Document Type : Case Study

Authors

• Mohammed Yehia Hassan Amer ¹
• said K Elsayed ²
• Ibrahim Salahudin Mohamed ³

¹ Egyptian Drilling Company (EDC )

² Faculty of Petroleum and Mining Engineering, Suez University

³ Faculty of Petroleum and Mining Engineering, Suez University, Egypt

Abstract

Electric submersible pumps (ESPs) are among the most widely deployed artificial lift systems in the petroleum industry; however, their operation depends heavily on surface-supplied electrical power transmitted through long downhole cables, resulting in significant energy losses, high installation costs, reliability challenges, and increased carbon intensity. Simultaneously, large quantities of geothermal energy remain unused within deep hydrocarbon wells despite the substantial thermal gradients naturally available along the wellbore. This study introduces a novel multidisciplinary framework that transforms the well itself into an integrated energy-generation system by coupling geothermal heat recovery, thermoelectric power generation, advanced power electronics, and ESP technology. Unlike conventional approaches that treat geothermal energy and artificial lift as separate domains.
The proposed framework combines a two-dimensional wellbore heat-transfer model, thermoelectric energy conversion, and silicon-carbide-based power conditioning with a complete ESP design methodology including inflow performance analysis, total dynamic head determination, pump selection, and stage optimization. A case study on Well AG-119X in Abu El Gharadig Field, Western Desert, Egypt, with a pump setting depth of 19,000 ft., demonstrates the technical feasibility of hydrocarbon–geothermal co-production and predicts a thermoelectric generation potential of approximately 350 kW under optimized conditions. Beyond demonstrating energy recovery, the study establishes a scalable roadmap for integrating geothermal resources directly into artificial lift infrastructure, reducing dependence on external power supply, improving overall system efficiency, and enabling more sustainable oil production. The proposed approach represents a step toward the convergence of petroleum engineering, geothermal energy, thermoelectric science, and power electronics, providing a foundation for next-generation self-powered ESP systems

Keywords

• thermoelectric technology
• Geothermal power generation
• Heat transfer
• ESP pump electrical inverter
• ESP without cable

Main Subjects

• Geothermal