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Chapter

Pumping System of Heavy Oil

Production
Tarek Ganat

Abstract

The geological features of the hydrocarbon reservoir and the inconsequential

mobility of the heavy oil make the recovery process challenging. Recently,
commercial interest has been developed in heavy oil production systems with the
advent of improved drainage area by drilling multilateral and horizontal wells and
highly deviated wells at shallow reservoirs. Moreover, other new recovery methods
were developed such as downhole technologies that include cold or thermal pro-
duction. Commonly, artificial lift techniques are utilized when the well cannot
offload naturally at its economical rate. This is applicable for heavy oil reservoirs,
where high viscosity along with the reservoir pressure drop will avoid the wells to
produce naturally. Producing heavy oil together with associated water from the
reservoir can create emulsions, which may cause high loads on artificial lift
methods, along with high power consumption and requirements of expensive
chemicals. The optimization and the selection of handling viscous oils; had a fun-
damental impact on the development of pimps. This chapter reviews the applica-
tions and types of pumping systems as an artificial lift in the heavy oil production
process and reviews the pumping system performance, and its future development,
as well as the expected technical challenges.

Keywords: artificial lift, pump systems, multiphase flow, heavy oil, oil recovery

1. Introduction

Globally, the heavy oil reserves have become more important as a future energy
source. An excess of 50% of the world’s hydrocarbons have an oil gravity of
<20° API. These hydrocarbon assets are normally bitumen and heavy oil, where
most of these deposits are located in China, Canada, Venezuela, and Russia. Typi-
cally, the heavy oil viscosity is varied within the range of 500 and 15,000 cP, and for
bitumen, it’s about 100,000 cP. Such crudes are usually found in shallow reservoirs
(300–600 m depths), and normally the average flow rate of an individual well can
be from 1 to 70 m3/day. Therefore, to reach economic production rates, all oil wells
need to be pumped at low bottom-hole pressures. Besides, hydrocarbons are
typically produced from unconsolidated reservoirs which are susceptible to sand
production that can exceed above 30% by volume.
Typically, 60% of producing oil wells need some additional lift systems to pump
the reservoir oil. Conventionally, heavy oil wells are using beam pumping as an
artificial lift system. However, beam pump is used for low flow rate wells; besides
this pump has many operating problems. Alternatively, there are many types of

1
Processing of Heavy Crude Oils - Challenges and Opportunities

pumps which are recently employed as a primary option in heavy oil wells, such as
progressing cavity pump (PCP), jet pumps, and electric submersible pump (ESP).
These wells are normally producing at low bottom-hole pressure, low gas-oil ratio,
and low bubble-point pressure, high water-cut, or low °API oil gravity. This chapter
reviews the application of different pumping systems as an artificial lift in the heavy
oil production process. The main focus of the chapter is on types of pump and
their applications and reviews the pumping system performance, and its future
development, as well as the expected technical challenges.

2. Production of heavy oils

Heavy oil production is a developing skill for producing heavy oil in economical
amounts. There are several ways to produce heavy oil and bring to the surface such
as primary, secondary, and tertiary recovery. Since oil mobility is a function of
effective permeability and oil viscosity, the efficiency of a well production is related
to the delivery of reservoir zone thickness and mobility [2]. Figure 1 displays the oil
recovery mechanism as identified by Pinczewski [3] and Ershagi (1994) [c], and
Figure 2 shows the expected recovery factor from every method. The enhanced oil
recovery (EOR) processes can be categorized into three main groups as stated
below. The approaches have their own characteristics and mostly linked to the kind
of oil remaining in the reservoir and reservoir characteristics.

1. Chemical

a. Surfactant flooding

b.Micellar polymer flooding

c. Polymer flooding

d.Alkaline atau caustic flooding

Figure 1.
Oil recovery mechanism (source: Pinczewski (1993)) [3].

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Pumping System of Heavy Oil Production
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87077

Figure 2.
Oil recovery from each stage (source: DALEEL) [4].

