Publications

Todays Exploration and Production business is all about economics, producing and managing fields more effectively and efficiently. It is about compiling production information especially well performance, as quickly and efficiently as possible to improve decision-making to enhance hydrocarbon production and recovery.The paper details a low cost real time well monitoring system which has recently been imlemented and installed on a mature on-shore gas field in Indonesia. The field has many “critical wells or weak wells with rate close or below the minimum required to lift liquids. Due to the field advanced depletion status, an increasing number of wells will be operated in the mentioned critical condition. Early detection of liquid loading and timely intervention will be required in order to keep them producing and maximize the ultimate reserves recovery.Currently the field relies upon regular well tests with an average frequency of 1 test every 14 days / well. The data often shows that wells have died between two consecutive tests and there is uncertainty on when the production actually stopped. In order to have a continuous and real time monitoring and to contain cost because of the maturity of the field, a low cost system has been implemented.A real-time monitoring has been installed to relay flowrate, pressure and temperature measurements from each well to central data storage and processing system located within the operations base camp. A permanent sensor is installed at each wellhead and the data is transmitted using simple radio technology. Software has been developed to indicate when well behavior indicates further investigation is required and allows data trending and monitoring. Now the well management has moved from a reactive strategy to a more proactive mode.The system is suitable for an application in land based gas fields and has been proven to work over a large surface area. The field trial proved both beneficial in performing timely well interventions and the system is reliable.