Control and Telemetering of Gas Producing Wells

Abstract

Abstract Pressure gas wells present unique operating problems requiring constantclose supervision. When these wells are located in inaccessible areas, or wherea saving in manpower is desirable, remote central control and data collectingare advantageous. Vessel pressure and temperature, wellhead temperature and pressure, dehydrator dew point, and high H2S content are but a few of thepossible trouble points that should be continuously monitored for safety ofboth personnel and equipment. Regular logging of flow rates, temperatures, analog variables and other critical functions serve the dual purpose ofefficiency of operation and elimination of wellhead charts. Central control of wellhead flow rate and shut-down provides for a safe andreadily adjustable gas gathering system. Remote units should be designed sothat alarms are "fail safe," and automatic shutdown from critical failuresshould operate independently of the central unit. In areas where a corrosiveatmosphere is present, care should be taken to protect all electrical contactsfrom contamination. A properly designed system will operate on a minimum number ofinter-connecting channels and for this purpose some method of coding isrequired. Since equipment in the field must operate under adverse conditionseven the most sophisticated equipment must be rugged and reliable. Centralcontrol systems are economically justifiable by savings in personnel, vehicles, accounting, and by the elimination of some costly pneumatic controls. Introduction The technique of central control and telemetering has been successfully usedfor many years by the petroleum refiner. In recent years, oil production hasalso benefitted by the use of remote supervisory systems. With the developmentof Western Canada's vast reserves of relatively inaccessible high pressure sournatural gas, a clear need has arisen for the application of complete automationto gas production. By the use of a combination of local alarm monitors, processcontrollers, telemetering, remote data logging, and control, a safer moreefficient operation can be obtained together with lower operating costs.