SPE 74106
Environmentally Friendly Well Testing
Y. El-Khazindar,SPE, Schlumberger, M. Ramzi Darwish, ADMA-OPCO, and A. Tengirsek, Schlumberger
Copyright 2002, Society of Petroleum Engineers Inc.
This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE International Conference on Health,
Safety and Environment in Oil and Gas Exploration and Production held in Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia, 20–22 March 2002.
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Abstract
Burning hydrocarbons during cleanup and well-testing
operations produces toxic gases, soot, acid rain, unburned
hydrocarbons and noise. Not only do these emissions have a
damaging impact on the environment, but they also impose an
economic impact: the cost of the oil and gas flared and the cost
of the equipment used during the flaring operations.
A joint task force between two offshore operating
companies in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.),
with the help of the contracted service provider, worked to
implement innovative solutions to achieve flaring-emission
elimination targets and eliminate environmental risk.
Innovative equipment modifications and design, coupled
with new operational procedures, were implemented to
neutralize the fluids used to prepare the well for production
(allowing well effluents to flow through the test separator
during the cleanup phase) and to use a boosting system to
pump the oil into the sealine (fully eliminating oil flaring).
The initial stages of the solution neutralized the acid
flowed back to surface and eliminated the oil flaring. A
multiphase flowmeter was then introduced to the system. Not
only did the multiphase flowmeter enhance operation
flexibility, confidence in the information acquired, and
accuracy of the results, but it also eliminated gas flaring after
the cleanup period. The minimal pressure drop across the
meter and the high-pressure rating of the meter allow well
effluents to flow naturally through the sealine without
separating the well-effluent phases. Deployment of the
multiphase flowmeter in the system reduced the gas flaring by
about 60% during the overall job.
Introduction
Conventionally, during cleanup and well-testing operations,
both oil and gas are burned away into the atmosphere. The
combustion efficiency of fully atmospheric oxidation is
insufficient. Oil- and gas-flaring operations create significant
amounts of emissions that contain unburned hydrocarbons,
carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides, which produce acid
rain, smog, ozone at ground levels, and greenhouse gases in
the upper atmosphere.
Acid rain depletes soil, pollutes water, damages forests,
endangers animal habitats and food chains, and corrodes
human-made structures, such as buildings, statues,
automobiles, and other artifacts made of stone or metal. Smog
and ozone cause human respiratory ailments, such as asthma,
bronchitis and emphysema. Most scientists believe that
greenhouse gases are a major cause of global warming.
Increased concentrations of water vapor, carbon dioxide,
methane and other greenhouse gases trap heat energy in the
earth’s atmosphere. A gradual rise in the earth’s surface
temperature is expected to melt polar ice caps and glaciers,
expanding ocean volume and raising sea level, flooding some
coastal regions and even entire islands.
Middle Eastern countries, including the U.A.E. with its
low-lying coastal areas, are concerned about rising sea levels
and potential flooding caused by global warming. They are
concerned about increased radiation of heat and light from
global warming, leading to regional desertification. As major
producers of oil and gas, they are concerned about the
deterioration of air quality from inefficient combustion of a
sour gas supply.
Abu Dhabi is blessed with a charming environmental
heritage. Nevertheless, the environment in this part of the
world is no less fragile than anywhere else.
Recognizing mounting international concerns over
environmental issues, a joint task force was formed in June
1997. The Abu Dhabi Marine Operating Company and the
Zakum Development Company, with the assistance of
Schlumberger, the testing services provider, worked to
implement pioneering solutions for optimizing acid
neutralization, reducing flaring operations in the short term,
and ultimately achieving zero hydrocarbon flaring to eliminate
environmental risk during well-testing operations(1-2).
2 Y. EL-KHAZINDAR, R. DARWISH AND A. TENGIRSEK
Environmentally Friendly Well Testing
This paper describes the equipment and processes used to
achieve zero hydrocarbon flaring.
The First Stages: Acid Neutralization and Oil Reinjection.
The separation and reinjection of oil was introduced in June
1998 (see Fig. 1). In this process, single-phase oil-reinjection
pumps, specially designed to overcome high sealine pressures
of up to 1300 psi, were used to reinject the oil back into the
