Robust Automatic Well Choke Control – Physical Constraint Based Operation

Abstract

Process fluctuations are often equivalent to lost production as the necessary margins to process constraints need to take into account the fluctuations. Better operation is achieved by reduced process fluctuations enabling operation closer to the constraints (reducing the backoff) thus the average production increases. For oil wells, this transition is typically achieved with automatic choke control.Both oil and gas production wells and injection wells benefit from automatic choke control. The natural variations of the underlying process require frequent adjustments of the well chokes in order to keep key parameters at their optimal values. If not operating the choke at fully open position, it is normally beneficial to replace manual operation with automatic choke control. This approach enables operation close to active well constraints. In addition, automatic actions can be taken to avoid safety issues.This paper gives practical examples of the benefits obtained by applying automatic choke control to gas coning wells and water injectors. Exchanging manual infrequent choke manipulations with continuous operations close to the true, physical constraints, enable safe and optimal production.