In unconventional wells, the production stream is highly volatile for the initial 90 to 120 days after first oil.
A recent study found that one third of alerts generated by automated production systems in the first 90 days in unconventional wells would have likely led to electric submersible pumping (ESP) system shutdowns if nothing was done to
resolve the underlying problems. While ESP systems provide the most economical, efficient, and flexible recovery solutions, mismanaging early-stage ESP shutdowns can defer production, lead to escalating intervention and workover costs,
and diminish long-term asset value.
If production loss is the first sign of a problem, it may be too late.
During critical phases of production, frac sand flowback, erratic flow rates, and gas slugs can negatively impact the production environment if not addressed quickly and effectively. Production loss should not be the first sign of a
problem.
If you are watching the right indicators at the right time, you can identify threatening conditions early. Changes in pump intake or discharge pressures, fluctuations in motor operating current, excessive vibrations, and temperature spikes or anomalies can lead to long-term production issues if not handled effectively.
By the time you notice a decline in production, it may be too late to reverse permanent effects to your production system. As an ESP system becomes less and less effective, you will likely rack up repair and workover expenses, ultimately risking recovery potential and the value of your asset. Resolving issues before they become threats is critical to maintaining ESP and production system health.
It pays to watch your assets around the clock.
Investing in a 24-hour surveillance service during your most critical phases of production in unconventional wells mitigates the threat of dynamic downhole conditions on production system performance and longevity.
Applications
Two-way surveillance and optimization devices
Electric submersible pumps
Progressive cavity pumps
Maturing wells
Features and benefits
Production optimization expertise
Maximizes production while maintaining system integrity
Manages drawdown to optimize the decline curve
Increases ultimate recovery
ESP management expertise
Minimizes shutdowns
Protects equipment
Reduces maintenance and workover costs
Remote operations
Maximizes pump service life, pump performance, and production
Reduces health, safety, and environmental (HSE) risks, with less personnel traveling to and from field sites
AMBIT PLUS 24/7 production surveillance services protect your unconventional assets
AMBIT PLUS 24/7 production surveillance services combine the industry’s best production monitoring software with real-time decisioning support from Baker Hughes optimization experts. No matter the time or day, when you invest in 24/7
surveillance for your unconventional well, a Baker Hughes expert is monitoring the downhole conditions and production system operations in real time, standing by and ready to help you:
Stabilize production
Reduce operating costs
Extend ESP run life
Reduce health, safety, and environmental (HSE) risks
Resolve problems before they become critical
Based on your preferences, asset goals, and specific production system, Baker Hughes adjusts ESP systems and other equipment as needed to optimize production, minimize the impact of threatening downhole conditions, and limit HSE risks.
From the beginning, the Baker Hughes team continuously logs, processes, and assimilates data and metrics in your unconventional well to establish a unique production profile. Within hours, experts can spot anomalies. Within days, data
and metrics are being updated and evaluated, and then reintegrated into the system to build ongoing production intelligence.
After the well stabilizes, you are left with a rich baseline data set and continuous data feeds that you can use to monitor production throughout the life of the well.
Industry-leading production monitoring software
Integrates seamlessly with no additional IT personnel requirements
Provides real-time and historical data
Offers full data security in a cloud-enabled environment
Allows for customized daily and weekly reports based on customer metrics
Logs all alarms for historical reference
Integrates production data into field reservoir models
Provides mobile access
Maintains full compliance with industry data standards for simple integration with corporate systems
Offers transparent key performance indicators for full traceability of system performance
Integrates instant messaging for direct access to surveillance engineers
Baker Hughes optimization experts
Are available to customers on a 24-hour help line seven days a week
Establish alarm settings based on experience in specific plays, customer-specific requirements, and in-depth knowledge of production ecosystem operations
Adjust production operation set points
Monitor wells for anomalies in temperature (in production zones, motors, and discharge fluid), pump intake pressure, motor operating current, pump discharge pressure, and unit vibration
Continuously examine systems data to determine issues and possible corrective actions
Take immediate steps to perform optimum remediation and mitigate issues
Contact field service or customer field personnel if hands-on remediation is required
Shut down a well if an observed issue immediately threatens asset value, long-term production, or ultimate recovery
An operator was experiencing significant ESP system issues, and was being forced to replace at least one ESP system per year in its onshore and offshore fields. With workover costs reaching as high as USD 4 million, the operator needed
an efficient solution for prolonging ESP run life.
The operator partnered with Baker Hughes to provide round-the-clock monitoring and real-time decisioning support with AMBIT PLUS 24/7 production surveillance services.
In one particular instance, Baker Hughes replaced a previously unmonitored ESP that had run only nine days. Through 24-hour monitoring and constant attention to detail, the team made adjustments to the ESP system as downhole conditions
warranted. That replacement ESP system has remained functional and in service for almost a year as of the publication of this document. Fourteen months after initiating surveillance services across onshore and offshore fields for the
operator, not a single ESP unit has required workover or replacement. Considering the operator was previously averaging one ESP replacement per year—and workovers in the area range from USD 1.5 million to as high as USD 4 million—Baker
Hughes has provided the operator considerable savings while sustaining and enhancing production.