Well Pad Management Solutions

Quick Links to Information Below

• Well Pad Management Overview
• Hardware Requirements for Monitoring, Control, and Optimization
• Control Requirements
• Software Requirements
• Standard Industry Approach for Well Pad Management
• eProduction Solutions Approach
• Connectivity of eP WPMS
• Progressing Cavity Pump (PCP) Solution
• Electric Submersible Pump (ESP) Solution
• Rod Pump Solution
• Gas Lift Solution
• Facilities Control Systems

PDF Documents

• Well Pad Management
• Well Pad Management - Spanish Version

Well Pad Management Overview

In various locations around the world, production is achieved through the use of well pads.

The construction of a well pad is typically associated with the placement of drilled wells in series. The placement of multiple wells covering an area up to 300 feet wide by 1000 feet long is common. The physical size of the well pad is dependent upon the number of wells planned. Economic savings are immediately realized with factors such as equipment scheduling, moving the rigs from well to well, and rig crews becoming familiar with repetitive tasks, which ultimately improve operational efficiency.

Because of the nature in which well pads are constructed there are some unique requirements for monitoring and optimizing wells and other associated equipment located at the well pad. The requirements for effective well pad management can be broken into three broad categories. These categories are:

• Hardware requirements for monitoring, control and optimization
• Control requirements for emergency shutdown
• Software requirements for monitoring and optimizing production methods, and software systems

Hardware Requirements for Monitoring, Control, and Optimization

Typical hardware associated with a well pad environment includes:

• Monitoring of production facilities such as compression stations, separator, well test, and injection facilities.
• Production equipment such as pumps, motors, pumping units etc. to effectively produce. Production equipment will vary depending upon the type of artificial lift equipment used at each well.
• Well site optimization equipment such as Vector Flux Drives (VFDs), downhole sensors, and surface controllers.
• Surface control systems for emergency and critical shutdowns.
• Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) Systems hardware for data acquisition and control.

The field realizes economic savings because power distribution/ filtering can serve many wells within a local area and communications plus well site facilities can serve multiple wells.

Each hardware component plays a substantial role in the "production success" of the individual well in a well pad environment.

Control Requirements

Because of the varied uses of the well pad, there are different control requirements. These include:

• Emergency shutdown requirements to shut-in production based upon field conditions.
• Controlling test facility and the well test process to get production rates for each well.
• Optimizing artificial lift equipment based on changing well conditions.

Software Requirements

Detailed analysis can be done at the desktop that improves the efficiency and optimization of the well pad operations. Three possible levels of software requirements exist within the well pad environment.

1. Remote communications interface software to enable communications to and from individual hardware devices located on the pad (commonly referred to as host software). Depending upon the number and type of hardware devices on the pad, many types of software may need to be implemented.
2. Control system management or configuration interface software to monitor and control components of the well pad.
3. Artificial lift controller configuration software to monitor, analyze, and design the artificial lift systems included in the well pad.

Standard Industry Approach for Well Pad Management

There are two standard approaches to designing a well pad. Typically, these approaches evolve into multiple software applications and multiple levels of hardware devices. Generally, these systems involve several disparate systems based on the varied needs throughout the life of the well pad.

The diagram below represents a conventional way of doing well pad management. At the well site, an RTU/PLC is used to control the artificial lift equipment. Optionally, a data-logger is installed to store and retrieve data from downhole sensors installed in the well. Because of emergency shutdown requirements, all the solutions are connected to the PLC to facilitate emergency shutdown. Conventional SCADA system software (e.g. Wonderware, RSView, Intellution) is employed to retrieve the data from the PLC and provide an MMI interface to the operator. Optionally, applications for PCP optimization, rod pump optimization, etc. are installed. Since all communication to the well pad is through the SCADA system, each of these applications has to be configured to retrieve the data from the SCADA system.

Approach I Issues

Complexity in the Number of Data Interfaces
This approach requires building a data interface between the SCADA system and all the different applications needed to effectively manage and optimize production at the well pad. For example, to do an effective job of optimizing PCP wells, an interface needs to be built from the SCADA host to the PCP optimization host. More frequently, the SCADA host does not collect all the right data resulting in no real-time PCP optimization system.

Hardware Interfaces
Since the PLC performs the critical function of emergency shutdown, the interface between the PLC and all the devices at the well pad must be established. As a result, valuable data from the well site controllers can never be retrieved remotely from the host.

Lack of built-in Applications
There are some critical applications such as data-logging and well testing which are not inherently present in the PLC. These have to be programmed which increases complexity of the complete system.

Long-term Maintenance Costs
Since the entire system is custom built, the long-term maintenance costs are very high. As new devices are available, several interfaces have to be reprogrammed to make the complete system work.

