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Online Field-Wide Gas-lift

Optimisation
Dr Alasdair S Brown
Technical Manager
EPS Americas Inc

Presentation Structure
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Introduction
Single Well vs Field Wide
Online vs Offline
Case Studies
Latin America
Middle East

Conclusions
Questions

Single Well
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Single Well Gas

Lift Optimisation

Valve Spacing
Injection Depth
Valve Performance
GL Injection
Pressure
Qgaslift
CHP

Single Well
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Conditions change
GL is inherently flexible
Design in flexibility

Single well optimum

Well performance curve
Different for each well
Not necessary optimal
for system

Gas Lift Optimisation

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Well
Well

Well

Well
Gas Lift Compressor
Common Pressure
Equal Gradients Method
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Field Wide Optimisation

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Field Wide Gas Lift Optimisation

Distribution of Gas to competing wells

Pressure losses in gas lift distribution system
Pressure losses in production system
Closing the Loop
Total system modelling
including produced gas reinjection
Compressor performance

Offline/Online

Why Online?
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Large Number of Wells

Complex optimisation problem
Reduce cycle time
Optimisation-to-implementation
Engineers time concentrated on value adding tasks

Goals
Automate Process
Automate Repetitive Tasks
Optimise

Sustainable Production Optimisation

Increased Value Over Do Nothing

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Time
Simple Manual Optimisation
Complex Manual Optimisation (Offline GLO)
Complex Automated Optimisation (Online GLO)

Automation & Optimisation

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Off-line

Data input manually into system model

Results from system model implemented manually

Open loop
Data input automatically into model from SCADA
Results from model implemented manually

Closed loop
Data input automatically into model from SCADA
Results from model implemented automatically via
set point controllers
Operator review may be required to ensure that
implemented results are sensible
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Off-line Optimisation
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Manual Data Input

Optimiser

OPERATOR
Advice
Approval
Implementation

Field

10

Data Output

Open Loop Optimisation

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Automatic Data Input

Optimiser

OPERATOR

Field

Advice
Approval
Implementation
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Data Output

Closed Loop Optimisation

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Automatic Data Input

Optimiser
Data Output

OPERATOR
Advice
Approval
Implementation

Setpoint
Controllers

Field
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Case 1: PdVSA On-Line

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SCADA data automatically loaded to give current block

valve and compressor status and to constrain the
optimisation to stay close to existing operating conditions
Price/cost and equipment constraint data loaded from
Corporate databases
Gas injection well set-points sent directly to SCADA
controllers (after production operator review as a block)
Recommended pressure control valve set-points and
compressor operating conditions sent to production
operators in open-loop advisory messages
Results stored in central database for access by other
applications.

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PdVSA Systems Overview

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CENTINELA, SIAL, SICOT..

CIS

ASMS, WTO, NN, OM&S, IS

OPTIMISATION

SCADA
CENTRAL CONTROL

RTU, PLC..
PROCESS CONTROL

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Integration Schematic
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System Architecture
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UpRight

EPS

Crude/Water
Treatment
&
Water Injection

DGO

KBC
Data
Reconciliation

Well Model
Recalibration

ABB Simcon

O
M
&
S

A
S
M
S

P
r
i
m.
C
h
a
n
g
e
s

N
e
u
r
a
l
N
e
t
s

System Geometry

W
e
l
l
T
e
s
t

O
P
C
O
D
B
C

Middleware
Transaction Services

C
O
M

Legacy
Data
Systems

Oracle
Intermediate
DataBase

CDMS

Database
servers
CDB

One iGES Server per BU

iGES-based
applications

Decoupled

Stoner
Real Time
Real Time

PI Decoupled
from PRAP

PI
Historian

SCADA Server
SCADA Server

Valmet

PI API

Real Time
Real Time

SCU 7
SCU 6

HistoryHistory
Average
Data

SCADA Server
SCADA Server

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Dynamic Leak
Detection

HistoryHistory
Average
Data

SCU 2
SCU 1

Master
Recollectors

PdVSA Online GLO

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Corporate Systems

Optimisation

GLO

Central Control
Process Control
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The Online GLO Application

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Corporate Systems

Database
Input Output

Optimisation

Input

Optimiser

Central Control

SCADA

Process Control

RTU/PLC

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Output

Online GLO Daily Operation

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GLO
GLO is executed...
Gas Lift Well

The results are

evaluated...