production sealine. They covered the range from 12,000
BOPD at 410 psi to 3500 BOPD at 1300 psi. The use of
reinjection pumps, which eliminated the need for oil flaring
during postcleanup operations, reduced the total oil flared
by 65%.
To stimulate wells after drilling or workover operations,
10 to 15 gal/ft of 15% HCl are pumped downhole. The spent
acid flowing back to surface typically has a pH of 2 to 3. In
February 2000, an acid neutralization system was introduced
(see Fig. 2). In this process, neutralizing agents are used to
keep the pH of the effluents flowing back to surface after an
acid job between 5.5 and 6. Na2CO3 was chosen because it is
soluble in water, cost effective and generally available on
well sites.
The neutralization system keeps the pH of water dumped
overboard the rig between 5.5 and 6. Furthermore, it allows oil
separation from the start of flowback operations so that the
reinjection pumps can inject 100% of the oil back into the
production sealine.
The neutralization system involves pumping demulsifying
agents upstream of the choke manifold and pumping the
neutralizing agent, Na2CO3, downstream of the choke
manifold. The neutralizing agent then flows into a test
separator, a 100-bbl dual-compartment skimmer, where
chemical treatment reduces the oil-in-water content to 100
ppm before the water is dumped overboard.
Introducing the neutralization system and the reinjection
pumps eliminated the need for oil-flaring operations. Even
though initial stages considerably reduced emissions to
atmosphere, improving the system to eliminate gas flaring
during cleanup and well-testing operations remained
a challenge.
The PhaseTester multiphase flowmeter. In May 2001, the
PhaseTester* portable multiphase periodic well testing
equipment(3-5) was introduced to the setup (see Fig. 3). The
PhaseTester’s high working pressure of 5000 psi allows
placing the tool upstream of the choke manifold (see Fig. 4).
This tool was selected to
• reduce the amount of gas flared by
approximately 60%
• eliminate unnecessary shut-ins and flow disturbance
during testing operations (for example, during a
helicopter landing)
• provide a reliable, stand-alone flow rate
measurement.
* measurements with the dual-energy spectral gamma-ray
Mark of Schlumberger
SPE 74106
The PhaseTester multiphase flowmeter simultaneously
measures the total mass flow rate of the stream passing
through, with a venturi meter, and the individual phase
fractions, with a dual-energy gamma fraction meter. Working
on the multiple-energy principle, the detector picks up the total
count of photons hitting the sensor, as well as the energy of
each hit. The high-speed detector produces a signature count
rate, over the two peak energy bands, which is a function of
the measured medium. Hits at two different energy levels are
filtered out and used for the fraction of oil, water and gas
calculations. The sampling frequency of 45 Hz is sufficient to
define the continuous variations in the process flow.
The measuring section includes the venturi meter and the
dual-energy gamma fraction meter. Both measurements—
performed at the same time and place—eliminate anomalies or
inaccuracies associated with meters that have a series of
sensors implemented along a pipe and that do not detect the
same flow instantaneously.
The PhaseTester multiphase flowmeter uses a blind tee in
the flowline upstream of the measuring section to impose a
predictable flow shape onto the flowstream. Effectively
removing flow anomalies imposed by downhole conditions
and surface piping, this tee eliminates high-frequency flow
instabilities in the measuring section.
With an American Petroleum Institute (API) 6A rating,
the PhaseTester multiphaseflowmeter does not require
additional shutdown and pressure-relief systems. The
PhaseTester Vx* multiphase well testing technology can be
used to accept fluids directly from the flowline and, after
measurement, flow them back naturally to the production
sealine without any boosting services. Pressure loss across the
system is typically 3 to 30 psi, much lower than for a
conventional test-separation system.
Testing. Between May 15 and October 1, 2001, 23 wells were
cleaned up and tested using the reinjection, neutralization
system and PhaseTester multiphase flowmeter combination.
The operation involved 36 postcleanup flow tests. Flowing
conditions during the flow periods were
• wellhead flowing pressure range: 90–1300 psi
• oil flow rate range: 400–5500 BOPD
• gas flow rate range: 0.3–4.0 MMscf/D
• gas volume fraction (GVF) range: 60–98%
• CO2 range: 1.5–8.0%
• H2S range: 0–4%
• basic sediment and water (BS&W) range: 0–34%
Figs. 5 through 11 plot the distribution of these parameters
against the number of flow periods.
The 36 flow tests were compared to a traditional test
separator(6-7). Various authors have mentioned the difficulty of
making comparisons with test separators (for example, Ting8
