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Geosystem Engineering
ISSN: (Print) (Online) Journal homepage: www.tandfonline.com/journals/tges20
Investigation of the annular pressure influence on
the energy efficiency of electric submersible pump
installations in cyclic operation
Sergey V. Mishurinskikh, Nikolay V. Pavlov & Alexander S. Semenov
To cite this article: Sergey V. Mishurinskikh, Nikolay V. Pavlov & Alexander S. Semenov
(29 Dec 2024): Investigation of the annular pressure influence on the energy efficiency of
electric submersible pump installations in cyclic operation, Geosystem Engineering, DOI:
10.1080/12269328.2024.2447353
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/12269328.2024.2447353
Published online: 29 Dec 2024.
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Investigation of the annular pressure inuence on the energy eciency
of electric submersible pump installations in cyclic operation
Sergey V. Mishurinskikh , Nikolay V. Pavlov and Alexander S. Semenov
Electrical Engineering Faculty, Perm National Research Polytechnic University, Perm, Russia
ABSTRACT
One of the negative aspects that aect the energy eciency of electric submersible pumps
installations (ESPI) is the annular pressure increasing. To assess the eect of annular pressure on
the energy eciency of ESPI operation, a technique has been developed that allows determining
the specic power consumption and ow rate of wells equipped with ESPI during cyclic operation.
Based on the developed technique, an assessment of the gas pressure eect in the annular space
on the energy eciency of ESPI during cyclic operation at dierent well ow rates, as well as at
dierent ratios of the duration of operation and downtime in the cycle was made. According to the
calculation results, it was found that a decrease in annular pressure leads to an increase in the
energy eciency of ESPI operation. It was stated that the greatest reduction in specic power
consumption during the operation of the ESPI relative to the continuous mode of operation is
achieved with decreasing the operating time in the cycle. The developed technique and results can
be used at oil-producing enterprises to reduce electricity costs of oil production.
ARTICLE HISTORY
Received 25 October 2024
Accepted 22 December 2024
KEYWORDS
Electric submersible pump;
energy efficiency; cyclic
operation; annular pressure;
power consumption;
periodic mode
Introduction
Currently, there is a transition of oil fields to the late
stages of operation, which is characterized by a gradual
decrease in well flow rates (Urazakov et al., 2021). The
share of electricity spent on lifting reservoir fluid is
about 55% in the structure of power consumption in
oil fields, and ESPIs predominate in the artificial lift
stock of production wells. In this regard, the task of
increasing the energy efficiency of these equipment is
relevant and is of significant practical interest. This
position is confirmed by a wide range of studies con-
ducted in this area.
There are a number of studies devoted to the consid-
eration of task for selecting equipment to increase the
ESPIs energy efficiency. In the work (Gizatullin et al.,
2017) the influence of the cross-section and length of the
submersible cable line (CL) on the losses in it was con-
sidered. Another way to reduce losses in the CL was using
downhole reactive power compensator (Deneko et al.,
2020; Kopyrin et al., 2020; Yang, 2013). The use of per-
manent magnet motors also gave a significant effect
(Fakher et al., 2022; Sukhanov et al., 2018). In Russian
practice, using the highly efficient pumps and motors was
increasingly being implemented. The above methods
have significant cost and are most appropriate to use at
the design stage, rather than at the well operation stage.
Another direction for increasing the energy effi-
ciency of the ESPI operation was the use of methods
related to the installed equipment control. For example,
energy efficiency could be increased by changing the
voltage at the motor terminals using voltage control
devices of the step-up transformers that supplied the
ESPI (Bespalov et al., 2014), or by changing the voltage
at substations supplying well clusters (Romanov et al.,
2023). One of the ways for increasing the energy effi-
ciency of induction (Vishnyakov et al., 2023) and per-
manent magnet (Paes et al., 2019) motors was the choice
of an optimal control method of them. Research
(Kuznetsov et al., 2017) showed that the losses in control
stations (CS) had been affected by their loading. The
authors of the work (Starikov et al., 2019) noted the
influence of the output voltage shape of the CS on the
energy efficiency of the ESPI. Increased energy effi-
ciency could also be achieved through the simultaneous
use of frequency control and choking (Petrochenkov &
Mishurinskikh, 2021).
