The LiftWatcher real-time surveillance service provides secure, remote, real-time surveillance and control for all types of artificial lift systems and surface controllers. This service is available anywhere in the world, with data stored either centrally or locally if needed. Dedicated surveillance engineers monitor alarms to prevent or mitigate adverse events around the clock, diagnose probable causes, and—within minutes—recommend remediation options.
Our real-time surveillance and monitoring services help operators to achieve the best ESP run life and prevent or resolve ESP downtime, misuse, or failure. These services enable optimized production while reducing total cost of ownership over the life of the well.
Artificial Lift Surveillance Center
Since their inception in 2004, the Artificial Lift Surveillance Centers (ALSCs) have brought together more than 150 years of combined experience in the field of ESP monitoring, defining the standard of interactive ESP surveillance that all clients expect today. Today there is an ALSC in every continent around the world hosted in Schlumberger facilities and in constant communication with the operations team.
Threshold alarms
Artificial lift surveillance engineers at one of numerous ALSCs monitor threshold alarms and alerts on downhole and surface equipment—24/7, 365 days a year. All types of equipment from all vendors are supported: ESP systems, gas lift systems, beam pumps, progressing cavity pumps, and surface controllers and drives. Dedicated surveillance engineers monitor alarms to prevent or mitigate adverse events around the clock, diagnose probable causes, and—within minutes—recommend remediation options.
Alarms can be set for all wellsite measurements and for various data combinations and well conditions, from motor temperature and vibrations to wellbore pressures and continuous flow. The data, obtained in real time, can reveal what is happening with the pump, controller, and wellbore. Our real-time services will enable detection of reservoir and sandface behaviors such as sanding and coning.
Data transmission
Sensors and motor controllers interface with a site communications box, which transfers data via satellite in real time between the wellsite and data servers, both of which can be remotely controlled. Where a SCADA system is already in place, the LiftWatcher service can be integrated with it to extract and process data with the same high-quality results. Threshold alarms trigger early warning signals that give operators the chance to minimize stress on equipment or prevent it from shutting down or failing.
Rapid analysis and diagnosis
When ALSC engineers receive alarms and alerts, they compare the data with more than 700 event signatures stored in a Schlumberger surveillance database. These data signatures represent the triggering events, for example, the shutdown of an ESP by a motor controller. Then, based on their expertise, experience, data resources, and Schlumberger best practices, the engineers identify possible causes and remediation options.
Expert recommendations
Their recommendations are relayed directly to field personnel, who review them via text messages, e-mail, or a user-friendly web application. Critical events requiring action to prevent equipment shutdown or failure are communicated immediately by phone. Many recommendations can be implemented remotely when necessary.
Periodic diagnostics
In addition to monitoring alarms, engineers perform periodic diagnostic checks. A standard startup report, for example, includes pump calibration and provides a baseline from which to compare future measurements. Regular “health checks” provide snapshots of well operation, up to hourly for the first 24 hours, decreasing in frequency as the well stabilizes. These checks can identify changing conditions that pose threats to pump operation so that wellsite personnel can remedy problems before serious damage occurs. The checks also help operators more efficiently manage preventive maintenance, maintain stock levels, and schedule workovers.
Well optimization service
ALSC engineers working on artificial lift systems sometimes identify underperforming wells that could benefit from the well optimization service. Available as part of the real-time LiftWatcher service or independently of it, this service analyzes how efficiently a pump is performing within its operating range. Flow rate and other pump operating parameters are compared with those of data from wellbore models of artificial lift, and recommendations are made for optimizing pump operation.
Case Study1
Drilled in the 1950s and 1960s, wells in the Gum Deniz oil field were historically produced with gas lift after a natural flow period. Though the gas lift system was relatively unaffected by factors such as solids production, an economic analysis determined that gas lift was less productive and profitable than an ESP system. Bahar Energy decided to convert one of these wells to ESP production; however, project economics and technical and logistical challenges made it impractical to upgrade the ESP specifications or install additional completion equipment to control sand. The first three ESPs were supplied by a third-party provider and each of them failed in less than a month due to excessive solids production. After returning the well to gas lift for four months, Bahar Energy installed a Schlumberger ESP, which greatly improved performance. However, it was clear that sand production needed to be addressed to continue the use of an ESP for production. Schlumberger was asked to help Bahar Energy extend ESP run life without upgrading completion equipment or the ESP.
Because it was infeasible to change the specifications of the downhole equipment, Bahar Energy and Schlumberger adopted a strategy to mitigate all operational issues that could shorten ESP run life. LiftWatcher real-time surveillance service was implemented to monitor the Schlumberger ESP. Engineers based at the Schlumberger ALSC in Russia analyzed data and monitored threshold alerts to prevent and troubleshoot adverse ESP events around the clock.
Combined with live monitoring and the ability to change ESP settings remotely, the expertise of ALSC engineers helped Bahar Energy act quickly to prevent problems such as pump motor overload caused by large volumes of sand. Having access to real-time data also prevented motor underload and overheating caused by events such as gas slug breakthrough. Special attention was directed to the commissioning of the ESP, which is one of most important periods in the ESP life cycle.
LiftWatcher service eliminated lag time before a problem could be detected, provided the information needed to make critical adjustments, and substantially shortened response time because ESP settings could be changed remotely. As a result, Bahar Energy was able to minimize unnecessary ESP shutdowns that cause additional stress for submersible equipment. At 488 days, the run life of the current ESP is already four times the length of the 122-day trial of the initial Schlumberger ESP, and it is still operational at the time of publication. The improved performance of the ESP in such harsh conditions demonstrates that run life can be significantly improved with real-time monitoring and troubleshooting without a technical upgrade to the submersible pump assembly or installing sand control completion equipment.
Case Study2
An operator in Russia needed to optimize production by transitioning from gas lift to an ESP in several wells. However, once installed, ESP operation was compromised due to high GOR, periods of natural flow, limited drawdown pressure, and a Christmas tree configuration that is rarely used with ESPs. As a result, the operator encountered frequent ESP stops, short operating cycles, excessive motor heating, and increased downtime and production deferment.
Schlumberger deployed LiftWatcher service to provide real-time control and acquire data, which was analyzed using DesignPro software, PIPESIM simulator, and Avocet platform. Based on this analysis, the team made ESP trip and set-point adjustments, improved cyclic mode periods, and implemented motor amps and load feedback modes to address the issues encountered. As a result, the operator was able to eliminate ESP stops and enhance ESP longevity, reduce downtime by 27%, and improve overall lift efficiency. Additional reports provided by Schlumberger surveillance engineers continue to help the operator evaluate ESP performance and develop production optimization strategies.
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