Abstract
The oil industry has been perpetually examining well testing methods, with the goal of improving overall efficiency, ensuring data quality, and streamlining processes to achieve program objectives. Over the years, the aim of drillstem testing (DST) has remained mostly unchanged. However, operators want to meet the forecasted production investments of their fields, while improving operational efficiency and maintaining the highest level of operational standards, with safety and the environment being paramount. One of the solutions was developing a live, downhole, reservoir testing platform. The breakthrough consisted in introducing automation and real time monitoring to adjust the test program according to the actual reservoir response rather than blindly following a predefined test program, necessitating better operational flexibility. This platform is united by a wireless telemetry technology allowing an acoustic communication with downhole tools in real time. The automation of the data acquisition, downhole tools actuation and real time monitoring of the downhole operations, gives the operators the ability to perform well tests with reduced uncertainties, less human intervention and improved data quality. The early availability of reservoir knowledge enables operational efficiencies by meeting the test objectives earlier, thus reducing significantly the overall test period and the associated well testing costs.
This paper describes the common well test objectives and challenges, the overall design of the wireless telemetry system, and automation of the job preparation and execution of the downhole operations that led to the successful completion of the well test campaign in very hostile condition, remote areas and restricted period. The use of the telemetry system in several well testing campaigns in different regions of the world, allowed to control critical downhole equipment and to acquire reservoir data transmittable to the clients office in town in real time. Various operation examples will be discussed to demonstrate how the automated data acquisition and downhole operations control has been used to optimize operations.
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