Development of an empirical correlation for estimating natural gas separation at the intake of an electric submersible pump in high-water-cut oil wells

UDK: 622.276.58.001

DOI: 10.24887/0028-2448-2025-12-70-75

Key words: electric submersible pump (ESP), natural gas separation, water cut, empirical correlation, hydrodynamic modeling, production optimization

Authors: M.M. Khasanov (Gazprom Neft Companу Group, RF, Saint Petersburg); E.V. Yudin (Gazprom Neft Companу Group, RF, Saint Petersburg); B.M. Latypov (Ufa State Petroleum Technological University, RF, Ufa); I.V. Grigorev (Research and Education Center «Gazprom Neft-UGNTU», RF, Ufa; Gubkin University, RF, Moscow); V.A. Shishulin (Research and Education Center «Gazprom Neft-UGNTU», RF, Ufa; Gubkin University, RF, Moscow); I.V. Gavrilov (Research and Education Center «Gazprom Neft-UGNTU», RF, Ufa; Gubkin University, RF, Moscow); A.V. Ryzhikov (Isource JSC, RF, Moscow); D.V. Usikov (NEDRA LLC, RF, Saint Petersburg)

The article addresses the problem of evaluating the coefficient of natural gas separation at the intake of an electric submersible pump (ESP), which is of great importance for improving the efficiency and reliability of oil well operation. The aim of this work is to develop a new method for highly accurate calculation of the natural separation coefficient for pumps with a conditionally radial inlet based on available parameters. The authors have developed a new empirical correlation for calculating the natural gas separation coefficient, based on readily available field parameters. The data set used to build the model is a 16-point data set, including data on liquid flow rate, ESP sizes, water cut, casing diameters, and tubing diameters. The model was constructed using regression analysis of field data and incorporates liquid flow rate, water cut, and well geometry. To verify the accuracy of the proposed correlation, a comparison was made with results obtained from established methods and hydrodynamic modeling. The analysis demonstrates strong agreement between the developed correlation and widely accepted approaches, confirming its practical applicability. The simplicity of use and accessibility of the required input data make the proposed model a convenient tool for engineering calculations aimed at optimizing the performance of ESP-equipped wells.

References

1. Yudin E., Lubnin A., Simulation of multilayer wells operating, SPE-149924-MS, 2011, DOI: https://doi.org/10.2118/149924-MS

2. Kuz’min M.I., Ponomareva A.I., Gerasimov R.V., Approach to adaptive management of well stock with electric vane pump installation (In Russ.), Neftyanoe khozyaystvo = Oil Industry, 2025, no. 7, pp. 130–134, DOI: https://doi.org/10.24887/0028-2448-2025-7-130-134

3. Mishchenko I.T., Skvazhinnaya dobycha nefti (Oil production), Moscow: Neft’ i gaz Publ., 2003, 816 p.

4. Mishchenko I.T., Bravichesa T.B., Ermolaev A.I., Vybor sposoba ekspluatatsii skvazhin neftyanykh mestorozhdeniy s trudnoizvlekaemymi zapasami (The choice of the method of oil fields with hard-to-recover reserves operation), Moscow: Neft’ i gaz Publ., 2005, 448 p.

5. Dunyushkin I.I., Mishchenko I.T., Eliseeva E.I., Raschety fiziko-khimicheskikh svoystv plastovoy i promyslovoy nefti i vody (Calculations of physicochemical properties of reservoir and field oil and water), Moscow: Neft’ i gaz Publ., 2004, 448 p.

6. Sakharov V.A., Mokhov M.A., Ekspluatatsiya neftyanykh skvazhin (Oil well exploitation), Moscow: Nedra-Biznestsentr Publ., 2008, 250 p.

7. Yudin E., Khabibullin R., Galyautdinov I. et al., Modeling of a gas-lift well operation with an automated gas-lift gas supply control system (In Russ.), SPE-196816-MS, 2019, DOI: https://doi.org/10.2118/196816-MS

8. Brill J.P., Mukherjee H., Multiphase flow in wells, SPE Monograph, Henry L. Dogherty Series, V.17, 1999, 164 p.

9. Den’gaev A.V., Povyshenie effektivnosti ekspluatatsii skvazhin pogruzhnymi tsentrobezhnymi nasosami pri otkachke gazozhidkostnykh smesey (Improving the efficiency of well operation by submersible centrifugal pumps during pumping of gas-liquid mixtures): thesis of candidate of technical science, 2005.

10. Gorid’ko K.A., Vliyanie izmenyayushchikhsya svoystv gazozhidkostnoy smesi po dline nasosa na kharakteristiki pogruzhnoy elektrotsentrobezhnoy nasosnoy ustanovki (The influence of changing properties of a gas-liquid mixture along the length of a pump on the characteristics of a submersible electric centrifugal pumping unit): thesis of candidate of technical science, Moscow, 2023.

11. Drozdov A.N., Tekhnologiya i tekhnika dobychi nefti pogruzhnymi nasosami v oslozhnennykh usloviyakh (Technology and techniques for oil production using submersible pumps in difficult conditions), Moscow: MAKS press Publ., 2008, 312 p.

12. Marquez R., Prado M., A new robust model for natural separation efficiency, SPE-80922-MS, 2003, DOI: https://doi.org/10.2118/80922-MS

13. Lyapkov P.D., Gurevich A.S., On the relative velocity of the gas phase in the wellbore before entering the downhole pump (In Russ.), Neftepromyslovoe delo, 1973,

no. 8, pp. 6–10.

14. Lyapkov P.D., Podbor ustanovki pogruzhnogo tsentrobezhnogo nasosa k skvazhine (Selection of a submersible centrifugal pump installation for a well), Moscow: Publ. of Gubkin Institute, 1987, 71 p.

15. Ivanov V.A., Verbitskiy V.S., Khabibullin R.A. et al., Experimental studies of natural separation at the intake of a submersible electric centrifugal pump (In Russ.),

Delovoy zhurnal Neftegaz.RU, 2024, no. 8(152), pp. 78–84.

16. Shakirov A.M., A model to predict natural separation of free gas at downhole equipment intake (In Russ.), Neft’, gaz i biznes, 2011, no. 6, pp. 27–30.

17. Schlumberger The OLGA 2022 User Manual, Version 2022.

18. Khabibullin R.A., Neftyanoy inzhiniring OLGA (Oil Engineering OLGA), URL: https://t.me/petroleum_olga

19. Gabdrakhmanov N.Kh., Davydova O.V., Field study of gas separation at submersible pump suction (In Russ.), Problemy sbora, podgotovki i transporta nefti i nefteproduktov, 2010, no. 4(82), pp. 59–62.