SPE Member
Abstract
Multiphase pumping is a technology in fair development and usage in the oil industry. The multiphase transport of oil, gas and water produced in offshore and onshore fields, and/or at long distances from the production units is not longer an impossibility or a non profitable enterprise. Therefore, the exploitation of marginal fields or those located at long distances, as well as new developments, are about to become a feasible reality.
The exploitation of heavy oil fields in Venezuela is, more than ever, the future of the oil industry in this country, since its is very well known that more than half of the world total heavy and extra heavy oil reserves are located in Venezuela.
Studies on the technical and economical feasibility of the application of Multiphase Pumping are being carried out by INTEVEP, S.A. together with the operating affiliates of PDVSA, aiming, at testing and consolidating this technology with minimum investment and reduction in production costs. One of these surveying studies was performed for the ARECUNA FIELD of CORPOVEN, S.A. located in the Orinoco Oil Belt. The reduction of investment and production costs in substituting traditional flow stations for handling heavy and extra heavy oil by a multiphase pump was focused.
The objectives of the paper is to present the technical and economical conclusions of the above mentioned feasibility study, and the performance and operational experience obtained with a twin-screw multiphase pump during five months of field operation.
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