Optimizing the Production System Using Real-Time Measurements: A Piece of the Digital Oilfield Puzzle

Abstract

fax 01-972-952-9435. AbstractThe oil industry is investing millions of dollars in the infrastructure of digital oilfields in an effort to increase efficiency and recovery. An important part of the puzzle, transferring data from the wellsite to the office in real-time, is very much solved. However, this data is largely used to monitor the status of wells and equipment, and in most cases, the life cycle of the data ends there. A key part of the puzzle is to utilize the real-time data to optimize the production system, from the wellbore to the reservoir where most of the value lies. With the current infrastructure and technology we can get real-time data up to every second. The challenge is to extract the right information from that data at the right time to impact the way fields are managed. This paper discusses the workflows utilized in identifying production optimization and enhancement opportunities from large amounts of streaming data flowing from a number of wells. Case studies are presented for mature waterfloods in four different fields with over 60 wells. The economic impact of surveillance is quantified through electrical costs, efficiency in fluid movement, and enhanced reservoir deliverability. The real-time data analysis for the entire field revealed opportunities to increase the production in the short-term, as well as the necessity to adjust the long-term exploitation strategy.The methods and examples in this paper show the value of applying digital oilfield technologies in one of the most cost sensitive environments in our industry. Observations based on a large number of wells during a 2-year period show that over 50% of the wells can benefit from some form of optimization, resulting in a substantial increase in production.