MULTIPLE ELECTRIC SUBMERSIBLE PUMP SYSTEM

• US 20110056699A1
• Filed: 09/07/2010
• Published: 03/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Original Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Inventors: Wilson, Steven, Bjoroy, Robin
• Granted Patent: US 8,893,775 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 166/369
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/01 specially adapted for obtaining from underwater installations
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/128 Adaptation of pump systems with down-hole electric drives
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 23/04 Combinations of two or more pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 47/06 having motor-pump units situated at great depth

Abstract

An electric submersible pump (“ESP”) module is disclosed for producing fluids from subsea wells. The ESP module includes at least two ESPs positioned side by side and connected in parallel to discharge into a common manifold. The ESPs and manifold can be enclosed in a housing and deployed to a subsea location. At the subsea location, the ESP module can be operationally connected to an electric source, the production fluid, and to an export conduit. The production fluid from the well(s) is drawn from within the housing into one or more of the at least two ESPs which energize and discharge the production fluid into the manifold and through the export conduit to a collection point. Each of the ESPs may be selectively operated to provide the desired flow rate and/or lifting head.

Claims

1. A multiple electric submersible pump (“

ESP”

) system, the system comprising;

a first ESP having an intake and a discharge; and

a second ESP having an intake and a discharge, wherein the first ESP discharge and the second ESP discharge are connected in parallel to a common manifold.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first ESP and the second ESP are secured side by side together to form a bundle.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first ESP and the second ESP are disposed in a housing.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the common manifold comprises a valve permitting fluid to flow through the valve only in the direction from the discharge of the first ESP and the discharge of the second ESP into the common manifold.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first ESP, the second ESP, and the manifold are contained in a housing.

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising a power head to connect, subsea, an electrical source to the first ESP and the second ESP contained in the housing.

7. A method for pumping a production fluid from a subsea environment, comprising:

hydraulically connecting multiple electrical submersible pumps (“

ESP”

) in parallel to a common manifold;

enclosing the multiple ESPs and the common manifold into a housing forming an ESP module;

deploying the ESP module to a subsea location;

fluidicly connecting, subsea, the production fluid to the ESP module; and

pumping the production fluid into the common manifold and to a collection point remote from the ESP module using the multiple ESPs.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising fluidicly connecting, subsea, an export conduit to the common manifold.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising electrically connecting, subsea, an electrical power source to the multiple ESPs.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the subsea location comprises a borehole formed in the seabed.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising selectively operating the multiple ESPs.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein selectively operating comprises switching off one of the multiple ESPs.

13. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

fluidicly connecting, subsea, an export conduit to the common manifold; and

electrically connecting, subsea, an electrical power source to the multiple ESPs.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the subsea location comprises a borehole formed in the seabed.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising selectively operating the multiple ESPs.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the selectively operating comprises switching off one of the multiple ESPs.

17. The method of claim 7, wherein the hydraulically connecting the multiple ESPs in parallel to a common manifold is performed at a location remote from the offshore subsea location.

18. The method of claim 7, wherein forming the ESP module is performed at a location remote from the offshore subsea location.

19. A method for subsea fluid production, comprising:

securing a first electrical submersible pump (“

ESP”

) and a second ESP side by side to form a bundle, wherein each of the first ESP and the second ESP comprise a pump having an intake and a discharge, and an electric motor;

connecting the discharges of the first ESP and the second ESP in parallel to a manifold;

enclosing the ESP bundle and the manifold in a housing to form an ESP module;

deploying the ESP module at a subsea location;

directing a production fluid into the housing;

drawing the production fluid from inside of the housing into the intakes of the first ESP and the second ESP; and

pumping the production fluid from both of the discharge of the first ESP and the discharge of the second ESP into the manifold and to a collection location remote from the ESP module.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising electrically connecting an umbilical to the ESP module;

and

controlling operation of the first ESP and the second ESP in response to signals communicated via the umbilical.