2. Thermal

a. Steam flooding

b.Fire flooding

3. Miscible

a. Carbon dioxide flooding

b.Nitrogen and flue gas flooding

c. Enriched hydrocarbon gas flooding

Things that are essential to be considered in the EOR method

1. Physical properties

2. Reservoir type

3. Structure and physical properties of porous media

4.Fluid condition in porous media

5. Mobilization of oil remaining

6. Adsorption process

2.1 Primary recovery

2.1.1 Natural flow

The first oil extraction process from the reservoir rock is known as primary
recovery (utilizing the natural energy). It’s the first production phase of hydrocar-
bons, where the well depends on the natural flow of the oil because of pressure
differences between reservoir pressure and the well bottom-hole pressure. Besides,
using pumping lift systems such as an electrical submersible pump is also known as

3
Processing of Heavy Crude Oils - Challenges and Opportunities

a primary recovery technique. These approaches are normally named as natural

drive mechanism. The recovery factor from conventional oil production is above
30%, but for heavy oil, it is within 5–10% [5]. When natural lift pressure is not
enough to move the oil to the wellbore or to lift the oil to the surface, once the
reservoir depleted, then the primary recovery stage has reached its maximum
extraction limit. Normally, heavy oils cannot be produced via natural flow from the
reservoir to surface. There are some heavy oil wells which that can be produced
naturally, but at a very low production rate (
20 stb/d), with recovery factor
within the low range of 6–9% of the oil in place; specific to densities ranging
between 9 to 20° API, and viscosities range from 1000-13,000 cP or more, together
with low reservoir pressures.

2.2 Secondary recovery

Once primary recovery methods seize to produce the oil naturally, secondary
recovery methods will kick off which is the next phase of producing the oil from the
reservoir and to bring the oil to the surface. Basically, these approaches include
injecting additional energy sources (supplementary energy) into the reservoir to
maintain and increase the reservoir pressure. These artificial approaches contain
natural gas reinjection, water injection, and CO2 injection as show in Figures 3 and 4.
With time the artificial pressure loses efficiency as the residual heavy oil is extremely
viscous to flow and is detained by sandstone in the reservoirs [6]. The total recovery
factor of the heavy oil including the primary recovery approaches will be within the
range of 10–25% [7].

Figure 3.
Enhanced oil recovery using CO2 injection (source: NETL (2010)) [8].

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Pumping System of Heavy Oil Production
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Figure 4.
Illustrating waterflooding technique of secondary recovery (source: NETL (2010)) [8].

2.3 Tertiary recovery

Tertiary recovery is generally denoted as enhanced oil recovery. It is an

approach of extracting oil through thermal and nonthermal processes after most of
the oil has been extracted by primary and secondary recovery methods [9]. Mainly,
EOR is used to extract the heavy oil trapped in porous media of reservoir rock which
is too viscous to flow. The most common approaches for tertiary recovery are
thermal, chemical, and miscible enhanced recovery.
For nonthermal approaches, chemicals and microbes are used to release trapped
heavy oil and carbon dioxide under pressure. However, thermal approaches are
generally steam injection which is the most effective means of decreasing viscosity
and mobilizing heavy oil [7].

2.4 Thermal methods of recovery steam-based processes

2.4.1 Steam injection

Steam injection is commonly used for high viscous oil. The main objective of the
steam injection is to heat up and force the oil to the wellbore by the pressurized steam
depicted in Figure 5. Generally, the EOR methods are costly because of the required
external energy resources and materials. Consequently, the volume of heavy oil to be
extracted from a reservoir rock is a function of economics [10]. As a result of this,
engineers must start to study in more details the reservoir rock permeability, pore
media, and oil viscosity, together with the reservoir heterogeneity, where all these
issues affect the success of any recovery technique. Overall steam injection efficacy is
the product of the sweeping capability and displacement competence.

2.4.2 Cyclic steam stimulation

Cyclic steam stimulation (CSS) is one of the main EOR approaches for heavy oil
production. The notion of the CSS is that the steam is injected into the reservoir via
a production well for a period of time. Then the well is closed and permitted to soak
by steam for some period of time before it returns to production. CSS was applied in

5
Processing of Heavy Crude Oils - Challenges and Opportunities

Figure 5.
Illustrating the thermal flooding technique (source: Steam EOR 1.Jpg (2008)) [8].

many heavy oil wells in the Middle East. Various cycles were done in these wells.
However, the total amount of produced water for each cycle was considerably less
than estimated.

2.4.3 Steam-assisted gravity drainage

Steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) comprises pairs of a high-angle injec-

tion wells with an adjacent production well drilled along a parallel trajectory
depicted in Figure 6. Normally, steam is injected via the upper well. Once the steam
rises and spreads, it will heat up the heavy oil trapped in the porous media,
decreasing its viscosity. Then assisted by the gravity forces, the oil will be drained
into the lower well where it is produced [11]. Generally, the steam injection involves
two core approaches, cyclic steam injection, and steam flooding.

