Modern Total Well Management

PODIO, AUGUSTO, U. of Texas Austin

The need for oilfield operators to verify that wells are being produced at their optimum capacity and in a cost affective manner is always present. The need to reduce operating costs, increase oil production and increase net income from wells requires an integrated analysis of the pumping system including the performance and interaction of all of the elements: the reservoir, wellbore, the downhole pump, the gas separator and the prime mover. The analysis is to be made based on data obtained at the surface without entering the wellbore and must yield an accurate representation of conditions that exist on the surface, within the wellbore and within the reservoir. This paper presents a modern and logical approach to the solution of this problem with the use of Windows based applications and sigma-delta state of the art data acquisition systems. Sample field cases illustrate the procedure and benefits.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90911©2000 AAPG Pacific Section and Western Region Society of Petroleum Engineers, Long Beach, California