Gas production in steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) operations presents significant challenges, including reduced production rates, shortened electrical submersible pump (ESP) run life, and unstable production. The complete paper demonstrates the effectiveness of integrating dynamic gas separation with existing gas-avoidance methods within the same ESP string to address these issues. The results indicate that the described technology, an upper-tandem gas separator (UT‑GS), provides a reliable and efficient solution for gas management in SAGD ESP applications.
Introduction
Suncor Energy’s Firebag uses in-situ recovery for bitumen extraction, primarily through the SAGD process. At the time of writing, this operation achieves a production rate of over 230,000 bbl of bitumen per day.
