Well flow (production) test - physical characteristics The objective of production testing is to clarify the productivity and characteristics

of well (steam/water and gas flow rates)

Tetsuya YAHARA West Japan Engineering Consultants, Inc.

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Well Testing and Evaluation

Production d i Test Production Characteristic (Deliverability) Curve PTS (pressure, temperature, and spinner) Logging Wellb e Simulator Wellbore Si l t Pressure Interference Test

Induction of Well Discharge (1) How can we produce the well?

Steam dominated reservoir Steam-dominated reser oir

It will be easier to start steam discharge, because it can be done by only opening the wellhead valve.

Steam-dominated reservoir

Induction of Well Discharge (2) How can we produce the well? Water-dominated reservoir
It will be necessary to induce steam discharge from the well, applying some kinds of method to stimulate the well, below.

1. Pressurizing the well (Air reaction) 2. Gas lift (Air lifting) 3. Steam or two-phase injection
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Pressurizing the Well to Start Discharge

Presssure ( kg/cm2 ) and Temperature ( )
0 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400

Flowing Temperature
200

Flowing g Pressure
400 Pressurizingwithair

Static Pressure Static Temperature Boiling Point Curve

Measured Depth ( m )

600

800

Pressurinzing with air

1000

Depressured Boiling Point Curve

1200

1400

1600

This method is used where the air-water interface can be depressed to a level such that the boiling point for depth (BPD) profile from the depressed water level intersects the stable downhole temperature. (Grant, Geothermal Reservoir Engineering, 2nd p135)

Outline of the Methods for Starting Discharge

Method P ess i ing the well Pressurizing ell Outline The well ell is pressurized p ess i ed by b pumping p mping air ai or o gas for fo several se e al hours or days to allow temperatures in the water column to sufficiently recover, and then the wellhead valve is opened rapidly to permit discharge of compressed air, followed by boiling geothermal fluid. Tubing is inserted into the well to an appropriate depth, and then air lift is started by pumping air down the tubing. Even if the pumping is stopped, self-sustained discha ge may discharge ma occur occ due d e to continuous contin o s provision p o ision of hot water from the feed zone. When the temperature in the well is relatively low at shallow depth, backfeed of steam or two-phase fluid from other production wells is useful to heat up the well prior stating discharge by pressurizing the well. (Grant, Geothermal Reservoir Engineering, 2nd Edition)
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Gas lift (Air lifting)

Steam or two-phase injection

Two-phase Flow Measurement Methods

Method James Lip Pressure Method Objective Roughly estimate flow rate in the Initial unstable condition For proper design of the separator for a long-term test Outline Empirical formula developed by James (1966) ( ) For highly productive twophase geothermal wells Differences are within 5% to separator method, and within 8% to theoretical study Individual steam and water flow metering system, using separator The overall accuracy will not normally be better than 2% of the steam and water components Merits and demerits Versatile and economical Easy y to install and remove Not quite as accurate as the separator method Most accurate Environmental friendly

Steam-Water Separator Method

Accurate measurement of steam and water flow rate in stable condition for longterm test For proper design of the steam turbine

(Grant, Geothermal Reservoir Engineering, 2nd Edition)

Schematic Equipment Setting for the Lip Pressure Method

Basic Equipment setting for the "Lip Pressure Method"

silencer pressure gauge to measure "Lip pressure"

Pc

flow

weir box

flow to injection well or disposal pool

In the lip pressure method, the steam-water mixture is discharged through an appropriate sized pipe into a silencer to separate the steam and water phases at atmospheric pressure. The lip pressure is measured at the end of the discharge pipe. The flow rate of the steam-water mixture can be calculated based on the empirical formula developed by James.

Schematic Equipment Setting for the Separator Method

Orifice V l Valve

Manometer 1:Differential Press. between orifices

Press. Gauge

Separator Manometer 3 : Separator press.

Flash Chamber

Weir

Manometer 2: Press. prior to orifice

Production well

In the separator method, the flow rate of separated steam can be measured using an orifice plate and sampling the differential pressure between the front and back of the . plate. 9

The Weir Design

B b H D from silencer L1 Ls L2

Coverage
B = 0.5 ~ 6.3 m b = 0.15 ~ 5 m D = 0.15 ~ 3.5 m 2 bD/B >= 0.06 1/2 H = 0.03 ~ 0.45b m L1 > B+3H Ls = about 2H L2 > B+2H

to pond 2mm 45
o

rectifier (4 plates with holes)

20mm

flow direction

30mm

JIS B8302-1976

The separated water can be flashed to atmospheric pressure and the water flow rate can be measured using a weir.
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Production Characteristic (Deliverability) Curve

Mass Flow / Enthalpy S te a m W a te r T o ta l M a s s E n t h a lp y

W e ll H e a d P r e s s u r e

If a longer-term production test can be done, measurements are made continuously at a minimum of three different pressures to make the production characteristics curve (the deliverability curve), for which the valve is throttled to produce at least three different wellhead pressures.
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Output (Deliverability) Curveform of the variation of enthalpy with wellhead pressure

