Patent ID: 7677320

Claim:
A method of producing a subsea well having a wellhead assembly, a string of casing cemented in the well, a string of production tubing suspended from the wellhead assembly within the casing, and a downhole safety valve located within the production tubing, comprising: (a) during a reservoir drive production mode, opening the valve and flowing well fluid through the production tubing and the wellhead assembly in response to internal reservoir pressure; and when the flow rate of the well fluid declines to an unsatisfactory level, (b) closing the valve, then lowering an electrical pump assembly through the wellhead assembly and into the production tubing to a depth above the valve, the electrical pump assembly having a smaller maximum outer diameter than any portion of the production tubing above the valve, the electrical pump assembly being provided with a radially expansible packer between its intake and its discharge; then (c) expanding the packer to an expanded position in sealing engagement with the production tubing, opening the valve and supplying electrical power to the pump assembly, causing the pump assembly to boost the pressure of the well fluid flowing upward through the production tubing; wherein the wellhead assembly comprises a production tree having a bore sealed at an upper end by a removable first cap, and step (b) further comprises: removing the first cap from the tree prior to lowering the pump assembly into the production tubing; and sealingly extending electrical conductors of a power cable through a second cap and connecting the conductors to the pump assembly; then installing the second cap after the pump assembly has been installed in the production tubing.