or Amdal et al.9). Separators are limited to performing a
reasonable liquid-to-liquid separation. In most tests the water
cut is calculated from in-line sampling from the choke
manifold. The PhaseTester tool obtains reliable water
SPE 74106 ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY WELL TESTING
composition meter because this nuclear determination is not
sensitive to the distribution of the phases.
Uncertainties are not limited to those of the individual oil
and gas meters installed on a test separator. Other factors that
can affect the separator uncertainties are
• meter factor drift caused by gas entrainment in the
liquid leg of the test separator
• slugging of the wells, which affects
test-separator performance
• an operator-dependent process
• poor liquid-to-liquid separation
• overall accuracy affected by the whole system (back
pressures, lines, controls, etc.)
• frequency of data gathering.
For a calibrated separator operated by a dedicated crew,
the uncertainties are expected to be
• gas uncertainty in the range of 5 to 8%
• total liquid uncertainty in the range of 5 to 8%.
Comprehensive preparation of the reference separator was
performed in advance, ensuring a proper conclusion. A
comparison of flow rate results between the PhaseTester tool
and the reference separator indicated that the PhaseTester tool
performed within its operating specifications, yielding the
PhaseTester multiphase flowmeter uncertainty figures +/- the
separator uncertainties.
The flow rate uncertainties(10) for the PhaseTester flowmeter
are as follows:
Liquid:
The larger of 2.5% of the reading, or 300 bbl/d, for
GVF between 0 and 98%
Gas:
The larger of 1% of the reading, or 140 scf/d, for
GVF between 0% and 30%
The larger of 3% of the reading, or 420 scf/d, for
GVF between 30% and 60%
The larger of 10% of the reading, or 1410 scf/d, for
GVF between 60% and 90%
The larger of 15% of the reading, or 2120 scf/d, for
GVF between 90% and 95%
Water-Liquid Ratio (WLR):
± 3% absolute for GVF between 0% and 70%
± 4% absolute for GVF between 70% and 80%
± 5% absolute for GVF between 80% and 90%
± 8% absolute for GVF between 90% and 95%.
Toward Zero Gas Flaring. The ultimate goal is to achieve a
flaring-free operation. As a step toward this goal, the
PhaseTester multiphase flowmeter was deployed to reduce gas
flaring to a minimum. The PhaseTester flowmeter was
expected to decrease gas flaring by approximately 60% during
the overall job, as well as eliminate unnecessary shut-ins and
flow disturbance during the testing operations.
After the flowback and acid neutralization, once the
wellhead pressure increased to overcome the production
sealine pressure, well effluents bypassed the conventional
separator system and flowed naturally through the PhaseTester
3
tool into the production sealine. Separating, boosting and
flaring operations were not required. The extremely low
pressure drop across the PhaseTester tool helped to achieve
gas-flaring reduction.
Confidence in the PhaseTester multiphase flowmeter’s
measurement reliability and flexibility was developed during
its evaluation over 36 flow tests. The PhaseTester multiphase
flowmeter was then deployed on three tests to reduce gas
flaring. Table 1 shows the reduction in gas flaring when the
PhaseTester multiphase flowmeter was integrated into the
system. (Gas is typically flared during the initial
cleanup phase.)
TABLE 1—[Summary of gas flaring reduction results]
Well no. 1 Well no. 2 Well no. 3
Total job duration, hours 75 80 41
Total gas produced, MMscf 13.6 8.3 3.6
Gas flared, MMscf 3.20 0.54 0.77
Gas flared, % 24 7 21
Gas injected, MMscf 10.4 7.7 2.9
Gas Injected, % 76 93 79
Future Plans. Various studies have been carried out to define
practical and economical means of fully eliminating the gas
flaring. A multiphase pump is currently being considered as a
solution. The challenges to designing a multiphase pump for
this application include the pump capability to cover a wide
range of flow conditions, as well as size and power
requirements. The joint task force is currently studying
technical details and performance of a multiphase pump
specifically designed to suit a wide range of flow conditions.
The current water treatment skimmer system is capable of
achieving an oil-in-water level of approximately 100 ppm.
Different options were considered to achieve an oil-in-water
level of less than 15 ppm, the environmental emissions
guidelines limit specified by Abu Dhabi National Oil
Company’s Health, Safety and Environment policy. The joint
task force proposed an integrated water deoiling package. Full
feasibility and Hazardous and Operability studies were
performed. The water deoiling unit, currently being
manufactured, is planned for utilization in January 2002.
The water deoiling unit was designed to meet the
following criteria:
• a compact integrated solution including a degasser,
hydrocyclone, reject oil tank, pumping units and
control panel, all on one skid that can be