The diagram above represents the second typical approach to well pad management. In the diagram, the PLC is still connected to the different solutions and associated data-loggers, however, multiple paths of communication are established to the well pad eliminating the need for all the applications to retrieve the data from the SCADA host system.

Approach II Issues

• Multiple hosts increase communication complexity.
• Data management difficulties with all the different host systems involved.
• User has to learn many different software systems.

Typical Results

With varying types of interfaces, implementing a systems approach can be both confusing and time consuming. Valuable production may be lost and equipment damaged at the well and facilities level should an event go unnoticed due to system problems or compatibility issues.

eProduction Solutions Approach

eP's Well Pad Management System (WPMS) incorporates several components to create an integrated solution that fulfills the operating needs of a well pad while simplifying configuration and maintenance. The integrated field management system provides comprehensive monitoring, optimization and control solutions for all forms of artificial lift (Rod Pumping, ESP, PCP, Gas Lift, etc.) that might be located at the well pad. It also provides integrated solutions for well testing and facilities monitoring.

Components of eP's Well Pad Management Solution are:

• Host - A host system that is capable of running multiple artificial lift software applications is configured on site to offer both regular monitoring with enhanced control of each wells artificial lift controller. It is common where more than one means of artificial lift is used on a well pad, or where a host is interfaced to multiple well pads. In this scenario, the eP solution is capable of monitoring and control for every aspect of every well.
• Well Pad Manager - The well pad manager is an Internet ready, modular and scalable distributed control system designed to provide real-time process control and monitoring of individual wells, entire well pads, and facilities. The well pad manager is an integral part of the well pad process where the system supports direct interfaces to artificial lift equipment (controllers) for both monitoring and controlling of downhole pressure and temperature sensors, well test equipment and facilities, injection facilities, and direct interface to the production facility host system.
• Complete Intelligent Well Site Solutions for all Forms of Artificial Lift - eP provides intelligent solutions for rod pumping, ESP, PCP, and gas lift. All these intelligent well solutions can be seamlessly integrated with the well pad manager. Therefore, critical control requirements such as emergency shutdown systems can be easily achieved at the well pad.

Advantages of the eP Approach

• Single host platform provides all the built-in applications for PCP, ESP, Rod Pumping and Gas Lift.
• Well pad manager provides built in applications such as gas flow calculations, data-logging for all the different types of artificial lift devices.
• Intelligent solutions for managing each form of lift. s Built in applications such as well testing in the well pad manager.
• Comprehensive connectivity interfaces to the well pad manager (RS-232, RS-485, Ethernet, etc.).
• Transparent access to a centralized host system for all devices connected to the well pad manager. This unique feature allows remote devices to be connected to the well pad manager with no reconfiguration requirements. There is no need to have registers mapped from the devices in the well pad manager. This eliminates the dual configuration requirements resulting in quicker installation and reduced long-term maintenance costs. It also provides significant flexibility to the producer in that newer devices can be easily added at the well pad without requiring significant reconfiguration.

Connectivity of eP WPMS

The WPMS is a complete integrated solution, but its components are open and can be integrated with existing systems to preserve investments in third party systems.

The following solutions can be used with the WPMS:

Progressing Cavity Pump (PCP) Solution

At the well pad, eP offers an ePAC, downhole sensors, and surface instruments specifically designed for PCP operations. At the desktop, eP provides advanced software that monitors, analyzes, controls, and designs the lift system.

The PCP solution uses the ePAC, a Vector Flux Drive (VFD) that provides infinite speed control with constant torque control throughout the entire speed range. ePAC can be used by itself or coupled with downhole sensors for more defined and assured control. An intelligent remote terminal unit (RTU) can add data-logging capability for finer resolution in data capture.

The ePAC provides infinite speed control with constant torque control throughout the speed range. It provides a system that offers equipment protection while operating in dynamic conditions such as water floods or high sand cut. Operating costs can be reduced by limiting startup current, rescheduling chemical treatments, and limiting the stress on mechanical components.

eP's downhole sensors provide reliable pressure and temperature data using state-of-the-art technology enabling multiple sensor communication over a single conductor subsurface cable. The sensors are used with artificial lift controllers to provide more accurate control on the well based on the changing downhole environment. With pressure sensors monitoring the intake and discharge parameters of the pump, plus the monitoring of casing pressure at surface, the ePAC accurately defines the pressure differential across the pump to assure that the pump is not over pressured due to the possibility of a plugged intake.

Monitoring of multiple system pressures, surface and downhole, continually allows the complete system to proactively control the automation process of your PCP application.

eP's LOWIS Software solution gives the operator the ability to optimize the progressing cavity pumps by accurately monitoring specific system parameters. It works with fixed and variable speed motor controllers and allows the user to identify and assess problems as they occur and predict future problems.