2.4.4 Cyclic steam injection

The fundamental idea of the cyclic steam injection (CSC) is to inject hot steam
through a single well for a period of time. A CSC method contains three phases (see
Figure 7). The first phase is injection, through which a slug of steam is injected into
the reservoir. The second phase requires that the well is shut for some days to permit
equal heat spreading to thin the oil. Finally, throughout the third phase, the thinned
oil is produced over the same well. The same cycle process is repeated many times as
far as oil production is still profitable. Commonly, the cyclic steam injection process is
used widely in heavy oil reservoirs and tar sands and also can be used to enhance
injectivity prior to steam flood process and in combustion processes. Steam injection

6
Pumping System of Heavy Oil Production
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87077

Figure 6.
Illustrating steam-assisted gravity drainage (source: Markham Hislop (2017)) [12].

Figure 7.
Cyclic steaming processes. First, steam is injected at high pressure; second, the steam thins the viscous oil; and
third, the oil is produced up to the surface (source: Lyz Hoffman (2014)) [13].

is typically used in both horizontal and vertical wells producing high viscosity as high
as 100,000 cP. Normally in CSC wells, oil can be both viscous and solid. Usually, CSC
is termed “steam soak” or the “huff ‘n puff” (slang) technique. Normally, CSC
recovery factor is within the range of 10–20% of the initial oil in place [13].

7
Processing of Heavy Crude Oils - Challenges and Opportunities

2.4.5 Continuous steam injection (steam flooding)

Continuous steam injection is a new method to manage heat flow in the reservoir
and to decrease the temperature of the fluids at production wells in that way
avoiding shut-in made by high temperature (Figure 8). The best injection plan with
different pressure and fixed steam quality has shown to have the biggest oil recov-
ery given the same quantity of energy injected under various reservoir sets. Steam is
injected at high temperature and high pressure via an injector well. The oil recovery
of this technique is more than the cyclic steam injection method, and it’s more
practical and efficient. It has lower thermal efficacy than CSC and needs a larger
surface area. This method needs one well for steam injection and another well for oil
production [15]. Typically, the recovery factor of the steam flooding method is
about 50% of the initial oil in place [9].

2.4.6 Combustion processes

The combustion process, also referred as fire flooding, challenges the recovery
of more heavy oil by a flare-up of a part of the oil in place by injecting either
oxygen, air, or chemical or by electrical shock (see Figure 9). This decreases the
heavy oil viscosity and heats the oil in place, and the oil is moved out by a combi-
nation of steam, hot water, and gas drive. This method appeared always to be very
suitable, mainly when we need to recover bitumen from tar sand deposits.
Normally, the temperature of the combustion process can reach up to 700°C. This
temperature can be observed at the combustion front [17–23]. Typically, the com-
bustion technique is applied to hydrocarbon reservoirs of low API gravity oil. By
using the combustion method, the heavy oil gravity can be upgraded from 2 to
6° API (Ramey et al., 1992). Forward combustion includes a drive of the burning
front in a similar direction as the injected air; where the reverse combustion
includes a drive of the burning front opposite to the direction of the injected air.

Figure 8.
Diagram shows steam flooding (source: Alhakiki (2012)) [16].

8
Pumping System of Heavy Oil Production
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87077

Figure 9.
Schematic of combustion processes (source: Rob Kendall (2009)) [23].

Figure 10.
Schematic of downhole diluent injection method (source: Arnaud Hoffmann (2016)) [25].

2.5 Downhole diluent injections for a heavy oil field

Many previous studies proved the diluent injection with ESP can be an efficient
artificial lift method for heavy oil reservoirs. It consists of injecting a light hydro-
carbon liquid to reduce the oil density and viscosity depicted in Figure 10. This
recovery method makes use of several kinds of diluents injected downhole to
decrease heavy oil viscosity in the reservoir. Normally the diluents used such as
kerosene, naphtha, and light oil or may be injected into the drain and blended with
heavy oil. Numerous field experiences show that the use of diluents allows the
viscosity of the heavy oil to decrease from 100,000 to <1000 cP. The diluted fluid
is then returned back to the surface by a downhole pump such as progressive cavity
pumps (PCP). There are many diluent injection operations that extracted heavy oil
of 7.5–9° API. The API quality of heavy oil has been upgraded to high commercial
quality (32° API). For instance, a case study for extra heavy oil is produced from the
1300 meter horizontal section through downhole ESP pumps. The diluent fluid used
has 46° API gravity of naphtha. In the diluent fluid injected at the bottom of the
slotted liner, the diluent fluid transfers gradually in the horizontal part of the drain

9
Processing of Heavy Crude Oils - Challenges and Opportunities

through the influence of the pressure differential created by pump process. The
heavy oil gradually moves from the reservoir to the liner and reaches the pump
intake section with decreased heavy oil viscosity that is suitable for the pump
efficiency. The heavy oil viscosity at reservoir conditions was 10,000 cP at 50°C,
but once mixed with 20% naphtha, the viscosity value decreased down to 200 cP.
The mixed pumped fluid viscosity can be simply attuned by the rate of diluent
injected downhole through the injection line.

