Introduction

When reservoir pressure is insufficient to sustain the flow of oil to the surface at adequate
rates,natural flow must be aided by artifial lifts. There are two basic form of artifial
lift:continuous gas lift and mchanical/bottomhole pumping. In this chapter we discussed
mechanical lift/bottomhole pumping.

The bottomhole pumping method supplement the natural drive energy of the reservoir and
increase the flow by reducing backpressure at the wellbore caused by flowing fluids in the
tubing.

The rate –pressure relationship of a well is used for investigating the need to imtroduce artificial
lift, selecting the most suitable lift system, and determining its size and capacity. Two artifical
lift systems are disscused in this section:positive and daynamic displacement pumps. The
discussion emphasizes the rate –pressure characterstics of each system and explain how it is used
to:

1. Identify candidats for artificial lift:whch wells presently or some time in the future will
produce more economically with artificial lift?
2. Determine the most sutaible artifical lift method to macth a particular condition of a well
and of a fields.

Methods of downhole pumping

Downhole pumping is accomplished by oprating a pump at the bottomhole of the wel. Dowehole
pumps boost the transfer of the liquid from the bottomhole to the wellhead, eliminating the
backpressure caused by the flowing fluid in the tubing.
The production rate is increased by reducing wellbore flowing pressure. In principle,the method
achieve the same results as lowering wellhead pressureor increasing the tubing size in natural
flowing wells, but because bottomhole pumping consumes asignificant amounts of generated
energy, it is introduced only after all adjustments in natural flow system are exahausted. The IPR
cvrve relates the wellbore flowing pressure Pwf to flow rate at the surface. The pressure traverse
curve at a given wellhead pressure determines the tubing intake backpressure Pin at qa particular
flow rate. Stable production can only exist if these two pressure, Pwf and Pin, are equal. In the
pumping well, the pump provides the pressure difference Pin-Pwf needed to overcome tubing
backpreesureand sustain stable flow.

Figure 1 condition in wells producing with the aid of bottomhole pumping.

The effects and approach to handling the bottom hole free gas in pumping wells, free gas
segregate from the liquid before fluid enters the pump, being vented to the surface through the
tubing/ casing annulus. Eliminating free gas in pumps is a fundamental requirement for efficient
pumping.

Figure 1 indicates the limit on production rate achieved by the bottom hole pumping method.
This method may pump the reservoir fluid at rates approaching the absolute open flow.an
important observation in the pressure diagram is that there exists a relationship between the
wellbore pressure, and the casing head backpressure. The relationship plays a significant
important role in determining the pumping setting depth and its allowable pumping rate.