Innovative Rigless-Deployed Electrical Submersible Pump ESP System for Installation at Floating Deep-Water Production Platform

Installing an electrical submersible pumping (ESP) system in an oil well is one of the optimal artificial lift methods to increase production and maximize ultimate recovery. However, installing and retrieving an ESP using an offshore rig is costly and presents planning challenges. In some geographies and projects, offshore intervention rig costs and risks sometimes outweigh the potential gains of an ESP system. An operator in Malaysia was interested in installing an ESP system in an offshore well to maintain production rates, but the intervention costs were a roadblock. The challenge was to devise a rigless ESP deployment system that can be deployed through the existing completion to avoid the need for a rig, even on the initial deployment. The system would need to provide a 2000 BPD flow rate to justify the initial investment of the wellhead modifications, surface equipment, the newly developed rigless-deployed ESP system, and completions accessories. This new generation rigless-deployed ESP system features an inverted ESP with the ESP motor on top, connected directly to the power cable. This revolutionary design eliminates the motor lead extension, removing the weakest connection in traditional ESP systems. The rigless deployed ESP system enables deployment under live well conditions, eliminating the need to kill the well and the need for a rig – inclusive of the initial deployment. This paper reviews the design and deployment process of the first installation in Southeast Asia.