Impact of Production Rate Fluctuations on the Reliability and Efficiency of Electrical Submersible

The oil and gas sector makes extensive use of Electrical Submersible Pumps (ESPs) to increase production from wells with high liquid flow rates. About half of the artificial lifting systems in Libyan oil fields use ESP pumps, which produce varying production rates due to reservoir performance. In addition to decreasing the effectiveness of liquid-gas separation and raising the danger of mechanical failure and unscheduled downtime, variations in ESP flow and pressure can also result in unstable pump performance. In addition to reducing well productivity, this operational instability raises safety issues because of the possibility of electrical discharges. Maintaining dependable and effective oil extraction in these areas thus depends on comprehending and reducing the impact of varying production rates on ESP performance. In this paper, an impact of production rate fluctuations on the reliability and efficiency of electrical submersible has been investigated. The study has been carried out for two different oil field wells (Well 1 and Well 2) located at the Sirte basin in the central of Libya. The production analysis of the two wells include: well analysis; water production; fluid production rate; gas oil ratio and water cut profile. The production history of well 1 showed that short-term fluctuations are observed throughout the production history, indicating temporary changes in operating conditions or reservoir response, while well 2 has a dynamic, non-monotonic behavior, emphasizing the need for performance evaluation methods that consider equipment deterioration and operational events. The increase in water production rate for well 1 represent brief variations in reservoir flow dynamics and operating conditions. In contrast, well 2 shows a shift from early transitory conditions to stable flow and ultimately to a gradually water-dominated regime. Despite brief intervals of stabilization, well 1's overall fluid rate gradually decreases, indicating growing flow constraints and reservoir depletion. However, the final oscillatory behavior in well 2 shows a dynamic balance between artificial lift performance, growing water cut, and reservoir inflow. Over the course of the 22-day period, well 1's gas oil ratio data clearly shows numerical changes. The non-monotonic trend in well 2 indicates dynamic changes in multiphase flow behavior and inflow circumstances, which may be caused by changes in artificial lift operations, sporadic gas interference, or reservoir pressure variations.