Electric Submersible Pump (ESP) Solution

By using eP's solution for extending the run life of an ESP, operations benefit in two ways. Reducing down time of the pump increases the production of the well over time and reduces the cost of replacing worn or damaged pumps.

eP's ESP solution provides intelligent control at the well head as well as monitoring, analysis, and control at the desktop. The result is improved ESP performance and increased profitability. The intelligent controller provides 24-hour well site control and optimization. The intelligence is distributed to the wells. The controller interacts with downhole sensors and surface instruments to accurately measure conditions and control the well operation.

eP's VFD, ePAC, uses data to adjust the speed of the ESP. It uses a startup control strategy to ramp well on production, consistent with other constraints by using an ePAC or surface choke (backpressure) which eliminating hard starts that create excess stress on the pump and motor. By using a ePAC, the operator has the ability to set the parameters so that the pump will react to changes in the well. This means that the pump will continue to operate efficiently.

The desktop LOWIS Software system monitors the performance of the ESP. Critical data from the controller is gathered, trended, and alarmed. Operators can manage wells by exception. By tracking the well testing results along with the pump and well curves, the user can quickly identify the source of decreased production as reservoir changes, pump wear, or blockages occur. The software user is able to use real-time data and perform detailed pump analysis at each stage of the pump. That allows the operator to make immediate changes to the operation of the system and more importantly, allows for better designs in the next pump placed in the hole. The solution provides a way for operators to decrease failure rates significantly and ultimately increase production and profits for the field.

Rod Pump Solution

eP's rod pump solution is a complete solution for optimizing rod-pumped wells through well site automation and data analysis.

By integrating rod pump controllers (RPCs), variable speed motor drives, remote diagnostic software, and communication systems, eP enables operators to properly optimize rod-pumped wells. The RPC and the motor controller alter the operation of the pumping system in real time, based on real-time data. The software provides remote configuration of the well site hardware and the diagnostic analysis to make informed decisions about individual well and total field operation.

By using eP's RPC, operators can infer daily fluid production to provide daily flow rate information and minimize fluid pound from pump-off. The ePAC, eP's Vector Flux Drive, provides infinite speed control with constant torque control throughout the speed range. The ePAC can be used alone or coupled with downhole sensors for more defined control. An intelligent RTU can add data-logging capability for finer resolution in data capture.

eP provides state of the art software for total field automation and optimization. The LOWIS Software enables the user to monitor, analyze, control, and design rod-pumping systems. Through its advanced analysis capabilities, the user is able to do downhole analysis, card pattern matching, and receive diagnostic reports. These features allow the user to optimize the operation of every well and identify probable future problems.

By combining RPCs and/or ePACs with the analytical software, you can put together a complete optimization/ automation solution. The real-time analysis provides a solution to optimize well production efficiently.

Gas Lift Solution

eP's gas lift solution gathers and communicates real-time data that is required to optimize the production of gas lift wells. eP's well pad solution includes controllers that can handle single or multiple wells for injection control and parameter monitoring.

The gas lift functions are logged for retrieval by the host. Integration with intelligent desktop applications assures seamless connection between the desktop and the wellhead. The well start up algorithm insures the proper unloading of the well.

Robust heading detection allows details for calculations that assure accurate analysis, determining well stability, lift gas allocation, and production parameters.

By combining data acquisition and automation with proven gas lift engineering techniques, the gas lift software provides the user with the ability to accurately design and maintain efficiency of gas lift production systems or naturally flowing wells. The software's analytical features are used to assure stable production. The tool provides a means of choosing the best correlation for the wells. Gas lift unloading valve spacing and design can be done for injection pressure operated (IPO), production pressure operated (PPO), and proportional response (PR) valves. Additionally, root causes of failures can be systematically identified using troubleshooting and sensitivity analysis tools.

Facilities Control Systems

eP's control systems are known for their reliability and accuracy. By combining the capabilities of eP's CS7X control system with our well control systems, eP is able to offer a low power, highly reliable, microprocessor based control system for the following applications:

• Distributed wellhead control systems.
• Production facilities control system.
• Well testing solutions.
• Safety shut down solutions.

eP's Master Terminal Unit (MTU) is located at the central station allowing the operator to monitor and control all production facilities remotely. Digital input cards continuously monitor pressure switches and other alarm inputs while digital output cards contain logic to perform valve sequencing and timing for individual wellhead ESD.

The system can be designed for production applications where conventional power sources are not available. The CS7X was designed to be integrated with hydraulic/pneumatic logic to support shutdown operations and SCADA systems to provide remote wellhead control.