A number of works were devoted to the evaluation of
functioning the ESPI equipment under conditions
determined by the facility specifics. In the work
(Lyakhomskii et al., 2022) the influence of higher har-
monics on electric losses in equipment was considered.
The results of electric submersible pumps (ESP)
research used when working with viscous liquids were
CONTACT Sergey V. Mishurinskikh mishurinskikh_sv@pstu.ru Electrical Engineering Faculty, Perm National Research Polytechnic University, room 105,
Prof. Pozdeev st. 7, Perm 614000, Russia
GEOSYSTEM ENGINEERING
https://doi.org/10.1080/12269328.2024.2447353
© 2024 The Korean Society of Mineral and Energy Resources Engineers (KSMER)
given in (Bulgarelli et al., 2022; Monte Verde et al.,
2024), as well as taking into account variations in the
rotational speed of their rotors (Ali Khalaf et al., 2021).
An analysis of the pump operation taking into account
wax influence was given in (Struchkov & Roschin,
2017). In works (Bai et al., 2022; Wang et al., 2020) the
issue of increasing the pumps efficiency by changing
their design was being considered.
Currently, the cyclic operation of ESPI was increas-
ingly being considered as a method of increasing energy
efficiency. Thus, the authors of the paper (Khabibullin &
Sarapulov, 2018) considered the change in the ESPI
efficiency when their operating mode was changed to
a cyclic. Investigation (Abdullin et al., 2018) described
the positive experience of practical application of the
cyclic operation of ESPI operation at real facilities. In
the studies (Pashali et al., 2021; Yudin et al., 2023) the
determination of optimal parameters of the ESPI cyclic
operation was considered, and in (Petrochenkov et al.,
2023) the authors considered the issue of determining
rational values of the dynamic level in a cyclic operation.
In the study (Janatian & Sharma, 2023) the cyclic opera-
tion was considered taking into account the uncertainty
of the well characteristics, and in (Topolnikov et al.,
2020) taking into account the influence of the processes
non-stationarity. The greatest energy losses in ESPIs
occurred at the pump (Grassian & Olsen, 2020), and
they could be minimized by determining rational para-
meters of the ESPI operating mode.
One of the problems in the oil wells operation is the
accumulation of separated associated petroleum gas
(APG) in the annulus, which causes a gradual increase
in the annular pressure. In turn, this leads to a decrease
in depression on the reservoir, as well as a decrease in
inflow and an increase in the dynamic level (Belozerov
et al., 2019). It is worth noting that the annular pressure
is not stationary (Urazakov et al., 2021)
and there are a number of devices and methods for its
control both in Russian (Kalinnikov & Shakirov, 2022;
Shalyapina, 2023; Verbitskij et al., 2019), and in world
practice (Chitwood et al., 2023; Douglas et al., 2020;
Muraikhi, 2022).
Thus, the key aspects are highlighted: reducing well
liquid rate; introduction of cyclic operation of ESPI;
negative impact of increasing annular pressure on well
flow rate. In this regard, the study of the effect of
annular pressure during APG accumulation on the
energy efficiency of ESPI operation in cyclic operation
is a relevant research topic.
The work presents for the first time a technique that
allows calculating the power consumption of ESPI in
cyclic operation, taking into account changes in techno-
logical process parameters and equipment operating
parameters. Based on the calculation results,
a quantitative assessment of the effectiveness of annular
pressure control to increase the energy efficiency of
ESPIs is given.
Methods
Calculation of specic power consumption of an
ESPI
Calculation of the electric power consumption of the
ESPI in cyclic operation requires the execution of
a number of similar calculations, where it is necessary
to take into account the change of both technological
parameters and the parameters of the equipment opera-
tion. To perform these calculations, the authors have
developed the following technique.