accommodated easily on the rig/barge without
inflicting space limitations
• the ability to recycle the liquids within the system to
ensure an optimum oil-in-water level
• the ability to cover a wide range of flow rates and
cope with changing flowing conditions. The system is
capable of handling up to 6,000 B/D of water with
oil-in-water levels of up to 1% at the inlet of
the system.
4 Y. EL-KHAZINDAR, R. DARWISH AND A. TENGIRSEK
Figure 12 is a schematic for the proposed future setup.
Conclusions
During the initial stages of the project, utilizing acid
neutralization and oil-reinjection systems achieved zero oil
flaring. After integrating the PhaseTester multiphase
flowmeter into these systems, the following benefits
were observed:
• When the wellhead pressure is high enough to
overcome the production sealine pressure, the well
effluents flow naturally through the PhaseTester
multiphase flowmeter (bypassing the separator) into
the production sealine. Gas flaring is eliminated
(because of the minimal pressure drop across the
PhaseTester flowmeter), reducing the amount of gas
flared during the whole job by more than the
targeted 60%.
• The PhaseTester multiphase flowmeter results,
compared to a reference test separator, showed that it
performed within its operating specifications and
provided reliable, stand-alone flow rate
measurements.
• Shut-ins to accommodate helicopter landings were
eliminated because fluids flow directly through the
PhaseTester multiphase flowmeter into the
production sealine. Furthermore, helicopter flights are
no longer dependent of the flow programs.
Eliminating the risk to the environment posed by flaring
hydrocarbons during well testing operations is a challenge.
Keys to achieve environmentally friendly well
testing operations:
- understanding the flow conditions and
operational constraints.
- setting reasonable targets to achieve flaring
free operations.
- examining and revising the existing
operational procedures.
- looking for areas in which a significant value could
be achieved by implementing innovative ideas
and solutions.
The deployment of an acid neutralization system and oil
reinjection pumps to completely eliminate oil flaring as well
as the utilization of the PhaseTester multiphase flow meter to
reduce the gas flaring by more than 60% are examples of
solutions that can be implemented to achieve environmentally
friendly well testing operations.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the management of ADMA-
OPCO and Schlumberger for permission to publish this paper.
References
1. Messiri A., Al Attas, M.O., and Mohamed, N.: “Towards
Zero Flaring Emission,” paper ADIPEC 0964, presented at
the 2000 Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and
Conference, Abu Dhabi, UAE, October 15–18.
SPE 74106
2. Hassan, M.M., Fadaq, A.S. and Beadie, G.: “Reduction of
Well Emission During Clean Up and Testing Operations by
Rig,” paper SPE 68151, presented at the 2001 SPE Middle
East Oil Show and Conference, Bahrain, March 17–20.
3. Kontha, I.N.H, Weimer, B, Retnanto, A., Azim A and
Martinon, D.: “Monitoring Well Performance Using
Multiphase Flow Meters,” paper SPE 68718, presented at
the 2001 SPE Asia Pacific Oil and Gas Conference and
Exhibition, Jakarta, Java, Indonesia, April 17–19.
4. “Multiphase Flow Meters: A New Way to test Wells in
Production,” Hart First Look (September 1999).
5. Mus, E. A, Toskey, E.D and Bascoul, S.J.F: “Added Value
of a Multiphase Flow Meter in Exploration Well Testing,”
paper OTC 13146, presented at the 2001 Offshore
Technology Conference, Houston, Texas, USA, April 30–
May 3.
6. Atkinson, D.I, Berard, M and Segeral, G.: “Qualification of
a Nonintrusive Multiphase Flow Meter in Viscous Flows,”
paper SPE 63118, presented at the 2000 SPE Annual
Technical Conference and Exhibition, Dallas, Texas, USA,
October 1–4.
7. Theuveny, B.C., Segeral, G. and Pinguet, B.: “Multiphase
Flowmeters in Well Testing Applications,” paper SPE
71475, presented at the 2001 SPE Annual Technical
Conference and Exhibition, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA,
September 30–October 3.
8. Ting, V.C.: “Effects of Non-Standard Operating Conditions
on the Accuracy of Orifice Meters,” SPE Production &
Facilities (February 1993) 58.
9. Amdal, J., Danielsen, Dykesteen, E, Flølo, D., Grendstad,
J., Hide, H.O., Moestue, H., and Torkildsen, B.H.:
Handbook of Multiphase Metering, Norwegian Society for
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Well Testing: A Case Study from East Kalimantan,
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Metric Conversion Factors
cp x 1.0* E–03 = Pa·s
bar x 1.013 25* E+05 = Pa
psi x 6.894 757 E+00 = kPa
bbl x 1.589 873 E–01 = m3
B/D x 6.624 471 E–03 = m3/h
ft3 x 2.831 685 E–02 = m3
3
ft /D x 1.179 869 E–03 = m3/h
lb/ft3 x 1.601 846 E+01 = kg/m3
*Conversion factor is exact.
SPE 74106 ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY WELL TESTING 5

