Optimal Bottomhole Pressure Control on Oil Well Production Using PID-Linear Hybrid Control on Electric Submersible Pump

Electric submersible pumps (ESPs) provide additional pressure to produce fluid from an oil well. Its prime mover is an induction motor, which is electrically powered with a specific frequency drive. This paper presents a model of oil well production using ESP with maximally opened production choke to maximize production, and comparison between the result of applied control algorithm to maintain production rate and the other parameters to keep the ESP in good operating condition. The result is a hybrid PID (Proportional Integral Derivative)-Linear controller design that gives 3.9% more production than an uncontrolled ESP, 63% less frequency drive change, and 16% less error than current bottomhole pressure control methods that are commonly used in the oil field. These conditions lead to reduced electric power consumption and reduced mechanical stress on the ESP.