The total electrical power consumed by the ESPI
consists of the power consumed by the submersible
electric motor (SEM) and the sum of the power losses
in all elements of the installation and is calculated as
(Lyakhomskii et al., 2022; Petrochenkov et al., 2023;
Romodin et al., 2021):
where P
SEM
is the power consumed by the SEM, kW;
ΔP
CL
is the power losses in the CL, kW; ΔP
T
is the power
losses in the transformer, kW; ΔP
CS
is the power losses
in the CS, kW.
Specific power consumption for the well fluid
production using an ESPI is calculated by the
formula:
where Q
ESP
is the pump flow rate (well flow
rate), m
3
/day; ΔT is the time period under considera-
tion (in this study it is taken to be equal to 1 day),
days.
The pump power, required to maintain the specified
process parameters, is calculated as:
where p
ESP
is the pump pressure, MPa; η
ESP
is the pump
efficiency at a given operating point, p.u.; K
ην
is the
coefficient taking into account the change in pump
efficiency when operating on viscous liquids, p.u.
The coefficient that allows taking into account the
change in pump efficiency when operating on viscous
liquids is determined by the formula:
2S. V. MISHURINSKIKH ET AL.
where η
w
is the pump efficiency when operating on
water, p.u.; ν
fl
, ν
w
are the viscosities of the fluid and
water, respectively, mm
2
/s.
To determine the pump parameters at the operating
point, its catalogue head-flow characteristics (HFC) are
used. The pump efficiency is described by a polynomial
of the form:
where f is the frequency of the supply voltage at the
output of the CS, Hz; a
i
is the i-th coefficient of the
polynomial, units.
The pump flow reduced (to the intake pressure) is
calculated using the formula:
The oil volume ratio of fluid at the pump intake
pressure is calculated using the formula:
where b is the volumetric water cut of the reservoir fluid,
p.u.; B is the liquid volume factor at bubble point pres-
sure, p.u.; p
b
is the bubble point pressure, MPa.
The pressure at the pump intake is calculated using
the formula:
where p
r
is the reservoir pressure, MPa; H
w
is the ver-
tical well depth, m; H
pump
is the vertical depth of the
pump setting, m; ρ
fl
is density of the lifted fluid, kg/m
3
;
g is acceleration of gravity, taken to be equal to 9.81
m/s
2
.
The pump pressure is determined by the formula:
The effective head is determined by the formula:
where p
wh
is the wellhead pressure, MPa; H
dyn
is the
dynamic fluid level in the well, m.
Based on the calculated pump power, and also taking
into account the power consumed by the upstream
devices, the SEM load factor is calculated:
where P
rated
is rated SEM power, kW; P
GHaP
is power
consumed by gas handler and ESP protector, kW (deter-
mined according to catalogue data).
The active power consumed by the SEM is
determined:
where
where η
SEMrated
is rated efficiency of the SEM, p.u.
The SEM power factor is determined by the
formula:
where cos φ
rated
is nominal SEM power factor, p.u.
The resistance of the CL is calculated using the
formulas:
where x
0
, r
0
are respectively the linear active and
reactive resistance of the CL, Ohm/km; l
CL
is the
length of the CL, km; α is the temperature coefficient
of electrical resistance, K
−1
; T is the average tem-
perature of the cable cores, °C (determined by the
temperature of the reservoir fluid and the geother-
mal gradient).
Losses of active and reactive power in CL are deter-
mined by the formulas:
where U
rated
is the SEM rated voltage, kV.
Power losses in a transformer are calculated based on
the parameters of the calculated mode and installed
equipment using the formulas:
GEOSYSTEM ENGINEERING 3
where ΔP
I
is idle nameplate transformer losses, kW;
ΔP
SC
is nameplate transformer short-circuit losses, kW;
S
rated
is rated transformer power, kVA.
The CS is modelled as an ideal transformer with
a transformation ratio of:
Power losses in the CS are determined by the
formula:
where η
CS
is rated efficiency of CS, p.u.
