G11PT Production Technology

COURSE DETAILS
Course Code: G11PT
Full Course Title: Production Technology
SCQF Level: 11
SCAF Credits: 15
Available as Elective: No

DELIVERY LEVEL
Undergraduate: No Postgraduate Taught: Yes Postgraduate Research: Yes
Additional Information:

COURSE AIMS

The overall aim of this course is to allow the student to:

• identify the major components of the production system

• consider the options available to efficiently complete a well
• understand and apply the theory behind Reservoir – Well – Facility flow modelling
• examine the techniques available to enhance production from both reservoir and well
• design appropriate procedures to ensure optimal initial production
• understand the process of delivering and treating reservoir and injection fluid at the surface

LEARNING OUTCOMES – SUBJECT MASTERY

On completion of the course, the student should be able to:

• understand and appreciate the production system from reservoir to surface

• design suitable bottomhole completions systems
• understand the design principles of different perforation systems
• design an artificial lift system based on pumping and gas lifting techniques
• assess the degree of formation damage present in a formation
• design acidising and hydraulic fracturing treatments
• understand and be able to select appropriate methods to enable sand control
• understand the processes and equipment used in produced water handling

LEARNING OUTCOMES – PERSONAL ABILITIES

In this course, students will be explicitly encouraged to:

• be aware of the importance of time management;

• develop their personal skills, including an awareness of both traditional and internet-based information sources;
• develop their skills in problem solving

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• use/ be aware of appropriate IT tools and design charts to design reservoir inflow and lift performance

• apply theoretical knowledge to practical problems.

• provide constructive feedback to teaching staff.

SYLLABUS

Introduction: Role of production engineer; review of wellbore/reservoir connection and implications for fluid flow

Well performance: PI for oil and gas wells in steady state flow; concepts of flow in pipes and impact of pressure loss
components; hydrostatic head and functional pressure loss gradients for oil, gas, vertical and inclined wells; multi-phase
flow patterns in vertical, inclined and horizontal pipes; physical property variation in flow up the wellbore for single phase gas
and oil flow and for multi-phase flow; slip and hold up and appreciate impact on flow efficiency and tubing sizing; gradient
curves concepts; flowing bottom hole pressure based on assumed tubing head pressures and the intake curve of flowing
bottomhole pressure versus rate.

Well completions: Evaluate bottom hole completion options; geometrical configurations for drilled wellbores for both
production and injection applications; generic operating principles for major completion equipment components;Tubing for
production / injection; Wellheads; Xmas trees; Packers; Seal assemblies; Subsurface safety valves; Nipple profiles; Flow
control and circulation devices; packer selection.

Perforating: options and advantages/disadvantages for perforating oil and gas wells; over balance and under balanced
perforating; charge design and factors that

influence performance; effect of completion and work over operations

Advanced Wells: development of advanced wells; improvement in productivity; advantages compared to traditional wells;
multilateral wells

Artificial Lift: Explain the importance of Artificial Lift (AL) for world oil production; selection of AL based on ranking criteria;
electric submersible pump; beam pump; fluid driven hydraulic pumps (Explain the mode of operation of the(i) Jet pump;(ii)
Weir Multiphase pump;(iii) Hydraulic pump); progressive cavity pump

Gas Lift: Describe the gas lift process; Identification of application areas/advantages for gas lift; well unloading process; gas
lift hardware components; gas lift completion design; intermittent gas lift and plunger lift processes.

Formation Damage: formation damage and poor well performance; major sources of formation damage; appropriate
remedial treatments; production related formation damage; scale, wax, asphaltene deposition; scale inhibitors; perforating

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damage

Matrix Acidising: Types of matrix stimulation techniques; primary chemical reactions in sandstone and carbonate acidising.
Acid selection; Additives; Acidising treatment design

Hydraulic Fracturing: Productivity Increase Factor (PIF) achievable by HF; role of Rock Mechanics in supplying basic
design data for an HF treatment; Fracture Propagation Pressure Record analysis to derive basic design data; Fracture
Propagation Models; Hydraulic Fracture geometry (fracture shape and length); Hydraulic Fracture Treatment Design
Procedure; Hydraulic Fracturing Treatment operation

Sand Control: Decision to install sand control during the original completion design; definition of sand problem in the field;
Surface equipment/operations to cope with sand production; sand control options; liner/screen design; gravel pack design;

Field Development Concepts & Fluid Processing: design and operation of the production facilities; outline production
process scheme; components and operation of a 3 phase separator; fiscal measurement of produced crude oil; pipeline
"pigging" operation; gas handling facility - NGL separation and stabilisation, gas dehydration and sweetening, chemical
composition of formation water; operational problems (scale, corrosion, etc.); oily water treatment; disposal options; source
of injection water and surface preparation.

COURSE RELATIONSHIPS
N/A

LOCATION AND ASSESSMENT METHODS

Edi SBC Ork Dub Malay IDL COLL ALP OTH Method Weight Exam Type Diet Synoptic
Mins Course
Y Y Y Y Y Y Examination 100 180 Assessment Semester 2
Y Y Y Y Y Y Examination 100 180 Reassessment Semester 3

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