A group of researchers at Khajeh Nasir Toosi University of Technology in Tehran has indigenized electric submersible pumps (ESPs) that will help raise crude output in Iran’s oilfields, the head of the research team said.
“The university has an annual production capacity of 50 pumps, the import of which costs the National Iranian Oil Company around $50 million,” Abbas Nazari was also quoted as saying by ISNA.
The locally-produced ESPs can compete with foreign brands quality-wise and are more economical than imported counterparts, he added.
The official said more than 90% of all producing oil wells require some form of artificial lift to increase the flow of fluids from wells when a reservoir no longer has sufficient energy to naturally produce at economic rates or to boost early production to improve financial performance.
“One of the most versatile and adaptable artificial lift methods is electric submersible pumping,” he added.
The reduction in oil reservoirs’ pressure decreases extraction capacity by 7% per year, because of which NIOC has prioritized a rise in recovery factor.
With the help of local electric submersible pumps, not only can NIOC benefit from secondary recovery methods or improved oil recovery (IOR) techniques, but will also be able to apply tertiary recovery methods or enhanced oil recovery.
According to the official, ESPs are being installed in more than 1,300 oil wells across the nation.
ESPs consist of multiple centrifugal pump stages mounted in series within a housing mated to a submersible electric motor. These pumps are connected to surface controls and electric power by armor-protected cables.
Operational Advantages
In many field applications, ESP systems provide several operational advantages over other forms of artificial lift. An ESP is especially appropriate for moderate-to-high production rate wells, including highly deviated wells and remote, subsea deepwater wells.
Electric submersible pumps provide increased production while handling high water cuts brought on by pressure maintenance and secondary recovery operations. The systems are quiet and safe and require a smaller surface footprint than that of some other lift systems, making them a preferred option in offshore and environmentally sensitive areas.
ESP systems can be configured with flexibility to accommodate the dynamic evolution of fluid properties and flow rates during the life of the well and can operate with pump intake pressure of less than 1 MPa [100 psi].
Top Drive System
Taksaz Industrial Innovators Engineering Company (TIECO), a local startup, has indigenized a top drive system that is used to drill oil and gas wells to the depth of 4,000 meters.
Used to rotate the drill string during the drilling process, TIECO’s top drives can be used both for onshore and offshore drilling operations.
Replacing the traditional rotary table, the top drive lessens the manual labor involved in drilling, as well as many associated risks, he added.
“The startup has already borrowed close to $600,000 from the state-backed Iran National Innovation Fund and INIF has promised to support the firm to manufacture three more top drives.”
Furthermore, Iranian engineers at Wellhead Equipment Technology Company (WETCO) have indigenized wellheads with a working pressure rating of 15,000 pounds per square inch.
The wellhead equipment is the component at the surface of an oil or gas well that offers the pressure-containing and structural interface for the drilling equipment. It provides pressure seals and suspension point for the casing strings. It forms an integral structure of the well.
All the well access for any workover operations is through wellheads that generally have a nominal diameter of 2, 3, 5, 10 and 15 inches and the working pressure ratings range from 2,000 to 15,000 psi.
Iran is now 85% self-sufficient in manufacturing parts and equipment needed by the oil and gas industries.
In recent years, 12,000 items have been indigenized in the oil-rich regions of southern Iran, some of which are strategic items made in collaboration with knowledge-based companies.
Most of the Iran’s petroleum equipment are now designed, engineered and manufactured locally. These include items such as gas and steam turbines, process pumps, air and gas compressors, industrial valves, pressure vessels, heat exchangers, tanks, air coolers, towers, boilers, pipes, fittings, catalysts, drilling bits, wellhead equipment, drilling rig, control and dispatching systems, instruments, switchgears, high voltage cables and accessories.
Currently, Iran ranks first in the Middle East in the production of oil industry equipment despite the US sanctions.
