the 7-in. liner shroud inside diameter. An
AUGUST 2001

Fig. 2—Two tubing strings, two ESP cables, and three
chemical injection capillary tubes penetrate the dual
Te c h n o l o g y U p d a t e
completion’s Multiport packer.
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extended discharge head from the shrouded pump was
designed to incorporate an offset of the ESP equipment and
to accept five standard 3/8-in. tubing pressure seals to the
capillary and Trident tubes. The shroud penetration tubes
were fed through the ports in the discharge head as the
lower ESP assembly was run in and landed on the shroud
adapter. The outer slots in the shroud adapter improved
fluid bypass both while running in the hole and when pro-
ducing the lower zone.
The two ESP’s were started in sequence and achieved
expected production rates; the lower zone produced at
4,500 Bcf/D, and the upper at
5,500 Bcf/D. Both upper and lower
ESP units operated in accordance
with design expectations.
Its successful installation, start-
up, and subsequent tests proved
the completion design’s viability
while providing valuable informa-
tion for future design modifica-
tions. This field test established
that the equipment could run suc-
cessfully into a 95/8-in. cased well-
bore. Additionally, it confirmed
that the dual completion system
pumps could be started without
any undue mechanical or electrical
problems while maintaining elec-
trical and pressure integrity. The
test also allowed tubing and com-
pletion equipment to be scruti-
nized, and the experiences have
generated lessons learned that will
further enhance future dual ESP
completion installations. This
important technical accomplish-
ment is even more significant given
the early stages of operations in
the region.
AUGUST 2001