How Smart is the Intelligent Technology for Simulators and Field Production Management?

Tuesday, 11 September 2012 Read 5069 times
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When designing a well, the main goal is to have the simplest possible completion, while being able to get the greatest amount of information and concomitantly to achieve the most encompassing well control. Simplicity and ability to get information and control are at first antagonistic drives, not to mention the duality of cost-benefit. One way to solve this paradigm is obviously to face the risk and increase the number of field cases.

Sharing knowledge is surely the formula for success in achieving a mature technology. In recent years, companies have really taken the risk and embraced the intelligent field technologies, and applications have continued to grow within the industry. This is often the result of a greater expectation for increased profit and reduced operational costs. However, the major setbacks are the life expectancy of the systems and the risks associated with bvinstallation. Again, the right path is "to surf" along the learning curve.

What is a Smart or Intelligent Well? Several definitions can be found, such as “a well that has measurement and/or control capabilities in the region of its completion(s).” This can be improved to indicate that “a well system could be called Intelligent if, and only if, it adds value to the project during its life cycle.” To add value to a project, reservoir management needs to improve beyond the reservoir engineering discipline, thus becoming a multidisciplinary, integrated team effort. Key project decisions must encompass all disciplines. The role of Intelligent Technology in this scenario, is not only gathers data from sensors, but transforms it into information. Taking advantage of the “digital era”, the oil and gas industry now uses more reliable and cost effective sensors. In the years to come, one must seek to incorporate most processes in a modern simulator for production and reservoir management.

About presenter

Ibere Alves, SPE, is a Senior Technical Advisor for Artificial Lift and Flow Assurance at Petrobras, where he has worked for 31 years. He holds a BSc degree in Mechanical Engineering, a M.Sc. degree in Petroleum Engineering, and a Ph.D. degree in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Tulsa (U.S.A.). Author or co-author of several technical journal, conference papers and many technical reports, in the area of Petroleum Production, also serving on Technical Editor committee of JPT 2008/2011. Several years of both theoretical and experimental research and development experience in the field of production engineering particularly deep-water production, artificial lift and field development. Involved in a multidisciplinary project with Shell and Computer modelling group to develop a next generation simulator for production facilities performed in Canada.

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