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With current trends towards intelligent wells and fields, continuous bottomhole well pressure monitoring is becoming the norm in new field developments. Theoretically, this should allow operators to better control well performance and address problems before they become irreversible. In practice, the need to interpret the raw information provided by permanent gauges, and the lack of manpower or expertise for doing so prevents real time intervention. Therefore, some sort of automatic interpretation and alarm system is required to benefit from the full potential of downhole permanent gauges.

A new deconvolution algorithm developed at Imperial College by von Schroeter, Hollaender and Gringarten, makes the development of such tools possible. Deconvolution converts pressures at variable rates into pressures at constant rates, thus making more data analysable. Contrary to deconvolution algorithms previously published in the literature, our algorithm provides stable results. Extensive usage at Imperial and, independently, at BP, has confirmed its huge potential for well test analysis of permanent pressure gauges: deconvolution provides information over a radius of investigation that corresponds to the total duration of the production period, which can be orders of magnitude greater than that available from individual flow periods used for conventional well test analysis. Alternatively, deconvolution can reduce considerably the required duration of an extended well test, by revealing boundaries not visible in individual flow periods.

Experience with our algorithm has identified a number of areas for improvement, most notably the need to handle interference effects in highly permeable formations. The objective of this proposal is to address these issues in order to obtain a robust deconvolution algorithm that can be used with confidence by practicing engineers in a wide variety of field conditions to control and optimise well performance.

Publications

SPE number Title Yearsort ascending
SPE122299 Well Production Forecasting by Extrapolation of the Deconvolution of Well Test Pressure Transients 2009
SPE116575 The Determination of Minimum Tested Volume from the Deconvolution of Well Test Pressure Transients 2008
SPE110465 Superposition Principle and Reciprocity for Pressure Transient Analysis of Data from Interfering Well 2007
SPE102079 From Straight lines to Deconvolution: the Evolution of the State of the art in Well Test Analysis 2006
SPE71574-77688 Deconvolution of Well test Data as a Non-linear Total Least Square Problem 2004
SPE84470 Use of downhole permanent pressure gauge data to diagnose production problems in a North Sea horizontal well 2003
SPE77688 Analysis of Well Test Data From Permanent Downhole Gauges by Deconvolution 2002
SPE71574 Deconvolution of Well Test Data as a Nonlinear Total Least Squares Problem 2001

PhD Theses

There are no PhD's available

MSc Theses

Title Author Yearsort ascending
Well Production Forecasting Using Deconvolution Of Pressure Transient Data Hui Jiang 2008
Application of Deconvolution on Gas Fields in Shell Nigeria and its Impact on Proved Reserve Estimates Ijeoma Oragui 2007
Use of Deconvolution to Improve the Reservoir Behaviour Understanding of Some Gas Condensate Reservoirs in Britannia Jean-Baptiste Berchoteau 2006
Well Test & Deconvolution Analyses of Gas Condensate Reservoirs for BP Algeria Olivier Pippi 2006
Deconvolution Analysis of a Horizontal Gas Condensate Well Thabo Kgogo 2005
Production Data Analysis Syed Banoori 2005
Assessment of the Deconvolution Method as an Automatic Tool in Well Test Analysis Nicolas Guilloneau 2004