ESP Monitoring
Sensornet’s Digital Well Integrity provides condition monitoring along the entire completion and is one of the tools used for electric submersible pump (ESP) temperature monitoring. ESPs are often the preferred lift method for high volume, deviated, and deep wells, as they efficiently produce volumes of over 1,000 BPD and require little maintenance and surface equipment. Sensornet’s Digital Well Integrity is based on proprietary fibre optic distributed temperature sensing (DTS) technology. This condition monitoring system assists the Production Engineers to optimize their ESP’s output, whilst continuously monitoring the performance of the entire reservoir providing valuable input to the reservoir model. The monitoring solution also provides early warning of pump wear or degradation. Therefore, to prevent catastrophic failure or plan maintenance of the ESP, early action can be taken.
The Sensornet Monitoring Solution
The complete thermal profile of the well including production zones is monitored ensuring flow assurance by identifying temperatures associated with varying flows. This eliminates the requirement for Y-tools for production logging, as inflow profile information is obtained from the DTS. Larger ESP’s can therefore be run, or smaller casing, saving drilling cost and increasing well production.
In addition to the production interval the entire completion and all components are monitored. This allows the operator to maintain knowledge of the annular liquid level, or any possible tubing leaks to be traced.
In conjunction with the ESP controller the Sensornet DTS system provides real-time alarms and analysis. Sensornet provides a report verifying the integrity of the completion and identifying any potential circulation issues to help the operator optimise future operations.
Benefits of ESP Monitoring
Sensornet offers this unique solution for continuous monitoring of ESPs from the moment the completion is locked down. This monitoring capability is invaluable to the operator and provides the following benefits:
- Improved ESP production performance and increased profitability
- Provide diagnostic capability for ESP integrity
- Determine operating temperature in ESP completions
- Detect faulty pumps, allowing the component to be replaced immediately. Previously each pump stage would have been sequentially checked and replaced
- Optimise well production by reduced pump down time
- Eliminate the need for Y-tools and production logging
- Identify and locate any lost circulation events
- Reduce risk of well control issues for efficient operation
- Identify bypass, casing, tubing or packer leaks
Principle of Measurement
Digital Well Integrity monitoring comprises Sensornet’s fine resolution fibre optic distributed temperature sensing (DTS) technology and leading expertise in data interpretation with our partner FloQuest.
Sensornet’s SureSightTM sensing cables are installed either on the outside of the tubing or casing as a permanent monitoring solution, or alternatively the sensing cable can be run inside the tubing as a logging service. The DTS provides temperature and information every 1m, thus providing complete integrity along the length of the wellbore.
DTS Visualisation and Interpretation of ESP Producers
Our experience in the Middle East with highly deviated artificially lifted wells has shown some significant benefits. The highly deviated well and presence of the ESP most likely mean few or no practical alternatives may be available for flow profiling across the production interval.
The plot below is an example of a highly deviated well, equipped with an ESP, starting production. The ESP is located at approximately 1,600m and can be identified by the temperature step due to the heating of produced fluids by the ESP motor. The production intervals are the coloured vertical stripes shown on FloQuest software. Major producing intervals can be identified by the temperature steps. The horizontal wellbore trajectory meant there was no geothermal temperature difference along the production interval. A global analysis technique was used to create and measure thermal events and the resulting distributed flow.
Start-up of an ESP production well
Click here to download Sensornet ESP monitoring application guide.
