After 1,437 days of production in a Canadian steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) well, a Baker Hughes CENtigrade™ Ultra Temperature™ electrical submersible pump (ESP), working with a SureVIEW™ ESP monitoring system, was retired and tripped out of hole.

Together, the two systems had helped the operator optimize production for four years without replacing components – twice as long as expected. Considering workover and replacement equipment costs that would have typically been required after two years of ESP system use, savings were estimated at USD 300,000.

“The ESP system and the SureVIEW monitoring system were ideal in this case because they offer resistance to the hot, abrasive conditions found in SAGD wells,” says Kevin Holmes, product line manager for Baker Hughes fiber optic systems. “The monitoring system provided real-time access to well data across the operator’s supervisory control and data acquisition [SCADA] platform, enabling it to make critical production adjustments in real time throughout the life of the well. Not only did the adjustments enhance production, but they also helped prolong the life of the ESP motor.”

The ESP’s SureVIEW monitoring system uses CoreBright™ optical fiber, which leads the industry in hydrogen darkening resistance, the primary cause of failure for fiber optic systems in high-temperature (HT) applications. CoreBright fiber is made from pure silica to minimize hydrogen darkening and includes a layer of hydrogen-absorbing gel. This combination of materials dramatically reduces optical loss over time, particularly in HT environments, giving operators reliable readings for the life of the ESP.

“The system had performed remarkably well, lasting twice as long as a typical ESP operating in SAGD conditions,” adds Gillian Sayegh, product line coordinator for Baker Hughes. “Upon retrieval, the ESP monitoring system was removed and showed no apparent sign of wear or damage”.