3. Artificial lift systems

Well artificial lift plan is a strategic aspect in the production of heavy oils.
Obviously, some types of artificial lift was required in order for the oil to flow and
return the flow rate of the oil to their normal rates to maximize the ultimate oil
recovery. The choice of which artificial lift technique is to be used is very significant
for the long-term profitability of the oil field. An inappropriate selection of artificial
lift can decrease production and raise the operating cost significantly. After a
decision has been taken, it can be hardly changed whether or not the technique
selected was suitable for the existing conditions.
The selection procedure of the lifting method to be used, which are confined to
the operating life of surface and downhole equipment, maintenance, environmental
concerns, and cost. Therefore, there are several configurations of downhole oil
pump systems including pumps and drivers as described below.

3.1 Hydraulic pumping systems

Hydraulic pumping is one of the artificial lift methods used since the early 1930s.
Hydraulic pumping systems can be used at different oil well production conditions
(Figure 11). This type of pump was installed at different setting depths ranging
from 400 to 20,000 ft. with varying production flow rates from 80 to more than
20,000 STB/D. The pump has surface speed drive box ranging from 15 to 625 hp.
which makes the downhole pumping rate to be controlled on the surface.
The basic operating process of the pump is that the power fluid is pumped from
the surface facilities to activate the downhole piston together with a reciprocating
piston pump (refer to Figure 12). The power fluid acts on a piston like a steam
engine, and the power fluid could be oil or water. The power fluid transfers to the
piston and returns back to surface over another pipe if a closed loop power fluid is
used. In the open power fluid design, the power fluid is combined with the produc-
tion once flowing to the surface. To control the corrosion, chemicals can be injected
downhole along with the power fluid. The advantage of using this pump is the
power fluid which can be heated for handling heavy oil. The pump is appropriate
for deviated wells which might be difficult for other artificial lift methods. The
pump surface facilities have a small footprint and can be assembled into one main
battery to service many wells. Commonly, hydraulic pumps are applied primarily in
very deep oil wells that are producing at great volumes which cannot be handled by
using beam pump systems.

3.1.1 Types of hydraulic pump systems

Generally, it can be used in low API oil gravity wells and in wells with high
paraffin contents. Also used in the wells that failed to use any other artificial lift
techniques or, because of well conditions. It’s used in deep and deviated wells
including sandy and corrosive wells. Hydraulic pumping systems are quite

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Pumping System of Heavy Oil Production
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Figure 11.
A schematic of the downhole assembly piston pump (source: Cholet H, 2004) [26].

expensive, but they may have a good application where other artificial lift tech-
niques may not be possible.

3.1.1.1 Piston pump

A piston pump includes a motor at one end and a plunger pump at the other end
(Figure 13). Hydraulic fluid is forced down the completion string at very high
pressure and goes in a reciprocating motor. The motor mechanism is piston-like
pump which is forces the produced hydrocarbons to the surface throughout the

11
Processing of Heavy Crude Oils - Challenges and Opportunities

Figure 12.
Diagram of hydraulic pumping surface facility system (source: SPE) [27].

Figure 13.
Hydraulic piston pumps (source: Conoco Inc., 1990 [29]).

casing annulus. Normally, the hydraulic fluid is used as a power fluid. Once both
hydraulic fluid and produced fluids reach the surface, the hydraulic fluid is
separated and reused again as the power fluid.

3.1.1.2 Jet pump

Jet pumps have been applied in the oil industry for more than 75 years. A jet
pump is one of artificial lift methods, and it can be applied when depth and
deviation of producing wells increase and reservoir pressure depleted (Figure 14).
A jet pump is used in thermal production as it’s not directly affected by the high
temperature of the fluids. This pump can considerably reduce the risk of equipment
failure in the wellbores because it has no moving parts. These pumps are in the
family of thermo-compressors, and they are categorized as “eductors” as they are
considered for a liquid to pump a liquid (incompressible liquid). The pump is set
downhole and pulled up the well for retrieval by using pressurized fluid.

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Figure 14.
Typical jet pump system (source: Cholet H, 2004) [26].