Calculation of technological parameters of a well
operated in cyclic operation
To determine well fluid inflow, the Vogel correlation
with a correction for water was selected:
where K
pr
is the productivity index, m
3
/(day‧MPa); p
wf
is the bottom-hole pressure, MPa.
The calculation is performed using an iterative
method (Petrochenkov et al., 2023), where the iteration
step corresponds to the specified discretization step (in
the calculations performed it is taken to be equal to 1
minute or 1/1440 days).
To automate calculations, dependency (22) is more
convenient to be represented in the form:
where k is the iteration number.
The calculation of the bottom-hole pressure in the
model is performed according to the formula:
where is p
an
is annular pressure, MPa.
The height of the fluid column for the first iteration is
calculated using the formula:
The calculation of the height of the fluid column at any
given moment is performed using the formula:
where H
col(k–1)
is the height of the fluid column at the
previous iteration, m; Q
ESP(k–1)
is the flow rate at the
previous iteration, m
3
/day; Q
inflow(k–1)
is the inflow at
the previous iteration, m
3
/day; S
an
is the area of the
annulus between the outer wall of tubing and the
inner wall of the production casing, m
2
; S
tube
is the
area of the internal cross-section of the
tubing, m
2
; m is the number of calculation intervals
into which one day can be divided at a given discretiza-
tion step (in this case, m = 1440, since the discretization
step is taken to be 1 minute), units.
The dynamic level is calculated using the formula:
The well flow rate in the current mode is determined
by the HFC of the pump and the well, taking into
account the required pressure.
The calculation of the well flow rate in the model is
performed according to the formula:
The calculation of the required pressure in the model
is carried out according to the formula:
Before starting the calculations, the pump’s HFC is
adjusted taking into account the viscosity of the lifted
fluid.
The coefficient of change in pump flow when oper-
ating on a viscous liquid relative to the HFC on water is
determined by the formula:
where Q
ow
is the optimal pump flow rate on
water, m
3
/day.
The relative flow rate at the pump inlet at the corre-
sponding point of the pump’s HFC on water is calcu-
lated using the formula:
4S. V. MISHURINSKIKH ET AL.
The coefficient of change in pump pressure when
operating on a viscous liquid is determined according
to the formula:
Specific energy consumption per cycle is determined by
the formula:
where t
op
is the operating time of the well in a cycle, min;
Δt
k
is the calculation discretization step at the k-th step
(in this study, the calculation intervals were the same
and equal to 1 minute), min.
The flow rate of a well per cycle, reduced to days, is
determined by the formula:
where t
dt
is the well downtime in the cycle, min.
Computational experiment plan
The purpose of the experiment is to assess the impact of
changes in the annular pressure created by accumulated
APG on the energy efficiency of the ESPI. Based on the
technological modes of production wells in the Perm
region, the following experiment plan was determined:
(1) Well operating modes with the ratio of operating
time (fluid pumping) to downtime (fluid accu-
mulation) were selected: 1/23; 4/20; 8/16; 12/12;
16/8; 20/4; 23/1 (in hours).
(2) The range of changing annular pressure [0 . . .
2p
an.initial
] with a step of 0.25.
(3) The range of well flow rate variation in contin-
uous operation mode is [0.2Q
rated
. . . Q
rated
] with
a step of 0.1. The change in flow rate in contin-
uous operation mode is ensured by changing the
well productivity index used in the model.
For the calculation example, the data typical for ESPIs
used in the Perm region fields were adopted. The pro-
cess parameters, well parameters, fluid, and equipment
parameters are presented in Table 1.
The coefficients of the polynomials used to approx-
imate the efficiency characteristics of the pump and
SEM, pump flow, well fluid inflow, and SEM power
factor are presented in Table 2.
Results
To analyze the efficiency of transition the ESPI to
a cyclic operation, the specific power consumption of
Table 1. Process parameters, well parameters, fluid, and
equipment.
