PETROLEUM CONFERENCE Utilizing Electric Submersible Pumping Systems to Acquire Valuable Well Test Data

摘要

Acquiring quality well test data has and still is normally been a relatively easy task when dealing with wells that are free flowing. The typical recipe for acquiring the desired down-hole pressure data has been to run pressure recorders to a certain depth into a well and perform the required changes at surface, or in other nearby wells, to get the corresponding reactions down-hole in the well in review. This normally gets the required data to get a better understanding of what is going on outside the realm of the well bore and then decisions can be made on how to 'optimize' the productivity of the well or pool.rnThis paper looks at acquiring data specifically using an electric submersible pumping system that utilizes the power cable in the system to transmit the pressure data from the bottom hole sensor to surface where the data can be recorded. Then such types of well tests as multi-rate, build-up, draw-down, and interference tests can be performed to learn more about the reservoir and in turn be used to increase productivity/recovery and reduce production costs.rnThis paper is focused around acquiring data in the Meekwap field located approximately 250 km (150 miles) Northwest of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. This field produced primarily using ESP's due to an extensive water-flood scheme and is a prolific carbonate reservoir that is plagued with the fact that the reservoir is very heterogeneous. Improving the understanding of the reservoir, can determine whether a well has more potential or an abandonment candidate.rnThe main purpose in the paper is to emphasize that quality data can be acquired using an ESP system, at a relatively inexpensive cost. We will touch slight on analyzing the data, but only to show the value of the acquired information.