Business Production Target Achievement and an Automated Allowable Workflow Challenges and Opportunities Under the Integrated Asset Operation Model

Abstract

This paper describes accurate, efficient, and time-saving methodology for achieving the Business target by determining well allowable using advanced, integrated, and automated work-process for a gas condensate field with more than 350 (producing and injecting) well strings from a multi-layered reservoir, having varied reservoir characteristics. This paper will also illustrate challenges and enhancement opportunities toward full smart field applications.

Integrated asset operation modeling (IAOM) within a digital framework provides automation to the engineering and analytical approach of allowable rate calculations. The approach comprises 3 step calculation process to determine the Well targets/allowable. Firstly, using the shareholder/reservoir management guideline along with calibrated well models for calculating the well's technical rate. Secondly, calculation of the well and reservoir available/potential rate using the well technical rates, reservoir target, and an inbuilt analytical solver. Thirdly, determination of the well allowable rate by conjugation of various well production components, including wellbore dynamics (Inflow performance and Well performance) and surface constraints.

In a digital platform, this automated "Well allowable" workflow has enabled engineers and operators to determine the true potential of wells and reservoirs, thus overcoming potential challenges of computational time saving and identification of cost improvement opportunities.

The use of the automated workflow has reduced the time to compute well allowable rates by more than 90% for a gas condensate field with more than 350 (producing and injecting) strings. Implementing this workflow prevented engineers from performing a tedious manual calculation on a well-by-well basis, allowing engineers to focus on engineering and analytical problems. Additionally, this efficient engineering approach provided the user with key information associated with the well's performance under various guideline indexes such as well available/potential rates, well technical rate, reservoir available rate, and rate to maintain drawdown/ minimum Bottom-hole Pressure.

This advanced workflow computes the rate that can be delivered from each well corresponding to each guideline and constraint, thereby providing key inputs to various business objective scenarios for production efficiency improvement. Post-implementation, some challenges turned into opportunities to ensure the full and smooth implementation of the generated production scenarios adhering to the gas demand fluctuation.

The accuracy and robustness of advanced and automated workflow of setting well allowable /production scenarios empower users to establish well performance and deliverability with a solid engineering analysis base, thereby providing key opportunities for saving cost computational time and assuring short-term production mandate deliverables. This approach supports standardization of the work process across the organization and a minimum of $ 2.8M value proposition from manpower time saving over 5 years.