The current strategy for many operators of US land has moved to increase production during the early stages of new wells to maximize immediate cash flows and rate of return. Electric submersible pumps (ESPs) have long been an accepted and widely used artificial lift method capable of moving high volumes of fluid with relatively moderate efficiencies and run lives. Nevertheless, in some plays in the Permian Basin, the technical requirements for artificial lift systems has increased, especially for ESPs. For the specific case of this study based on almost 40 wells in the Spraberry field, rapidly declining flow rates starting around 5,000 bbl/d and declining to 2,000 bbl/d or less in only two to four months, have inevitably forced the current pump stages to work significantly outside of their recommended operating range (ROR).

Even though compression pumps were designed to extend operation outside of their ROR and onto the left side of the curve, the aggressive decline rates seen in this case study have shown how excessive downthrust can still be a concern on compression construction pumps. This paper comprises a case study of pulled equipment that was operating significantly below the ROR. This operating condition led to severe net down thrust force, axially deflecting the components downward.

After the production challenges were analyzed and the pulled ESPs showed evidence of excessive downthrust, a new pump stage and ESP design were proposed to increase the flexibility of the ROR and adapt to the rapidly declining flow rates. This new technology was initially developed for the Bakken, and due to its proven flexibility, its use has been extended to more unconventional and conventional plays across the US. Even when the production declines and the pump's operating point moves to the flat section of the head-rate curve, the data on this study has shown that the features of the new stage such as hydraulic improvements, increased axial stiffness and additional travel, have led to enhancements in downthrust management. Ultimately, this translated into 31% run life improvement for the operator. Finally, due to the improvements on the design with a reduced number of stages, power consumption has decreased and impacted the cost of barrel produced.