Parameter Value
Rated pump flow (Q
rated
), m
3
/day 30
Rated SEM power (P
rated
), kW 40
Rated SEM voltage (U
rated
), kV 1000
Rated SEM power factor (cosφ
rated
), p.u. 0.845
Rated SEM efficiency (η
SEMrated
), % 81.5
Power of gas handler and ESP protector (P
GHaP
), kW 2.2
Linear active resistance of CL (r
0
), Ohm/km 1.32
Linear reactive resistance of CL (x
0
), Ohm/km 0,1
CL length (l
CL
), km 2
Idle nameplate transformer losses (ΔP
I
), kW 0.55
Nameplate transformer short-circuit losses (ΔP
SC
), kW 2.6
Rated transformer power (S
rated
), kVA 100
CS efficiency (η
CS
), p.u. 0.97
Vertical well depth (H
w
), m 2100
Vertical depth of pump setting (H
pump
), m 2000
Reservoir pressure (p
r
), MPa 12
Initial annular pressure (p
an.initial
), MPa 1
Bubble point pressure (p
b
), MPa 15
Wellhead pressure (p
wh
), MPa 1.2
Productivity index (K
pr
), m
3
/(day∙MPa) Variable
Water cut (b), p.u. 0.38
Fluid density (ρ
fl
), kg/m
3
952
Fluid viscosity (ν
fl
), mPa∙s 10
Liquid volume factor (В), p.u. 1.06
Area of the annulus (S
an
), m
2
0.014289
Area of the tubing internal cross-section (S
tube
), m
2
0.003018
T, °С 50
GEOSYSTEM ENGINEERING 5
the ESPI was calculated for 9 different flow rates in
continuous well operation mode (according to the
experiment plan). For the convenience of further ana-
lysis of the results, the well flow rate is expressed in
relative units:
where Q
rated
is the rated pump flow, m
3
/day.
The calculation results are presented in Table 3.
The results of the computational experiment are pre-
sented in Figure 1. The calculations revealed that when
the annular pressure changes, the specific power con-
sumption for lifting the well fluid and the flow rate
change linearly. In this regard, the paper presents the
results of calculations at the extreme and average points
of the annular pressure change. The figure shows the
calculation results for different Q
rel
by different lines.
For ease of analysis, the results are presented in relative
units:
where W
sp.cont.
is the specific power consumption of the
ESPI in continuous mode, kW∙h/m
3
; p
an
is the annular
pressure in the mode under consideration, MPa.
To analyze the impact of changes in annular pressure
on the operating parameters of the ESPI, specific power
consumption and well flow rate are expressed in relative
units from similar values corresponding to the initial
value of annular pressure:
where W
sp.c
(p
an
) is the specific power consumption at
the considered value of the annular pressure, kW·h/m
3
;
W
sp.c
(p
an.initial
) is the specific power consumption at the
initial value of the annular pressure, kW·h/m
3
; Q (p
an
) is
the well flow rate at the considered value of the annular
pressure, m
3
/day; Q (p
an.initial
) is the well flow rate at the
initial value of the annular pressure, m
3
/day.
The calculation results are presented in Table 4.
Analysis of the calculation results revealed the
following:
(1) With an increase in the annular pressure, the
specific power consumption of the ESPI cyclic
operation is higher than the one in the continu-
ous mode, which is observed when the ratio of
the well flow rate to the nominal pump flow rate
is from 0.8 to 1.0, and the operating time in the
cycle is more than 16 hours. With a ratio of the
well flow rate to the nominal pump flow rate of
less than 0.8, the specific power consumption in
cyclic operation is higher than the one in the
Table 2. Polynomial coefficients used to approximate the pump and SEM efficiency characteristics, pump flow, well fluid inflow, and
SEM power factor.
Para
meter
Coefficients of a polynomial
a
0
a
1
a
2
a
3
a
4
a
5
a
6
η
ESP
−0.9569⋅10
−3
0.1778⋅10
−1
−0.1878⋅10
−3
8.1824⋅10
−6
−4.8652⋅10
−7
5.3125⋅10
−9
-
Q
ESP
54.2170 1.1696 −1.1598 0.2103 −1.8425⋅10
−2
7.7124⋅10
−4
−1.2504⋅10
−5
Q
inflow
16.6664 −0.2778 −0.0926 - - - -
η
SEM
0.4346 2.3903 −3.1956 1.3802 - - -
cosφ
SEM
−0.0025 2.8513 −2.9335 1.0893 - - -
Table 3. Results of calculations of ESPI specific power consumption in
continuous mode.
