SPE-176798-MS

Fusion of Real Time Data Transmission and Visualization to OptimizeExploration Well Testing Operations

Ramzi Miyajan, Musab Khudiri, Ali Wuhaimed, Harmohan Gill, and AbdulHakim Nahdi, Saudi Aramco;Muhammad Kashif, and Hamood Meraj, Petrolink

Copyright 2015, Society of Petroleum Engineers

This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE Middle East Intelligent Oil & Gas Conference & Exhibition held in Abu Dhabi, UAE, 1516 September 2015.

This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE program committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contentsof the paper have not been reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material does not necessarily reflectany position of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, its officers, or members. Electronic reproduction, distribution, or storage of any part of this paper without the writtenconsent of the Society of Petroleum Engineers is prohibited. Permission to reproduce in print is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words; illustrations maynot be copied. The abstract must contain conspicuous acknowledgment of SPE copyright.

Abstract

One of the critical operations during the exploration phase is well testing required determining fluid type,flow rate, and the sustainability of the production. With the right planning, technology and implementa-tion, well testing can ensure reservoir quality and production such as, permeability, initial reservoirpressure, hydraulic fracture parameters, near wellbore formation damage, geometry of the reservoir, andreserve quantities.

Exploration Well Testing Operations require a complex integration of various services includingsurface well testing, artificial lift via coiled tubing, downhole data transmission and on-site operationalactivities. The increase in exploration activities involves various service companies proprietary dataacquisition systems that introduce a challenge for decision makers due to segmented data and information.This calls for establishing an integrated unified viewer combining the operational data for engineers toenable real-time data supervision, technical support and decision making from the headquarters towell-site locations reducing operational risks and optimize required cost.

This paper highlights the progress of the real time data transmission interface to support highly activeexploration well testing operations in Saudi Aramco.

IntroductionWell Testing is a tool, which can provide valuable clues as to the condition of production or injectionwells. Despite the tremendous value of other formation evaluation methods, some doubt always remainsconcerning the potential productivity of an exploratory well, and this doubt is not eliminated until asizeable amount of hydrocarbon has been delivered to the surface through well testing. The objectives ofwell testing vary from a simple determination of the amount and type of fluids produced to sophisticatedtransient pressure determinations of reservoir parameters and heterogeneities. Oil and gas wells are testedto determine their ability to produce oil or gas under various conditions of surface, bottom hole tubingpressure and reservoir pressure. Because the capacity of a well to produce into a well-bore is uniquecharacteristic of the well (its subsurface and surface flow system), field testing procedures have beendeveloped that allow the engineer to predict the manner in which a well will produce over its reserveslife span under the various operating conditions that may be imposed.

The well testing package used in exploratory well testing consists of two main groups:

1. Down Hole Tools : (DST TCP)2. Surface Testing Equipment: (Flow Head, Choke Manifold, Separator, etc,)

The down hole tools act as a temporary well completion and the surface testing equipment works asa temporary production facility to allow us to obtain well control, flow control, and evaluate anexploratory well in a new field without paying for normal well completion or production facilities, beforethe existence of oil and gas and its economic feasibility have been proven.

Examples of measured data collected during the well test include:

Rough Gas composition (H2S, CO2), BS&W (Basic Sediments and Water), WHP (Well Head Pressure), WHT (WellHead Temperature), OIL gravity, GAS gravity, Water salinity, Viscosity, etc.

During the interpretation phase, data acquired is used to make evaluations and effective interpretationsand calculation can be made to ensure reservoir quality and production. The accuracy of these evaluationsduring the interpretation stage is closely related to the accuracy and quality of the data collected duringthe data acquisition phase.

Previously there was no system in place for well testing engineers to monitor and optimize well testingoperations in real time. These operations were mainly supported by the well testing engineer on site andthe initial method of decision making was based on daily morning reports, sent by email and USB drivesopening the door to potential security risks and data confidentiality issues. Also there was no suitable andstress-free method to communicate between well site personnel and well testing experts. Engineersconnected via phone, which becomes difficult when the rig is in remote locations where signals areweaker.

A progressive improvement has been made utilizing various views provided by different serviceproviders into a single viewer badged as AramcoLink. This system was introduced to deliver secure andeffective solution of all the requirements of well testing experts to maintain economic and effective testingoperations by providing real time data visualization compiled for all service providers data stream. Inaddition to that this solution capitalizes on the industry-standards for well data transmission protocolsusing WITS and WITSML. A combination of static files, near real time data and real time data streaminghave been through many improvements and customization to cater to the business needs of the Well TestEngineers at the base. This makes AramcoLink the vehicle to transmit live electronic data directly from

Figure 1Showing Well Testing display with Rates and Pressure Key Parameters transferring in real time.

