SLB has launched a suite of advanced artificial lift technologies in U.S. land operations aimed at mitigating severe equipment wear and optimizing production efficiency in challenging well environments, according to company announcements released in April 2024. The deployment introduces four distinct systems—including the Harbison-Fischer Deka diamond technology, the Synthetix hydraulic gas lift system, the Reda Agile electric submersible pump, and the Reda PowerEdge electric submersible progressing cavity pump—designed to extend operational run life, reduce surface interventions, and lower carbon emissions across mature and unconventional fields.
Diamond Coating and Hydraulic Valves Target U.S. Land Wear
According to SLB, the Harbison-Fischer Deka technology utilizes a proprietary diamond-based coating designed to enhance the durability of rod pump barrels operating in abrasive and corrosive conditions. Testing demonstrates that the coating achieves up to 90% greater hardness than conventional barrel coatings, significantly improving abrasion resistance and minimizing mechanical wear between the barrel and plunger. By extending equipment life, the technology reduces the frequency of replacements and associated well interventions. Complementing this, the Synthetix hydraulic gas lift system allows operators to control and adjust gas injection from the surface using hydraulically actuated downhole valves. According to SLB data, the system lets operators alter gas lift parameters and switch between annular and tubing flow configurations without requiring slickline intervention or a workover. Field deployments have yielded production efficiency improvements of 10% to 20% in mature and low-pressure wells. “Artificial lift performance increasingly depends on extending equipment life while giving operators greater control over changing well conditions,” said Josh Jones, VP Production Systems North America Land, SLB, noting that the combination provides two distinct approaches to improving reliability and operating efficiency.
Compact ESP and Rodless Systems Expand Operating Ranges
Expanding the company’s broader artificial lift portfolio introduced in April 2024, SLB rolled out the Reda Agile compact wide-range electric submersible pump (ESP) and the rodless Reda PowerEdge electric submersible progressing cavity pump (ESPCP) systems. According to company specifications, the PowerEdge ESPCP system provides a rodless alternative for low-flow production rates in mature conventional and unconventional wells, lowering power consumption and related carbon dioxide emissions by up to 55%. Ernesto Cuadros, Artificial Lift Business Line Director at SLB, stated that the wide-range capabilities of these systems enable continuous operation over a broader range of production conditions than existing market alternatives. For instance, the Agile ESP system features a shorter, lighter build that permits faster installation and deeper placement into wells. The Agile system previously logged a successful offshore deployment in Indonesia for Pertamina, operating continuously for more than 300 days in a 6,000-foot well where three conventional ESPs had failed, thereby avoiding the abandonment of an unproducible asset.
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