Q
rel
, p.u. K
pr
, m
3
/(day∙MPa) H
dyn
, m W
sp.cont.
, kW∙h/m
3
1 7.938 1409 27.87
0.9 5.961 1539 30.17
0.8 4.71 1652 33.27
0.7 3.82 1745 37.39
0.6 3.12 1817 42.96
0.5 2.515 1875 50.93
0.4 1.965 1922 63.06
0.3 1.448 1961 83.44
0.2 0.953 1995 124.15
6S. V. MISHURINSKIKH ET AL.
continuous mode only when the operating time
in the cycle is more than 22 hours, which is quite
close to the continuous mode (Figure 1c).
However, it should be taken into account that
with an increase in the annular pressure, the well
flow rate in all the cases considered is lower than
in the continuous operation mode (Figure 1f).
(2) At constant annular pressure, the specific power
consumption of the ESPI in cyclic operation is
less than the one in the continuous mode for any
duration of the operating time in the cycle
(Figure 1b). If the operating time in cyclic opera-
tion is at least 23 hours, and the ratio of the well
flow rate to the nominal pump flow rate is in the
range from 0.7 to 1.0, then the well flow rate is
more than 97% of the well flow rate operating in
the continuous mode; if the operating time in
cyclic operation is at least 23 hours, and the
a) d)
b) e)
c) f)
a, d – at pan′=0; b, e – at pan′=1; c, f – at pan′=2
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
1.0
1 6 11 16 21
Wsp ',
p.u.
top, h
0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
1 6 11 16 21
Q ', p.u.
top, h
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
1.0
1 6 11 16 21
Wsp ',
p.u.
top, h
0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
1 6 11 16 21
Q ', p.u.
top, h
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
1.0
1 6 11 16 21
Wsp ',
p.u.
top, h
0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
1 6 11 16 21
Q ', p.u.
top, h
1 0,9 0,8 0,7 0,6 0,5 0,4 0,3 0,2
Figure 1. Results of calculations of changes in specific power consumption and daily flow rate in cyclic operation relative to
continuous operation.
GEOSYSTEM ENGINEERING 7
ratio of the well flow rate to the nominal pump
flow rate is in the range from 0.2 to 0.6, then the
well flow rate is more than 99% of the well flow
rate in the continuous mode (Figure 1e).
(3) With a decrease in the annular pressure, the
specific power consumption in cyclic operation
is less than the one in the continuous mode for
any duration of the operating time in the cycle
(Figure 1a). The well flow rate in cyclic opera-
tion exceeds the well flow rate in the continu-
ous mode in the following cases: when the well
flow rate to the nominal pump flow rate ratio is
from 0.8 to 1.0 and the operating time in the
cycle is more than 22 hours; when the well flow
rate to the nominal pump flow rate ratio of 0.7
and the operating time in the cycle is more
than 21 hours; when the well flow rate to the
nominal pump flow rate ratio of 0.6 and the
operating time in the cycle is more than 20
hours; when the well flow rate to the nominal
pump flow rate ratio of 0.5 and the operating
time in the cycle is more than 18 hours; when
the well flow rate to the nominal pump flow
rate ratio of 0.4 and the operating time in the
cycle is more than 16 hours; with a well flow
rate to nominal pump flow rate ratio of 0.3 and
a cycle operating time of more than 14 hours;
with a well flow rate to nominal pump flow rate
Table 4. Results of the operating parameters calculations of the ESPI in cyclic operation.
Q
rel
, p.u. t
op
, h
p
an
′, p.u. p
an
′, p.u.