Mini
Plantas
Compressors

The SCADA Operator

accepts the gas lift rates
and carries out adjustments
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Approval at
Supervisory level

Gas lift rates and

recommendations download
to SCADA

La Salina Online
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Flowgroup
Tuned
Wellhead
Well
Performance
Performance
Models
Generate
LP
Gas
Gathering
Operating
Wells
HP
Gas
in
Lift
Flowgroups
NetworkPt
Complete
Network
Surfaces
Curve
Network

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Field Implementation Results

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POIS
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POIS = Production Operation Information System

Northern fields of Kuwait
Performed by consortium including EPS, Aspentech, Daelim
EPS role was to provide the optimization software, software integration
and detailed engineering models for five fields in North Kuwait.
The fields included 197 wells (411 well strings)
33 water injectors,
91 gas lifted producers and
30 produced with ESPs.

The wells and fields are connected through a complex network allowing
wells to be switched between high, medium and low pressure as well as
wet and dry separator trains
Total production 600 Mstb/day

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Design Brief
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Hydraulic model of GL Distribution System

Compressor Station behaviour and Performance
Power turbines, compression, gearboxes, intercoolers, gas
recycling
Surge and stonewall constraints

Multiphase Flow
Scalable to >1000 wells
Optimise non-hierarchical networks
Online Integration with
Production Management System
DCS/SCADA System

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Objectives
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Data acquisition via SCADA to MIS (Aspentech)

GL optimisation for new GL wells
GL being installed following water injection

Automatic acquisition of WT data

Automatic well model recalibration
Automatic online GL optimisation calculation
Manual setting of optimised setpoints (initially)

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PAS Concept
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POIS

Data Transfer
Past data

PAS
New
Well
Test

WellFlo
Well Model

Compare with
trend

Fail

Engineer
intervention

Pass

Rerun or
retune
Automatic Model Retune

Manual Model Retune

Rerun Welltest

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GLO Concept
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POIS

GLO
ReO System Model
Network model

Wells

Initiate
GLO run

Get
Updated
well models

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Wells

Generate
well
performance

Wells

Wells

Run GLO

Wells

New Settings
New gas allocation

Convert to
choke
settings

Implementation
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Well modelling of all 411 wells (WellFlo)

Construction and tuning of network Model
(ReO)
Automatic tuning of Well models
Automatic GL optimisation
Integration with Aspentech MIS
Model maintenance and development

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Important Issues Identified

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Data Quality
Well data
production data
Surface network data

Business processes
building use of POIS model into std. procedures
model maintenance
model enhancement
Compressor optimisation
Multistage separation optimisation

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Network Config Modelling

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Individual fields (viz., RA, SA, RQ, AD & BH)

modelled as separate sub-sheets
All fields interconnected through 3
Gathering Centres: GC-15, GC-23, and GC25
Each GC has 7 headers that can take inflow
from any or all wells
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Network Config Modelling

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Multiple GC & MF options for all the wells

made network very flexible to
accommodate any future flow path
definition

Optimiser easily handled this huge network

- over 40,000 objects!

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SCADA & POIS

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FINDER
WELL INFORMATION
Business Process Explorer
GUI

Hydrocarbon Accounting
Material Balance
GLO

PMDB
ALTAMEER
(POIS)

PAS

User

Maintain Well Models

(Administration of)

WellFlo Reo
&
WellFlo

Well Head Pressure

From 217 Wells

GC RTDB
(POIS)
All DCS DATA
TRANSFERRED

RADIO LINK
GC SCADA

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GC DCS

Top Level Network

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Network Config Modelling

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378 producers
with choice of
producing into
any of 3 GCs
through any of 21
MFs

Abdali:
16 Wells
to 2 GC

Abdal i -[AD]

via 13 6in lines

Ratqa:
20 Wells
to 2 GC
via 36in & 10in lines

Sabriyah:

Ratqa-[RQ]

142 Wells
to 1 GC thru 7 MF

Sabri yah-[SA]-GC23

Raudhatai n-[RA]-GC15&GC25

Raudhatain:
195 Wells
to 3 GC

thru 7 MF each

Bahra:
C-GC15

C-GC25

C-GC23

5 Wells
to 1 GC thru 7 MF

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Bahra-[BH]

RA Field Network
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Network Config Modelling

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Lift-Gas System

Lift gas to SA field

5x7 Possible inputs from RQ & AD fields

9 Sub-sheets holding 20-25 wells each

7x3 MF interconnecting all 194 wells

across the field
7x3 MF outlets to production terminals

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Network Config Modelling

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Multi-header choice for lift-gas

at present & for future

NP & GLwells (FG)

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Multi-MF choice for production

at present and for future

GL Well Performance Surface

Data

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Conclusions
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KOC currently producing to quota

Current capacity higher than quota
(how much higher is unknown)

However additional production can be allocated to NK

Cost reduction is additional benefit

Reduction in admin overhead

Reduction in flaring
Potential reduction in new well requirement
Network reconfiguration

Work practices need to change to extract full

value from the system

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POIS project
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Client - Kuwait Oil Company

Year of Contract Award 2000
Projected Value Generated:
$100 million - $175 million per annum (projected)

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Questions?

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