Power systems study solutions solving lightning power quality and load limitations problems in the Boscan oil field

ChevronTexaco operates their Boscan oil field just West of Maracaibo, Venezuela. The southern half of this field produces oil using electrical submersible pumps with a smaller percentage of beam pumps. The power company supplies this field from a large substation via ten 24 kV aerial lines. Presently, this distribution system is at capacity and plagued with power quality problems. Faced with the need to increase the number of wells by as much as 50%, a detailed study was commissioned on how to best solve the power quality problems and then how to modify the 24 kV distribution system to accommodate the projected new loads. The power quality problems were found to be centered around lightning induced equipment failures involving poles, grounding, transferred earth potentials (potheads), harmonics, and other related power quality aspects directly involving the variable speed drives themselves. Small power factor capacitors on the beam pumps were found to be harmonic resonant with the remote ESP VSD harmonic sources also. This paper outlines the procedures taken in the power quality and load flow studies, solutions employed to solve the power quality problems using harmonic filters and other techniques. The judicious selection and location of harmonic filters, released line capacity at 24 kV such that approximately 50% more wells can be added without new line construction being required.