Abstract
Following on from a preliminary set of field testing performed at a selection of USA based unconventional wells longer term measurements with a clamp-on Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducer (EMAT) multiphase metering system shall be presented. Longer term trends and correlations between the well behavior and the meter data shall be discussed including opportunities for asset optimization. The clamp-on meter can be rapidly installed on the production flow lines of new wells or retrofitted to existing wells with zero intervention. The EMAT measurement approach is clamp-on and non-radioactive.
The workflow used to configure the meter prior to installation to the line shall be described. This includes empirical and physics-based flow analysis of reported well conditions based on pipe geometry, production data and PVT information. Following this, EMAT flowmeters were brought to multiple well sites and installed on producing flowlines downstream of the well heads where measurements were taken. Results obtained were compared against expected flow conditions over longer time periods than previously presented.
EMAT flowmeters were installed on several unconventional wells with an installation time less than one hour and with zero intervention. Multiphase flow measurement results from these unconventional wells shall be presented and compared expected well behaviors. The flexibility of the clamp-on deployment allows measurement across multiple wells within a field or reservoir. How this can be applied to real time production optimization and surveillance shall also be explained. In preparation for each well, simulations were performed using the Taitel and Dukler model to predict the flow regime. More detailed physics-based simulations were performed to understand the flow behavior of the individual phases. It is possible with the clamp-on meter to monitor the flow regime and quickly detect flow regime changes within the pipe through monitoring of diagnostic parameters: these shall be compared against the predicted behavior of each of the unconventional wells. Furthermore, the longer-term nature of the measurement allows insight into longer time constant behavior changes of wells and fields leading to further insight into optimization for production and assets.
The flexible deployment of the EMAT multiphase flow measurement device presents potential for significant well production and HS&E improvements in oilfield surveillance and production optimization. The longer term assessment of the wells compared to previous measurements with this technology shall allow further insight into longer time constant well- and field-related phenomena which must be understood to effectively optimize production of the well.
