Flow Transients in Wells After Startup of Electrical Submersible Pump

Fluid transients in the production system caused by startup of electrical submersible pump (ESP) were studied in the present paper. A numerical model of an ESP well was developed. The system model consists of three modules. The first module, the well model, predicts transient flow in the tubing and the casing. The second module describes the ESP performance characteristics. The third module is a model of single-phase flow in the reservoir. The modules developed are integrated into the whole production system model using an iterative coupling algorithm. The model predictions are compared with field data. The study revealed that the system response on the ESP startup is controlled by dynamic interaction between the well and the reservoir. Model predictions are found to agree qualitatively with field data.Copyright © 2003 by ASME