Prevention of gas accumulation above ESP intake with inverted shroud

A system for producing hydrocarbons from a subterranean well, the system including:

• an electrical submersible pump assembly with a pump, an intake, a protector, and a motor, wherein the pump is adjacent to the intake, the intake is located between the pump and the protector, the protector is located between the intake and the motor, and the motor is located further within the subterranean well than the pump, and wherein the pump is operable to lift a combined gas and liquid mixture;
• production tubing suspending the electrical submersible pump assembly within the subterranean well and having an inner bore sized to deliver the combined gas and liquid mixture to a wellhead assembly;
• a packer assembly circumscribing the production tubing downstream of the electrical submersible pump assembly;
• and
• an inverted shroud, the inverted shroud having a closed end located between the intake and the protector and an opposite open end that is open towards the packer assembly, wherein the packer assembly is spaced uphole from the inverted shroud a distance operable to create mixing of a gas pocket with well fluids to form the combined gas and liquid mixture between the packer assembly and the inverted shroud before the combined gas and liquid mixture enters the inverted shroud.

A method for producing hydrocarbons from a subterranean well, the method including:

• providing an electrical submersible pump assembly with a pump, an intake, a protector, and a motor;
• providing fluid communication between a production tubing and the electrical submersible pump assembly, the production tubing delivering well fluids containing both gases and liquids from the electrical submersible pump assembly to a wellhead assembly through an inner bore of the production tubing;
• circumscribing the production tubing with a packer assembly downstream of the electrical submersible pump assembly;
• and
• locating a closed end of an inverted shroud between the intake and the protector, the inverted shroud having an opposite open end that is open towards the packer assembly;
• where
• the packer assembly is located uphole of the open end of the inverted shroud at a distance causing a mixing of a gas pocket with the well fluids to form a combined gas and liquid mixture and directing the combined gas and liquid mixture in a direction towards the intake.