Normally, this process is using a pump at the surface to generate high-pressure

power fluid to be transmitted downhole via tubing or through an annular casing.
The power fluid moves into the pump and goes via a nozzle, where almost the
whole pressure of the power fluid is transformed into a velocity head if no loss
happens. The velocity of the power fluid can reach up to 70 m/s from the nozzle
outlet section into the production inlet chamber linked to the pump intake section.
Both production fluid and power fluid returned back to the surface over the pro-
duction pipes. Comparing with other pump systems, hydraulic efficacies of jet
pumps are lower in the range of 20–30%. A jet pump can produce high rates and can
handle free gas as well, though it’s not as efficient as a positive displacement pump,
therefore needing higher horsepower requirements at the surface [28].
A jet pump is very suitable in specific conditions, for instance, when high
production rates are preferred. The pump is suitable for handling viscous, corrosive,
and heavy crude oils. Besides, locations where beam pumping units cannot be
installed, such as inhabited regions, offshore oil fields, and gas lift, are not accessi-
ble. The pump is attractive in horizontal, deviated, deep, and high-temperature
wells. Also, it has excellent solid-handling capabilities and has long operational life
(average of 4 years). Moreover, it has tolerance for gas and solids production, and it
has low installation and workover costs.

3.2 Beam pump systems

Beam pump is an artificial lift pumping system applying power source at a

surface to transmit the energy to a downhole pump assembly. Producing heavy oil
from shallow reservoirs using beam pump systems needs accurate design mainly for
downhole assembly to get maximum production performance and maximize the
run life.
A beam and crank assembly creates reciprocating motion in a sucker rod string
that attaches to the downhole pump assembly. The pump comprises a plunger and

13
Processing of Heavy Crude Oils - Challenges and Opportunities

valve assembly to transform the reciprocating motion to vertical fluid movement.

Figure 15 shows typical beam pumps.

3.2.1 Classification

The hollow sucker rod electric heating device can be divided into a pumping unit
device, subsurface pump and screw pump hollow sucker rod device. Tables 1–3
show the sucker rod electric technical data.

3.3 Progressive cavity pump systems

PCP was developed in 1930. Currently, this pump is used to produce heavy oil in
any kind of wells: vertical, deviated, or horizontal. A PCP is essentially made of two
helical gears, one inside the other (Figure 16). Table 4 displays the lift selection
guidelines. The suitable use of each lift type is reliant to the type of the reservoir
fluid, reservoir pressure, and production rate as estimated by inflow and outflow
system.
The metallic rotor is a single helical “rotating” inside the stator based on a double
helical elastomer-lined nitrile in most cases. The external gear or stator has a double
helical shape, one more than the internal single helical gear rotor. When the rotor
is rotating, the fluid transfers together with the pump axis inside the cavities

Figure 15.
Typical beam pumps (source Conoco, 1990) [29].

Rod outer diameter 34 mm 36 mm 42 mm

Rod thickness 5.0 and 5.5 mm 5.5, 6.0 and 6.5 mm 6.0 mm

Coupling outer diameter 50 mm 50 mm 60 mm

Thread size 1–9/16" 1–9/16" 1–7/8”

Grade D

Table 1.
Hollow sucker rod.

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Pumping System of Heavy Oil Production
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Heating core sectional area mm2 3  8.4 mm2

Outer diameter of cable 18–20 mm

Outer protect layer Stainless steel wire armor weave

Withstand voltage ≥2500 V

Length Underground length + ground length

Temperature-resist grade Long-time working temperature: 200°C (C grade)

Electrical performance Insulation resistance >50 MΩ, AC withstand voltage test 2500 V

Tensile strength ≥50 Mpa

Table 2.
Heating cable.

Rated power KVA 35, 50, 75, 100, 135

Input voltage Three phase 380 V
5%，50HZ，three phase 440 V
5%, 60 HZ

Output voltage Single phase 160–900 is available

Power factor cos θ ≥ 0.95

Three phase imbalance percent ≤10%

Table 3.
Electric control cabinet.

present between the rotor and stator. The flow rate is a function of many parame-
ters, for example, pumps eccentricity, rotor diameter, length of the stator pitch, and
rotation speed. Manufacturers can provide a catalog of pumps with a wide range of
well conditions as a function of reservoir fluid types, flow rates, pressure heads, and
for any type of fluid viscosity.
PCP is normally driven at the surface, but it can be driven by a downhole
electrical submersible motor. When PCPs are driven from the surface (refer to
Figure 17), the stator is screwed at the tubing extremity, and the rotor is fixed to the
drive string of sucker rods. On the surface, the drive head, absorbing the force of
the sucker rods, is operated by an electric motor and a speed reducer. Most of the
downhole assembly is driven in this way.
The PCP pumps can operate at high efficiency for high viscosity cruds, high
sand, low productivity wells, and in horizontal and deviated wells. Besides, it has a
small footprint on the surface. Besides, the pump has some disadvantages, where
the pump has restricted production rate, lift depth, and temperature tolerance. In
the case of horizontal and deviated well profile, where malfunction can cause tubing
leaks made by wear or failure of the sucker rod drive shaft, the PCP is not allowed to
pump dry, and the completion string must be pulled out of the well to change the
pump.

