Automated Well Test Scheduling and Validation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Manual processes in oil and gas well testing are inefficient and prone to errors, leading to increased downtime and manual intervention during outages, which complicates the recovery of automated workflows and affects productivity.
Innovation Solution
An automated system and method for creating test schedules, frames, and validating records in oil and gas production environments, integrated with Distributed Control Systems and plant data historians, enabling automatic well testing and quick recovery from downtime.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual processes are used for well testing, then flexibility and adaptability are maintained, but efficiency and productivity decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables automated well testing where the testing equipment and control systems perform operations autonomously without continuous manual intervention. The automated workflow includes schedule creation, test execution, data collection, and report generation, allowing the system to serve itself in completing testing tasks efficiently
Solution Approach 2:
Test schedules and frameworks are created in advance before actual well testing operations. This preliminary automation of planning and preparation activities enables the system to execute tests efficiently without requiring manual setup during the actual testing process, thereby improving productivity
2Reliability
If manual processes are used for well testing, then system complexity is reduced, but errors increase and reliability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The automated system incorporates validation mechanisms that verify test data quality and completeness automatically. Feedback loops ensure that testing procedures are followed correctly and that data meets quality standards, thereby improving reliability while the automation manages the associated complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The testing system is divided into modular components including schedule management, test execution, data collection, and validation modules. This segmentation allows each component to be independently optimized and validated, improving overall system reliability while making the complexity manageable through modular design
3Loss of time
If manual processes are used for well testing, then ease of operation is maintained, but downtime increases
Solution Approach 1:
The automated system enables continuous well testing operations by eliminating idle time between testing activities. Automated scheduling ensures that testing equipment is continuously utilized across multiple wells without manual setup delays, thereby reducing total downtime while the automation handles operational complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts testing schedules and parameters based on real-time conditions and well characteristics. This dynamic automation allows the system to optimize testing sequences and reduce downtime adaptively, while the underlying automation manages the complexity of real-time decision-making
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes automatically creating one or more test schedules for a well test of one or more wells in an oil or gas production environment. The method also includes automatically creating one or more test frames for use in generation of the well test. The method further includes, following execution of the test frame, automatically validating one or more test records generated during the one or more test frames. In addition, the method includes automatically creating the well test for determining one or more well characteristics.