(Grant, Geothermal Reservoir Engineering, 2nd Edition)

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Well Deliverability Curve of KMJ-73, kamojang

KNJ73DeliverabilityCurve KNJ73DeliverabilityCurve

100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 0 5 10

Ma assFlowRate(ton/h)

15

20

25

WellheadPressure(kg/cm2)

M. Achyan Karim et al. (2005), WGC2005

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Discussion for Optimum Turbine Pressure

Optimum turbine inlet pressure should be designed based on the deliverability curve of the production well.
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Example of PTS Logging Data

3 5m m

Casing Program
0
0

Pressure (MPa)

1.3 75 "

Cable Head

3
Temperature ()

0 0

50

100

150 Spinner (rps)

200

250

300

[ Casing ]

[ Hole ]
0 0 0 0 50 1 25 100 2 50

150 3 75

200 4 100

250 5 125

300 6 150

14 53.88m

17 1/2 59.1m

100 100 500 200 200 500

Pressure Sensor

4.3m

300 300

54 mm
2. 12 5"

400 400

9 5/8 500.7m

12 1/4 510m

500 500 1,000

Pressure Port

600 1,000 600

700 700 Depth (m)

1 4" )

Centralizer

800 800 1,500 900 900

Temperature Sensor Spinner Sensor

4 1/2 1/2 982.5m 7 1005.7m

1,500 1 500

8 1/2 1010m

1,000 1,000

54 m m 7 6 mm )

1,100 1,100

2,000 1,200 1,200

Feed Point Feed Point

2,000 1,300 1,300

Feed Point
1,400 1,400

4 1/2 1525m

6 1/4 1526m

1,500 1,500

1,600 1,600

The PTS data is very useful for understanding the conditions in the flowing well, such as the entering mass flow and enthalpy at each feed point.
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Wellbore Simulation Model with the Surrounding Formation

The WELLFLOW program establishes the deliverability curve of a well based on the reservoir pressure, temperature, and permeability-thickness products (kh) at the feed depth. The power output of the well can be estimated assuming the turbine inlet pressure.

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Example of the Matching Result to the Production Characteristic Curve

3000 Simulated Enthalpy y(kJ/kg) Field Data 2000

Well Name Example-1

Input Data

1000

Reservoir Pressure Reservoir Temperature

6.86 MPaA 250.58 100.00 darcy-m 617.00 1400.00 0.2240 0.2160 0.00

0 0.0 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 0.0 0.5 1.0 Well Head Pressure ((MPaG) 1.5 2.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 Simulated Steam Water Total Field Data steam water total 2.0

Permeability-Thickness (kh) Production Casing Depth Feed Point Depth Production Casing Diameter Liner Diameter Skin Factor

Flow R Rate (t/h)

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Example of the Matching Result to the Pressure and Temperature Profiles

Pressure (barA) / Temperature (degC) 0 0 50 100 150 200 250 300

200

400

600 Depth (m)

800

1000

1200

1400

1600 Pressure (Field Data) Pressure (Simulated) Temperature (Field Data) Temperature (Simulated)

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Interference Testing

The pressure response at an observation well during production yields important reservoir properties in terms of pressure interferences among the existing wells. This result can also be utilized for numerical reservoir modeling. The observed pressure response can be used as the matching target during the calibration process of numerical model construction.

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Monitoring of Pressure Change in Reservoir

For steam-dominated reservoir, wellhead pressure indicates almost the reservoir pressure. Therefore monitoring of the Therefore, wellhead pressure is useful to observe the reservoir pressure.

Steam-dominated reservoir

Waterdominated reservoir

For water-dominated reservoir, pressure monitoring system is required to measure the pressure change over time in the reservoir.

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Pressure Monitoring Equipment

A capillary tubing system is used as a pressure monitoring tool that consists of a pressure chamber, capillary tube, Helium gas vessel and transducer with data recording system. The pressure chamber is set at the depth, and then filled with Helium gas. The change in Helium gas pressure in the pressure chamber with capillary tube, which indicates reservoir pressure, is transferred to a data recording system through the transducer. 21

Pressure Change due to Interference, and Data Analysis

Tsuru and Tokita (1994),15th PNOC-EDC Geothermal Conference

The pressure response at an observation well is also utilized for numerical reservoir modeling, as the matching target during the calibration process of numerical model construction. 22

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Changes in Reservoir during Two-phase pipeline flow simulator Production and Reinjection

Wellbore Simulator

Reservoir simulator

Dynamic change in the reservoir will occur after commissioning production and reinjection due to interference between wells. Therefore, in order to mitigate such impact of interference on the well productivity, interference testing should be done to optimize allocation of wells.
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The End
Thank you for your attention!
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