3.4 Electrical submersible pump

An ESP is a centrifugal pump driven by a downhole electrical motor (see

Figure 18). ESP surface facilities contain power system and transformers and con-
nectors to the wellhead. Normally, ESP pumps are installed for high flow rates
(from 150 to 150,000 bopd) dependent on size and pressure gain and variable speed
controllers. These pumps are not suitable for very viscous untreated oil, but ESPs
can be applied to lift oil production after injection of diluents fluids (reduced the

15
Processing of Heavy Crude Oils - Challenges and Opportunities

Figure 16.
Progressive cavity pump (source: John Martinez (2017)) [28].

viscosity). An example of the electric submersible pump/motor assembly is given in

Figure 18. The efficiency of the pump is very dependent on the design of the flow
rate which must carefully be optimized based on the reservoir deliverability. More-
over, the wellhead of the ESP system needs to have an electric cable entering. The
downhole electrical submersible assembly contains an electrical power cable,
motor, motor protector, and centrifugal pump.
Thermal recovery offers several limitations for ESP pumps because of the high
temperature applied to the electric motor, electric parts, power cable, and pump
assemblies. ESP manufacturers present different designs for high-temperature

16
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87077
Pumping System of Heavy Oil Production
Rod lift Progressing cavity Gas lift Plunger lift Hydraulic piston Hydraulic jet Electric
submersible

Operating depth (ft) To 16,000 TVD To 6000 TVD To 15,000 TVD To 19,000 TVD To 17,000 TVD To 15,000 TVD To 15,000 TVD

Operating volume To 5000 BPD To 4500 BPD To 30,000 BPD To 50 BPD 50–4000 BPD 300–>15,000 BPD 200–30,000 BPD

Operating 100/500°F 75/250°F 100/400°F 120/500°F 100/500°F 100/500°F 100/400°F

temperature

Corrosion handling Good to excellent Fair Good to excellent Excellent Good Excellent Good

Gas handling Fair to good Fair Excellent Excellent Fair Good Poor to fair

Solid handling Fair to good Excellent Good Poor to fair Poor Good Poor to fair

Fluid gravity >8° API <35° API >35° API GLR required 300scf/bbl./1000 0
>8° API >8° API >10° API
depth

Servicing Workover or pulling Workover or pulling Wireline or Wellhead catcher or wireline Hydraulic or Hydraulic or Workover or pulling
rig rig workover wireline wireline rig

Prime mover Gas engine or Gas engine or Compressor Wells’ natural energy Gas engine or Gas engine or Electric motor
electric electric electric electric

Offshore application Limited Good Excellent N/A Good Excellent Excellent

Overall system 40–60% 40–70% 10–30% N/A 45–55% 10–30% 35–60%

efficiency

Table 4.
Lift selection guidelines (John Martinez (2017)) [28].
Processing of Heavy Crude Oils - Challenges and Opportunities

Figure 17.
Typical progressing cavity pumping system (source: SPE) [27].

reservoir fluids, for example, “hotline production” equipment with operating

temperature ratings up to 550°F for the power cable and motor.

3.5 Gas lift systems

Gas lift is a type of artificial lift techniques used to lower the producing bottom-
hole pressure to achieve a higher oil production rate. The principle of gas lift method
is that gas injected into the tubing string decreases the density of the fluids in the pipe
and lets the two-phase mixture to flow up to the surface. There are two main kinds of
gas lift techniques being applied today which are continuous and intermittent flow.
Typically, natural gas is continuously injector under high pressure through tubing or
through the annular between casing and production pipe into the pocket mandrels
along the production tubing. At high-temperature the multiphase flow will be pro-
duced at the surface (refer to Figure 19). Normally, gas compressor pressure and rate
parameters are modified based on the gas lift constraint depicted in Figure 20. Gas
lift is commonly used with SAGD heavy oil production in Canada.

3.5.1 Applications of gas lift

Gas lift is mainly appropriate for lifting fluids in wells that have a low amount of
gas produced with the oil. Gas compressors are almost mounted to collect the

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Figure 18.
Typical electric submersible pump (source: John Martinez (2017)) [28].

produced gas and designed to be used for the gas lift system. The flexibility of gas
lift, in terms of production rates and depth of lift, can seldom be matched by other
methods of artificial lift if adequate injection gas pressure and volume are available.
Gas lift is very suitable for highly deviated wells which produce sand and high gas-
liquid ratios. There is no other method that suitable for through-flowline ocean-
floor completions as a gas lift system. Besides, wireline-retrievable gas lift valves
can be replaced without killing a well or pulling the tubing. Individual well
downhole tools are low-cost. The surface gas lift facilities for injection gas control
are simple and need low maintenance and nearly no space for installation. Usually,
the reported high overall reliability and lower effective costs for a gas lift method
are more to other techniques of lift.

