Optimizing recovery, managing cost, and meeting environmental standards in steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) projects make achieving economic success a complex challenge.
Flow assurance and equipment abrasion are the two main challenges in SAGD operations, and the choice of artificial lift will vary with every project:
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Beam pumping units
The overground drive for a reciprocating piston pump installed in an oil well is used to mechanically lift liquid out of the well if there is not enough bottomhole pressure for the liquid to flow all the way to the surface.
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Progressive cavity pumps
A flexible system which offers outstanding resistance to abrasives and solids, but is restricted to setting depths and temperatures. These pumps are very effective in lifting sand along with the produced fluids and are the most efficient with high viscosity fluids.
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Gas lift
A process which involves injecting gas through the tubing-casing annulus. The injected gas aerates the fluid to reduce its density. The formation pressure is then able to lift the oil column and forces the fluid out of the wellbore. Gas may be injected continuously or intermittently.
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Electric submersible pumps (ESPs)
An efficient method of artificial lift that can be used across a wide range of flow rates and depths, ESPs can pump at high rates and can be used with a lower steam-oil ratio (SOR).
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