Real-time Water Flood Control via Dynamic Valve Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) operations face challenges in controlling the fluid front during flooding, leading to inefficient oil recovery and potential damage to well fields due to irregularities in subsurface formations, which can result in premature well degradation.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a dynamic state feedback control method that uses real-time sensor readings to coordinate the operation of downhole flow control devices, such as injection and inflow control valves, to manage the fluid front's shape, speed, and advancement, optimizing hydrocarbon production and extending well life.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If flooding is performed to recover hydrocarbons from partially drained reservoirs, then oil recovery efficiency is improved, but the fluid front develops irregularities that can reach production wells prematurely causing well damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a closed-loop control system where sensors continuously monitor the position of the fluid front in real-time, and this information is fed back to automatically adjust the opening degree of injection control valves. This feedback mechanism allows the system to respond dynamically to fluid front movements, preventing premature arrival at production wells while maintaining optimal flooding efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from static valve positioning to dynamic control by enabling real-time adjustment of injection control valve opening degrees based on actual fluid front position. This dynamic adaptation allows the flooding operation to respond to changing subsurface conditions, optimizing both recovery efficiency and well protection simultaneously.
2Productivity
If injection control valves are used to regulate fluid injection, then hydrocarbon production is optimized, but the system complexity increases due to need for real-time monitoring and control
Solution Approach 1:
The control system operates autonomously by automatically adjusting injection control valve positions based on real-time sensor feedback about fluid front position. The system self-regulates the flooding process without requiring continuous manual intervention, reducing operational complexity while maintaining optimized hydrocarbon production.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical control of injection valves with an automated control system that uses sensor data and algorithmic decision-making to adjust valve positions. This substitution of manual operations with automated systems reduces human intervention requirements while achieving superior production optimization.
3Measurement precision
If real-time sensor monitoring is implemented to track fluid front position, then fluid front management is improved, but operational costs increase due to additional sensors and control infrastructure
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses real-time sensor feedback to precisely monitor fluid front position, enabling accurate control decisions that prevent well damage and optimize production. The value of this precise measurement information outweighs the costs of implementing and maintaining the sensor network, as it directly prevents costly well damage and maximizes recovery efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes operational parameters (injection valve opening degrees) based on real-time measurements of fluid front position. This adaptive parameter adjustment allows the system to respond optimally to changing conditions, maximizing the value derived from the measurement infrastructure while minimizing unnecessary operational costs.
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes generating kth, (k+1)th, . . . , (kfinal)th control inputs for actuating flow control devices of a production well and/or an injection well of a well system during corresponding sampling steps k, (k+1), . . . , kfinal, actuating the flow control devices during the kth step using the kth control input, measuring a position of a fluid front and a dynamic state of the well system during the kth step; predicting a dynamic state of the well system at each step (k+1), . . . , kfinal using a state predictor, updating the (k+1)th, . . . , (kfinal)th control inputs based on the predicted dynamic states, optimizing the (k+1)th, . . . , (kfinal)th control inputs using a desired cost function, actuating the flow control devices during the (k+1)th step using the optimized value for the (k+1)th step, and measuring the position of the fluid front and a dynamic state of the well system during the (k+1)th step.