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Processing of Heavy Crude Oils - Challenges and Opportunities

Figure 19.
Diagram of injection gas cycle for gas lifting well (courtesy of Schlumberger).

Figure 20.
Diagram of a gas lift system (courtesy of Schlumberger).

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Pumping System of Heavy Oil Production
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4. Future development of pumping system performance

Pump monitoring is a crucial factor in prolonging the working life of all kinds of
downhole pump systems. Currently, it is feasible to measure the downhole and
surface pressure and temperatures using sensors that are connected to data control-
lers to decrease the risk of “pump off”: a lack of fluid to lubricate the pump,
allowing heat to build up which would damage the elastomer stator of any type of
pump. Advanced controller alarms can set parameters to reduce risk, extend pump
working life and improve the total oil produced.
The pumping system needs more development to handle the operating cost,
mainly for operation and maintenance either for single equipment or the whole
system. Regularly, oil producers are just focused on the instant demands of the
equipment, and they do not realize how the system parameters are affecting this
equipment. A system method studies for both supply and demand sides of the
system and how they can act together, shifting the attention from a single compo-
nent to the total pumping system performance. Normally, most types of pump
failure are leakage, fouling, valve failure, and cracks in pipe chains. Assessing
pumping system performance is required to solving such pump failure and finding
enhancement opportunities. In endeavoring to find out solutions or search for
techniques to develop pump performance, assessing only the components instead of
the entire pumping system can cause analysts to manage potential cost savings. For
instance, although a pump may be functioning efficiently, it could be producing
more flow than the system needs. Therefore, it is essential to evaluate system
efficacy based on how the end uses are worked by the pumps.
In the future, pumps need to be more reliable and proficient in functioning for a
long time before requiring maintenance. Pumps must be safer to work, use less
space, use less power, less noise and temperature. Additionally, the need to improve
corrosion resistance and as well as the reliability of working in the high-temperature
environment. Consequently, pumps will be friendlier to the environment and run-
ning with less power to decrease their carbon footprint. As well, the use of more
recycled materials with fewer consumables, in that way helping to decrease whole
pumps costs. Pumps are required to be easier to clean, overhaul, and reconstructed.
Generally, there are several chances to increase the reliability, performance, and
efficacy of pumping systems in the oil industry. Definitely, the next generation of
important savings for pump operators belongs to a broader pumping system opti-
mization method. This certainly needs a middle way, taking the proper mix of the
best suitable available technology combinations for certain applications.

5. Technical challenges

Engineers and facilities and pump designers will encounter enormous challenges
in developing heavy oil reservoirs, such as crude oil properties and composition,
flow assurance, lifting process, and operations.

5.1 Fluid properties and composition

Proper experimental methods are required to properly characterize heavy oil

emulsions at conditions that will come across in the actual production process.
Correctly describing the apparent viscosity of an emulsion phase is an even bigger
challenge. The viscosity of the crude could be very important description tool than
the API gravity. Transport of high viscosity crudes can be a major flow assurance

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Processing of Heavy Crude Oils - Challenges and Opportunities

challenge for future developments. Skills at many fields in the design phase are
important trends in heavy crude properties and description needs. Therefore, high
oil viscosity, low reservoir energy, and cold ambient temperatures make recovery
and transport of heavy oils a challenge. Heavy crudes have a lower market value due
to low oil gravity, high sulfur content, and higher TAN numbers. Crude oil
upgrading processes have CAPEX and OPEX intensives. With the vapor extraction
process, a vaporized hydrocarbon solvent is injected into the reservoir to dilute the
heavy crude and extract the lighter components while leaving the heavier ends
behind. This technology essentially performs in situ upgrading of the heavy crude.
The possibility of organizing any upgrading process will be technically and eco-
nomically challenging.
Typically, some of the reservoirs are producing heavy oil and water. This can
create emulsions, which generate high loads on lifting systems with more chemical
and energy consumption. The capability to drive sand together with high viscosity
fluids has made the pump systems the best alternative option for managing heavy
oil production. Many challenges will meet pump designers to develop heavy oil
reservoirs that have high viscosity and low initial pressure and temperature.
Besides, heavy oil producers may face possible gas and water inflow on low-
producing mature fields.