0 0.5 1.5 2 0 0.5 1.5 2
W
sp
’’, p.u. Q’’, p.u.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 1 1 1.007 1.003 0.999 1.000 1.045 1.023 0.976 0.951
2 8 0.990 0.994 1.009 1.021 1.052 1.026 0.973 0.945
3 12 0.983 0.990 1.013 1.028 1.053 1.027 0.973 0.945
4 16 0.977 0.987 1.015 1.033 1.054 1.027 0.972 0.944
5 23 0.969 0.983 1.019 1.041 1.054 1.027 0.972 0.944
6 0.9 1 1.007 1.003 0.999 1.000 1.045 1.023 0.976 0.951
7 8 0.985 0.991 1.011 1.026 1.053 1.027 0.973 0.945
8 12 0.976 0.987 1.016 1.035 1.054 1.027 0.972 0.944
9 16 0.969 0.983 1.019 1.041 1.055 1.027 0.972 0.944
10 23 0.961 0.979 1.023 1.048 1.053 1.027 0.972 0.944
11 0.8 1 1.007 1.003 0.999 1.000 1.045 1.023 0.976 0.951
12 8 0.981 0.989 1.014 1.030 1.054 1.027 0.972 0.944
13 12 0.970 0.984 1.019 1.041 1.055 1.028 0.972 0.943
14 16 0.963 0.980 1.022 1.047 1.055 1.028 0.972 0.943
15 23 0.957 0.978 1.025 1.052 1.053 1.027 0.972 0.942
16 0.7 1 1.006 1.003 0.999 1.001 1.045 1.023 0.976 0.950
17 8 0.976 0.987 1.016 1.035 1.054 1.027 0.972 0.944
18 12 0.964 0.981 1.022 1.046 1.055 1.028 0.971 0.942
19 16 0.958 0.978 1.025 1.053 1.055 1.028 0.971 0.941
20 23 0.956 0.977 1.026 1.055 1.053 1.027 0.971 0.941
21 0.6 1 1.006 1.002 1.000 1.002 1.046 1.023 0.976 0.950
22 8 0.970 0.984 1.019 1.040 1.055 1.028 0.972 0.943
23 12 0.959 0.978 1.024 1.052 1.055 1.028 0.971 0.941
24 16 0.954 0.976 1.027 1.057 1.055 1.028 0.971 0.940
25 23 0.956 0.977 1.026 1.056 1.050 1.026 0.972 0.942
26 0.5 1 1.005 1.002 1.000 1.003 1.046 1.024 0.975 0.950
27 8 0.964 0.981 1.022 1.046 1.055 1.028 0.972 0.942
28 12 0.954 0.976 1.027 1.058 1.056 1.028 0.970 0.939
29 16 0.953 0.975 1.028 1.060 1.054 1.028 0.971 0.940
30 23 0.958 0.978 1.026 1.055 1.047 1.024 0.973 0.945
31 0.4 1 1.004 1.001 1.001 1.004 1.047 1.024 0.975 0.949
32 8 0.958 0.978 1.025 1.053 1.055 1.028 0.971 0.941
33 12 0.951 0.974 1.029 1.062 1.055 1.028 0.970 0.939
34 16 0.953 0.975 1.028 1.061 1.050 1.026 0.972 0.942
35 23 0.961 0.979 1.025 1.053 1.042 1.022 0.975 0.948
36 0.3 1 1.002 1.000 1.002 1.007 1.048 1.025 0.975 0.948
37 8 0.953 0.975 1.028 1.060 1.055 1.028 0.970 0.939
38 12 0.952 0.974 1.029 1.063 1.051 1.026 0.972 0.942
39 16 0.957 0.977 1.027 1.058 1.045 1.024 0.974 0.946
40 23 0.964 0.980 1.023 1.050 1.038 1.021 0.977 0.951
41 0.2 1 0.997 0.997 1.005 1.014 1.050 1.026 0.974 0.947
42 8 0.952 0.975 1.029 1.062 1.050 1.026 0.972 0.942
43 12 0.957 0.977 1.027 1.058 1.043 1.023 0.975 0.947
44 16 0.962 0.979 1.024 1.052 1.039 1.021 0.977 0.951
45 23 0.967 0.982 1.022 1.047 1.035 1.019 0.979 0.954
8S. V. MISHURINSKIKH ET AL.
ratio of 0.2 and a cycle operating time of more
than 11 hours (Figure 1d).
