Implementation of Advanced Wellsite Data Management and Communications System Adds Value and Efficiency to Welltesting Operations

Abstract

In the past, in order to carry out any type of real time analysis or control during a welltest, the subject matter expert had to be present at the wellsite. This paper will describe a recently developed real time operations (RTO) data acquisition and management system that uses advances in software operating systems, networking, telecommunications and Internet/intranet access to allow users to have access to real time data and information regardless of their locations. This type of real time access to well information allows expertise to be available that might not have been in the past due to distance constraints, and time and expense required to travel to the wellsite. It also allows real time collaboration from all individuals who have access to the data, regardless of their location, so that reservoir management decisions can be made quickly and more efficiently. The system has been successfully deployed on a number of welltests in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, offshore Egypt and onshore eastern Venezuela. An overview of the operations, which includes efficiency gains and time saved, will illustrate how controlled access to real time data and information via a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), an intranet, or the Internet can positively affect cost and efficiency by allowing state-of-the-art testing to be performed in remote areas where it previously might not have been possible or economically feasible using traditional testing systems. Introduction For many years, reservoir testing has been considered an integral part of field development, and the industry has continued to review testing methods that can improve economics and efficiency.1,2 Real time access to welltest data is not a new concept.3,4 The oil industry has been practicing real time data acquisition at the wellsite for a number of years. Collection of data such as pressures, temperatures, flowrates, fluid properties, etc., at the surface as well as downhole is relatively common, especially during an exploration type of welltest. Over the years, occasional attempts have been made to transmit data back to an office in real time using modems and voice lines or other existing data communications means; however, the frequency of jobs with remote data transmission has been minimal. The RTO system described in this paper has been in use in the welltesting environment for over a year, and the system has greatly enhanced decision making because of its capability of making real time data and information available to all personnel, regardless of their location. Anyone at the wellsite, at the office, at home or anywhere else that offers an Internet connection can have access simultaneously to the same real time data and information.5,6 This provides a powerful collaboration and decision making tool that was not readily available in the past. By applying the Internet's competencies, the collaboration capability goes far beyond the constraints of proprietary WAN access. This means that secure, controlled access to the data and information can easily be administered to multiple individuals, whether they work directly for the operator, a partner, a service company, a consultant, etc. System Overview Integration of three key technologies can be viewed as core to a system offering real time access to welltest data. These core needs are:System architecture to allow data flow from wellsite to Internet browserCommunications infrastructure to extend the network to the wellsiteData presentation and delivery. A graphic depicting the relationship of these technologies can be seen in Fig. 1 in which data flow is displayed very simply as a whole unit.

Implementation of Advanced Acoustic Telemetry System Adds Value and Efficiency to Well Testing Operations

“…DST data obtained through the acoustic telemetry system can be linked real-time to a drilling system database platform [4][5] . This database platform then allows operators to monitor and query data from a variety of DST sources (e.g., separator instrumentation, surface pressure/ temperature, bottomhole pressure/temperature, etc.).…”