Production at the Lower Tertiary Cascade field in the deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico (GoM) has been boosted using a new record application of an electrical submersible pump system to provide artificial lift.

Installed in a water depth of 2,500 m (8,200 ft), the new ESP system was installed on behalf of field operator Petrobras America by Baker Hughes, which claims the installation is the deepest application of this type of production technology in the GoM. Two ESPs have been installed, housed inside a replaceable cartridge on the seabed—avoiding the need for a rig to carry out a change-out operation, and thereby reducing field maintenance costs.

The system has the pumps installed to operate hydraulically in series, but they can also be operated electrically in parallel. Baker said the Cascade application is the culmination of six years of R&D to meet field specific characteristics to provide working pressure of 12,500 psi and handle flow rates from 3,000 bbl/d to 20,000 bbl/d of oil, along with power consumption of 1.3 MW. The system is also equipped with an extensive suite of monitors to allow performance checking.

Offshore