(4) Based on the data in Table 4, it was obtained
the following. A change in the annular pressure
results in a similar change in the specific power
consumption (columns 3–6). The effect of
reducing the annular pressure changes nonli-
nearly with a change in the flow rate in con-
tinuous mode. Thus, with a well flow rate to
nominal pump flow rate ratio from 0.7 to 1.0
(rows 1–20), the greatest decrease in specific
power consumption relative to the mode with
the initial annular pressure is observed with an
operating time in a cycle of 23 hours (rows 5,
10, 15, 20); with a well flow rate to nominal
pump flow rate ratio from 0.5 to 0.6 (rows 21–
30) with an operating time in a cycle of
16 hours (rows 24, 29); with a well flow rate
to nominal pump flow rate ratio from 0.3 to 0.4
(rows 31–40) with an operating time in a cycle
of 12 hours (rows 33, 38); with a well flow rate
to nominal pump flow rate ratio of 0.2 (rows
41–s45) with an operating time in a cycle of
8 hours (row 42).
(5) The greatest relative reduction in specific power
consumption with a decrease in annular pressure
relative to the mode with the initial annular
pressure is observed with a ratio of the well flow
rate to the nominal pump flow rate of 0.4 and an
operating time in the cycle of 12 hours (Table 4,
row 33, column 3).
(6) The average daily flow rate is related to the oper-
ating time in the cycle by a directly proportional
relationship (Table 4, columns 7–10, group of
rows 1–5, 6–10, etc.). The longer the operating
time in the cycle, the greater the average daily
flow rate. The magnitude of the effect in both
named and relative units increases with the
increase in the flow rate in the steady state.
These results correspond to the practical experi-
ence of ESPI operation.
(7) The average change in specific power consump-
tion (relative to the specific power consumption
at the initial annular pressure) with a decrease in
annular pressure by 1 MPa and an operating time
in a cycle of 23 hours is −3.9%, and the flow rate
is 4.7%; with an operating time in a cycle of 12
hours, the average change in specific power con-
sumption is −3.8%, and the flow rate is 5.3%;
with an operating time in a cycle of 1 hour, the
average specific power consumption remains vir-
tually unchanged, and the flow rate increases by
4.6%.
Conclusion
For the first time, a technique for calculating the power
consumption of ESPIs is presented, which allows calcu-
lating the specific power consumption and flow rate of
this units in a cyclic operation, taking into account
changes of the technological process parameters and the
equipment operating parameters. Using the developed
model, the effectiveness of reducing annular pressure as
a method of increasing the energy efficiency of ESPIs was
studied. The key findings are summarized as follows:
(1) Scenario of increasing annular pressure. To
increase energy efficiency, it is advisable to tran-
sit the ESPI to cyclic operation for installations
whose flow rate is less than 0.8 of the rated flow
of the installed pump.
(2) Scenario of constant or decreasing annular pres-
sure. Regardless of the ratio of the well flow rate
to the nominal pump flow, transition the ESPI to
cyclic operation will increase the energy effi-
ciency of the installation.
(3) From the point of view of increasing energy
efficiency, it is advisable to reduce the annular
pressure in the ESPI cyclic operation with an
operating time in cycle of at least 8 hours. As
annular pressure increases, increasing cycle time
reduces energy efficiency.
Reducing the annular pressure can be used as an effec-
tive method to increase the energy efficiency of ESPI in
cyclic operation. It is worth noting that the cycle para-
meters that must be set to obtain the maximum increase
in energy efficiency may differ and depend on the flow
rate of the well in steady state. The magnitude of the
effect increases with a decrease in flow rate in the steady
state, which is due to a shift of the pump operating point
to a zone with high efficiency.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
ORCID
Sergey V. Mishurinskikh http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4222-
2969
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