Installing Sucker Rod Pumping System on a Dual String Well Using Rig-less Intervention - Burgan Field - South East Kuwait

Abstract

The vision of each company in the current oil and gas industry scenario is to utilize the existing field investment to increase oil production at minimum cost. Installing sucker rod pumping unit on a dual string well was a big challenge to achieve, especially when the other string was producing naturally. The manuscript focuses on the challenges accompanied with the identification of well needs, designing phase, planning phase and execution phase.

Meetings have been held with both field development and well surveillance engineers to discuss the challenges to be faced to install a sucker rod pumping unit. The challenges were to occupy a turn in the rig schedule that have been set for the rest of the quarter, to install the surface unit in presence of a well head set on a high level to meet dual string surface set up and in downhole pump installation to be set through a 3.5-in. tubing with no rig accessThe solution was to use a unique way of installation by utilizing the available equipment without having the need of using a rig.

Running downhole insert pump using a insert pump anchor was the solution to set the pump at any desired depth inside the 3.5" tubing. That will only require a flush-by unit access with no need to remove the current surface set up for the dual strings. The well head for the desired well was set to 11.5 ft above ground level creating a big challenge that has been solved by using 6 portable gravel pans that can be re-located later to lift the surface unit with 6 ft to be installed above the desired string.

Successfully installing the sucker rod pumping unit in such way resulted the following benefits:

Achieve required oil recovery from the string without affecting the other naturally flowing one.

Eliminated work over Operation and stand by time costs.

Reduced No-Production period.

Installed downhole pump with the capability of retrieving the pump and/or converting the artificial lift method if required with no rig intervention.

Successful installation of a sucker rod system on a dual string well for the first time in Kuwait in Burgan field, is now considered a solution for dual string wells to optimize oil recovery with minimum cost, and is being considered as a reference for rig-less interventions with the capability of changing the type of lift in future.