5.2 Reservoir characterization

The main challenge related to the characterization of deepwater and heavy oil
reservoirs is that this must be accomplished with quite fewer reservoir penetrations.
This means having to address and manage more uncertainties and risks with less
information. This is a function of the greater drilling costs in deep water and the
more marginal economics of these types of developments. Fewer well penetrations
mean fewer database available such as logs, cores, tests, and fluid samples that are
very significant in characterizing, measuring, and managing heavy oil reservoir
uncertainty and risk. Consequently, deepwater heavy oil reservoirs are integrally
characterized not only by greater unit development and production costs and lower
product cost but also by greater reservoir uncertainty and well performance risk.

5.3 Impact of heavy oil on flow assurance mitigation strategies

The reservoir describes the main flow assurance challenges based upon reservoir
fluid properties, phase behavior, composition, and initial reservoir conditions. Other
ecological elements such as water depth, offset distance, ambient conditions, and
development model also influence the approaches and processes employed to control
flow assurance risks. Hydrate formation is a probability in essentially all offshore
production systems if water is existing and ambient temperatures are cool. Reservoir
fluid composition impacts the potential for wax and asphaltene problems. For steady-
state conditions, the heavy oil viscosities should be controllable with proper protec-
tion. Appropriate modeling of transient operations could pose a bigger challenge.

5.4 Operations

There are several operational concerns that are essential to be considered when
designing lift systems for viscous crudes. These contain start-up and gravity segrega-
tion. Starting up a system full of viscous heavy crude may be very challenging, if not
impossible, for most lift systems. This is particularly true in cold or deep water. For
ESPs and PCP pump systems, this has to be considered during the design phase to
certify the required horsepower is installed for start-up. Equipment failure can simply

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happen when a downhole pump is made to turn from 0 to 3500 rpm in <1 second in a
high viscous condition. Fluid’s resistance and gravity segregation are the main prob-
lems with start-up in heavy oils in gas lift process. Even if a system may have
sufficient gas lift injection pressure to flow gas over the operating valve, it does not
offer greatly in terms of reducing the mixture density if the gas segregates to the high
side of the tubulars. The gravity segregation can cause severe slugging. Using tran-
sient multiphase simulation programs during the design phase could predict slug
volumes. Besides, the programs can propose solutions for slug mitigation. The injec-
tion of diluents may help to decrease the mixture viscosity, but some completion
components, if elastomeric, might react by swelling and losing mechanical strength.
Both gas lift equipment, ESPs, and PCPs contain elastomers, and exposure to diluents
has to be cautiously assessed during the lift selection and design process.

6. Conclusions

Internationally, the heavy oil reserves have become more important as a future
energy source. There are three techniques to produce heavy oil and bring to the surface
which are primary, secondary, and tertiary recovery. The EOR processes can be cate-
gorized into three main groups, chemical, thermal, and miscible. Commonly, artificial
lift techniques are utilized when the well cannot produce naturally at its economical
rate. This is applicable for heavy oil reservoirs, where high viscosity along with the
reservoir pressure drop will avoid the wells to produce naturally. Conventionally,
heavy oil wells are using beam pump as primary artificial lift system. However, beam
pumps are used for low flow rate wells; besides this pump has many operating prob-
lems. Alternatively, there are several pump systems currently employed as the first
option in heavy oil wells, such as PCP, hydraulic pumps, and ESP.
The pumping system needs more development to handle the operating cost,
mostly for operation and maintenance either for single equipment or the whole
system. In the future, pumps need to be more reliable and capable of running for a
long time before requiring maintenance. Pumps must be safer to work, use less
space, use less power, and have less noise and high temperature. Accordingly,
pumps will be friendlier to the environment and running with less power to
decrease their carbon footprint. Pump designers and the technology are faced with
enormous challenges in developing heavy oil reservoirs that have high viscosity and
low initial pressure and temperature. Besides, heavy oil producers may also face
possible gas and water inflow on low-producing mature fields.

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Malaysia, for
supporting this work. A special thanks to the production technology team of
PETRONAS Carigali. Last but not least, a special thanks to Mr. Taha S. Abouargub
for his generous assistance and for providing technical support, collaboration, and
words of encouragement on the success of this chapter.

Conflict of interest

The corresponding author confirms that there have been no involvements that
might raise the question of bias in the work reported or in the conclusions or
implications.

23
Processing of Heavy Crude Oils - Challenges and Opportunities

Author details

Tarek Ganat
Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Seri Iskandar, Perak, Malaysia

*Address all correspondence to: [email protected]

© 2019 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. Distributed under the terms of the Creative
Commons Attribution - NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits use, distribution and reproduction for
non-commercial purposes, provided the original is properly cited. –NC

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Pumping System of Heavy Oil Production
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87077

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