Smart Choke Valve Control for Stable Hydrocarbon Well Flow

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Solution Overview

Problem

Controlling hydrocarbon well production rates is challenging due to the risk of premature well depletion and increased marginal costs associated with maintaining either high or low production levels, necessitating effective regulation to optimize production.

Innovation Solution

A smart choke valve system that automatically collects production data, generates profiles using Artificial Neural Network processing, and self-adjusts to maintain a desirable production rate by controlling the choke valve, while identifying and alerting operators to deviations or unattainable production targets.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If production rate is maintained at high level, then productivity increases, but risk of premature well depletion and water breakthrough increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveproduction rateVSAvoidwell depletion risk

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system continuously monitors production parameters (flow rate, pressure, temperature, water cut, GOR) and uses this feedback to automatically adjust choke valve settings, enabling dynamic optimization that prevents well depletion while maintaining high productivity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The smart choke valve system autonomously regulates production rates based on real-time sensor data and pre-established well profiles, eliminating the need for continuous manual intervention and enabling self-optimizing production control

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

2Reliability

If production rate is maintained at low level, then well depletion risk decreases, but productivity and revenue decrease

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewell depletion riskVSAvoidproduction rate

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts production rates based on real-time well conditions and pre-defined profiles, allowing the well to operate at optimal rates that vary over time rather than fixed low or high rates, thus maximizing productivity while managing depletion risk

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes operational parameters (choke valve settings, production rates) based on evolving well conditions and established rate-pressure profiles, enabling adaptive optimization that prevents premature depletion while maintaining high productivity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Device complexity

If manual monitoring and adjustment of production rates is used, then system complexity is low, but response time and operational efficiency decrease

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontrol system complexityVSAvoidresponse time

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system replaces manual mechanical monitoring and adjustment with automated electronic sensors, processors, and actuators that continuously monitor production parameters and automatically adjust choke valve settings, dramatically reducing response time while managing complexity through integrated control architecture

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS11414954B2Smart choke valve to assess and regulate production flow

Publication Date: 2022.08.16 SAUDI ARABIAN OIL CO

AI summary

Provided is a hydrocarbon well choke system that includes a choke valve and a choke control system adapted to obtain production data from production sensors of the well (e.g., including flowrate, wellhead pressure, wellhead temperature, water cut and gas-oil-ratio (GOR) data obtained by way of respective sensors of the well), generate (based on the data) a well profile that is indicative of the flow of production from the well for different settings of the valve, receive (from a well control system) a target production rate, determine (based on the well profile) whether the rate is obtainable, in response to determining that the rate is obtainable, determine (based on the well profile) a choke setting that corresponds to the rate, and control the choke valve to operate at the setting, and, in response to determining that the rate is not obtainable, communicate (to the well control system) a corresponding alert.