Monitoring Through Analyzing Real Time Build-Up Data from an Intelligent Field

Abstract

Abstract Over the last several years, the petroleum industry has experienced a significant increase in the number of new fields and increments being equipped with the intelligent field technology. This includes remote monitoring and control of wells in real time, as well as the acquisition of high frequency pressure, temperature and rate data from the integrated-monitoring systems, including the permanent down-hole monitoring systems. Using field cases, this paper demonstrates the added values of this technology in the pressure transient analysis of real-time data. As part of this study, real-time, build-up tests have been monitored and interpreted remotely for two oil wells conducted in one of intelligent fields. The objectives of these tests are to characterize the reservoir and investigate the presence of reservoir boundaries and heterogeneities around the wells. The results demonstrated how the intelligent field technology provides the real-time reservoir characterization and guarantees achieving the overall objectives of the tests. Monitoring the tests in real-time significantly improves the decision on when to call off the test. It also allows the shut-in times to be extended until sufficient pressure transient data has been acquired, to ensure that the late time responses have been captured. This paper also illustrates how the intelligent field technology helps in the modeling and analysis of the pressure transient responses of wells, by incorporating the effects of the offset wells in a multi-well numerical model. This strengthens the interpretation outcomes of the analysis and eliminates any other less-likely interpretations or scenarios due to the late time responses.