This study analyzes the results obtained from the world's first installation of a compact ultrahigh-speed electrical submersible pump (ESP) system featuring an induction motor (IM) at the MDC Field in Ecuador. The analysis focuses on a comparative study of this technology, contrasting it against a conventional ESP system in terms of operational risks, rig time, and impact on production resulting from optimizing the ESP setting depth in high-tortuosity and gassy wells.

With a 25-year history of conventional ESP installations, the mature MDC Field currently uses ESP systems as the only artificial lift method in its production wells. The extensive knowledge and experience gained from these installations were leveraged to conduct this comparative study and the impacts of the compact ultrahigh-speed IM technology. The first installation of a compact wide-range ESP system with a high-efficiency IM was executed in the MDC-09 well and data were obtained regarding production optimization, pump range extension, reliability improvements in highly deviated wells, and reduced rig times.

The traditional technology approach to meet field lifting and production challenges has typically deployed an ESP system consisting of three or four pump bodies for a total of approximately 300 to 400 pump stages. One of the main parts of this study was to confirm if the same total dynamic head (TDH) for lifting can be supplied by only one short pump with 38 stages of the disruptive compact ultrahigh-speed technology. The configuration of a single motor protector, instead of a traditional tandem setup, and the reduced motor length contribute to a significant reduction in the total string length compared with the traditional ESP systems. This length reduction significantly decreased the rig time required for ESP assembly. Less rig time is an enabler for the reduction of deferred production, carbon emissions, and operational risks involved. The main challenge in high-tortuosity wells is to adequately set the ESP to minimize the risk of early equipment failure due to string bending. Shorter strings increase the safety range in terms of dogleg severity for the compact ESP system by 3.5 times compared with traditional strings. In high-tortuosity wells, because ESP setting depths have a substantial impact on the optimization of oil production, this study sought to confirm that the new technology can achieve 25% increase in production.

Another important aspect to be analyzed is the extended pump operation range when using the new compact ultrahigh-speed ESP system at MDC Field, where historically 14% of workover jobs were performed due to the pump operating outside the recommended operational range (ROR), leading to an ESP failure. The flexibility to adapt to different production rates can be a key factor in the future of ESP applications in a world where enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques and commingled production are starting to play a key role in achieving production targets.