Power consumption evaluation for electrical submersible pump systems

Due to cost increase in the current energy market, the requirement for power consumption evaluation and improvement for electrical submersible pump (ESP) systems remains strong. However, there are no developed standards for such evaluation, which makes it a difficult task for the oil industry. This paper intends to introduce suitable approaches and general criteria for the power consumption evaluation and improvement purpose. A comprehensive study and research is performed using two methods to evaluate power consumption for ESP systems. Method 1 is to determine power consumption using the measured KW-hours during a specific period divided by the production rate in barrels per day and by lifted fluid in feet. Method 2 is to calculate overall pumping system efficiency. The status of the two existing methods is that Method 1 is developed with some rule of thumb criteria, while Method 2 unfortunately only consists of a set of calculation formula but no criterion available. Relationship between the two methods is analyzed. General criterion for power consumption evaluation and improvement for ESP wells are proposed in the paper. A case study is provided to clearly demonstrate the application of the criterion.