AL_Arnaout_subbed.qxp 27/3/09 04:29 Page 82
Production Engineering Experience with the First Intelligent Field Implementation at Haradh-III
Table 1: Comparison of the Downhole Choke Settings Before and After
pressures, i.e. tubing-casing annulus and upper casing–casing
Production Optimisation
annulus, is a prime indicator of tubing integrity and is performed at
least twice a year for each well.
Lateral Downhole Choke Settings
Before the Test After the Test
L-0 10 10
Such jobs require a lot of manpower and time, and usually involve
L-1 10 5
the operational risk of running in-hole. Moreover, since the data are
L-2 10 4
not validated on-site, it is sometimes necessary to re-survey if it is
Table 2: Summary of the Stabilised Downhole Pressures and Flow Rates
believed that abnormalities can be attributed to procedural mistakes
from Each Lateral Utilising Permanent Downhole Monitoring System and
or malfunctioning equipment. Table 3 summarises the average
Multiphase Flow Meter Data
number of yearly field service requirements for the Haradh-III field.
Test Data
Lateral @ Step Quantity (MBOD) BHP (psi) The I-Field greatly optimises this process by eliminating the need for
L-0 @ 3 6.5 1,797
manpower on-site to conduct such surveys. The PDHMS provides the
L-0 @ 5 7.2 1,858
L-1 @ 3 9.5 2,040
downhole pressure and temperature data without the need for
L-1 @ 5 11.5 2,174 running in-hole. This enables continuous monitoring of the pressure
L-2 @ 3 10.9 2,145
behaviour in the field and manipulation of the rates allocation
L-2 @ 5 11.6 2,194
accordingly. Also, when a pressure build-up is required, Saudi
BHP = bottomhole pressure; MBOD = thousand barrels of oil per day.
Aramco Production Engineering asks the GOSP personnel to shut-in
Figure 4: Plot of the Bottomhole Pressure and Oil Flow Rate Before,
the well, and all of the data retrieval and analysis is performed
During and After the Production Testing Job remotely from Production Engineering desktops. Routinely, time
would be required to schedule and conduct pressure surveys, then
HRDH-A production test
16,000
2,500
retrieve and send the data.
The I-Field provides a continuous flow of data for each component
12,000
on each well, which is superior to the traditional method of
providing one data point over a certain span of time, i.e. one
8,000
1,250
bottom-hole pressure datum every three months. So, the Haradh-III
Oil rate (MBOD)
Production Engineering team has dropped all of the wireline and
field service requirements, saving a huge number of field jobs (see
4,000
Table 3). Surveys are requested from Field Services only if equipment
on-site is malfunctioning.
00
11/20/06 0:00
Time
11/21/06 0:00
Ensuring production rate compliance is a crucial factor in gauging
Oil rate (MBOD) BHP (psi) and improving reservoir management strategies. In fields not
equipped with the I-Field infrastructure, rate compliance is checked
BHP = bottomhole pressure; MBOD = thousand barrels of oil per day.
only when the well is sent for testing through the testing facility at
Table 3: Summary of the Minimum Number of the Common Surveys
the GOSP once per month/two months, depending on the testing
Required at Haradh-III
requirement frequency. At Haradh-III, target rate compliance is
monitored continuously from Production Engineering stations. Figure
Survey Required Number of Surveys/Year
Pressure surveys 150
5 is a snapshot of one of the monitoring software systems. The
Temperature surveys 30
interface is colour-coded to indicate the well producing status: brown
Wellhead sampling 90
for wells not in compliance with the target rate, blue for wells in
Annuli pressures 180
Pressure build-up 30
compliance, green for shut-in wells, pink for wells where data are not
provided and yellow for wells not yet connected to SCADA.
the production optimisation. Analysing the data, it was observed that the
upper two laterals (L-1 and L-2) were stronger than the lowest one (L-0), When the field production priority is issued with the allocated rates,
so the decision was made to choke them more to equalise withdrawal from daily monitoring is in place to spot any deviation. Should any
all laterals. Table 2 summarises the test data and Figure 4 shows a gain of deviation occur, production engineers contact GOSP personnel, who
4,500B/D and an increase of 370psi, which is an indication of improved in turn adjust the rates remotely from the GOSP. Changes are
well performance. The well was then choked to the targeted rate. tracked and confirmed by production engineers (see Figure 6).
Optimising Routine Production Engineering Functions Utilising Non-productive Time
Routine production engineering duties include surveying wells to Haradh GOSP-III went through a routine shutdown that lasted for two
ensure well integrity and gathering a variety of information for weeks. This shutdown was a requirement in order to inspect
reservoir management to assess the field performance and adjust all equipment and perform upgrades if needed. Traditionally, all
production strategies. Surveys include running pressure gauges on wells are kept shut-in and all field activities are postponed, and this
wireline to measure the SBHP on all of the wells with different period would be considered as non-productive time. However, owing
frequencies (quarterly, bi-annually, etc.). Measuring annuli to the capabilities of the I-Field, this period was used to conduct field-
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EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION – VOLUME 7 ISSUE 1
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