Fig. 1—Schematic of the surface well testing setup and

reinjection pump Fig. 4—The PhaseTester multiphase flowmeter

12

10
Number of tests performed
8

0
90-200 200-500 500-750 750-1000 1000-1500 1500-1800
Wellhead Flowing Pressure (Psi)
Fig. 2—Schematic of the surface well testing setup,
reinjection pump and neutralization package Fig. 5—Wellhead flowing pressure distribution versus the
number of tests

14

12
Number of tests performed

10

0
>400 400-1000 1000- 2000- 3000- 4000-
2000 3000 5000 5500
Oil Flow rate (bbl/d)

Fig. 3—Schematic of the surface well testing setup,

reinjection pump, neutralization package and PhaseTester Fig. 6—Oil flow rate distribution versus the number
multiphase flowmeter of tests
6 Y. EL-KHAZINDAR, R. DARWISH AND A. TENGIRSEK SPE 74106

10.0 18

9.0 16

Number of tests performed

Number of tests performed

8.0 14
7.0 12
6.0 10
5.0 8
4.0
6
3.0
4
2.0
2
1.0
0
0.0
0 0.2-1 1-1.5 1.5-2 2-4
>0.3 0.5-0.75 0.75-1 1-1.5 1.5-2 2-3 3-4
H2S (%)
Gas Flow Rate (MMscf/D)

Fig. 10—Hydrogen sulphide distribution versus the

Fig. 7—Gas flow rate distribution versus the number number of tests
of tests

14
16
12
Number of Tests performed
14
Number of tests performed

12 10

10 8
8
6
6
4
4
2
2

0 0
60-70 70-80 80-90 90-95 95-98 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 24 34

GVF (%) BS&W

Fig. 8—Gas volume fraction distribution versus the Fig. 11—Basic sediment and water distribution versus the
number of tests number of tests

18

16
Number of tests performed

14

12

10
8

0
1.5-2 2-3 3-5 6-8 Fig. 12—Schematic of the reinjection pump, neutralization
CO2 (%) package, PhaseTester multiphase flowmeter, water
deoiling unit and multiphase pump
Fig. 9—Carbon dioxide distribution versus the number
of tests