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Using an Integrated Approach to Production Optimization in a Mature Field

 

Sinha, Satyendra P., Ibrahim AL-Kandari, Khalaf AL-Anezi, KOC, Ahmadi, Kuwait

 

Production optimization ensures that wells and facilities are operating at their peak per­formance at all times to maximize production. Frequent changes in well and surface equip­ment down time, maintenance work, evolving reservoir conditions etc. usually make it impossible for the team to keep the asset tuned for optimal operating conditions. The cur­rent manual production optimization approaches are both time consuming and error prone due to the complexity and large volume of data that have to be considered. In the present work several tasks and processes have been streamlined and automated with effective link­ages to achieve a near real time optimization. The measure–calculate-control cycle is implemented every twenty-four hour which maintains the system at optimal operating con­ditions at almost all time. Used on a daily basis to manage mature assets and make oper­ational decision, the system integrates production data management and reservoir model­ing with transient pressure analysis, well modeling and surface network modeling opti­mization. A sequential non-linear programming solver is used to optimize hundreds of crit­ical parameters.

A multi-disciplinary team approach has been used to implement the process of produc­tion optimization using internet, computer network, communication links, timely team meet­ings and corporate database. The focus has been on reducing the cycle time for conversion of data to information, decision and actions by developing an appropriate system. The ben­efits of optimization are significant. Gains include a moderate improvement in uptime, along with a significant improvement in produced volume and overall reduction of lifting and oper­ating costs.