Comparison of Three Artificial Lift Operations in the Niger Delta

Abstract

More than 70% of oil-producing wells require some form of artificial lift to increase the flow of fluids from subsurface to the surface when a reservoir no longer has sufficient energy to produce at economic rates. This situation has been observed in the Niger Delta oil wells over the past years and has caused the abandonment of reservoirs with a significant volume of  hydrocarbon. Data from two oil wells that could not flow naturally to the surface have been  obtained from an oil company operating in the Niger Delta. The arm of this study is to optimize the  production of two oil wells using an artificial lift system. To increase production and extend the life of these wells, artificial lift projects were considered. This was done with the aid of Integrated   Production Modelling (IPM) tool in Petroleum Expert suite. Two wells were simulated using the obtained data, and their production performances were evaluated. The well’s   production outputs were optimized using artificial lift systems, that is electric submersible pump (ESP), hydraulic pump (HP), and gas lift (GL). The results obtained showed that the ESP wells have the highest oil production rate compared to GL and HP respectively. An economic analysis was carried out using Net Present Value (NPV), Profitability Index (PI) and Internal Rate of Return (IRR). In terms of economic comparison, ESP is the most viable project  with the highest NPV, PI and IRR Hence, the ESP technology proved to be the best technology for sustaining a high production rate, increasing revenue and proved to be economically viable in Niger Delta oil fields.