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the site for surface and downhole parameters as well as facilitate transmission of essential manual data anda sequence of events that occur during operations for engineering reference and utilization at base. Alsothe communication gap has been filled by the real time communications system Rig Chat, a feature withinthe well testing system providing a more appropriate and easy way for the well testing experts, engineersand rig personnel to communicate with each other. Rig Chat allows communication directly with thecompany representative and drilling foreman to monitor, guide and streamline complex well testingoperations, reducing non-productive time and increasing the efficiency of formation testing operations.

Real-Time Data InfrastructureThe overall architecture of the real-time infrastructure is as shown in the diagram below.

There are two main components in this infrastructure:

Data AggregationData aggregation involves the collection of wellsite data from different service company dataacquisition systems (DAQs) present at the wellsite. Typically this data is from the rig drillingsensors, mudlogging and downhole measurement-while-drilling (MWD) and logging-while-dril-ling (LWD) sensors. All the data received in WITS format and its converted at the wellsite to aWITSML format as an industry standard. Real-time WITSML data stored consists of Log objects

Figure 2Rig Chat intact with Surface testing

Figure 3Real-Time Data Aggregation and Transmission

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(time and depth), Mudlog objects (lithology and descriptions) and Trajectory (spatial coordinatesof the wellbore). The time log updates continuously once the rig has spudded and continuesupdating until rig release or the end of service. The depth, mudlog and trajectory objects willupdate usually only during the drilling phase and are indexed to depth.

Data TransmissionThe collected data is transferred over Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) satellite links fromthe rig site to the database through a secure virtual private network (VPN). This process involvesa replication between the local rig site WITSML store and the centralized Data Hub. Through theuse of multiple WITSML web service gateways running on redundant network segments andsophisticated load balancers, it is possible to guarantee data delivery even when there are serveror network problems.

Real-Time Visualization SystemThe real-time visualization system which badged as AramcoLink consists of two major components:

The Drilling Real Time Data Hub (DRTDH) is a WITSML Web Services Interface on the backend of Oracle Database. The DRTDH has been running since 2008 within Saudi Aramco andpopulated with data from thousands of wells.

The Drilling Real Time Data Viewer (DRTDV) is a unique plotting engine that acts as a pureWITSML Client Application to access the Data in the DRTDH. This viewer presents drilling dataand information from all service companies in a standard format to ensure that engineers are nolonger reqired to learn and use multiple vendor viewer solutions.

AramcoLink enables engineers to view the real time data from any contractor in a standardized display.Displays are customized according to the individual support team requirements, and used specialized

displays for the drilling, geosteering exploration, and Real-Time Operation Center (RTOC).Owing to the unique way in which the AramcoLink consists of separate widget modules running on

independent code bases, it is possible to build new displays in a short time frame, rather than having aplanned master compilation of a monolithic application. This gives Saudi Aramco considerable flexibilityas new technologies emerge.

Figure 4Rig Site data transmission - Data Flow

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Standard of custom designed templates display real time well testing data, allows the well testingexperts to interpret and evaluate the reservoir quality. Each pattern of the display has its own importanceand use. The measurement of the bottom hole pressure and temperature versus time, during testing, willallow instant characterization of the reservoir response. This is done by adapting the downhole gauges totransmit reservoir responses to the surface in real time using a wireline conductor cable or acoustictransmission methods. Coil Tubing Unit (CTU) is also used to liven, acid wash, and kill wells. Thissystem is designed to automatically gather, process, and display downhole data by incorporating acomputerized system to visualize the operations.

This new system provides a more efficient way to send the events and recovery event as a part of theWITSML data feed, from the rig site to Saudi Aramco in near real time which the rig crew entersmanually. By providing additional information to optimize or confirm the impact of any changementioned in events or behavior of the formation (parameters). Well testing engineers can make keydecisions rapidly and can modify the testing plan by viewing results in real time to test the hydrocarbonpotential of the formation in efficient way.

Business ImpactsContinuous real time monitoring of the testing operation brings many business advantages such as leadsto lower operating costs by minimize logistical support and mobilization costs of testing operations foronshore and offshore wells, manage multiple wells at one time making the operation more economicaloverall by reducing well testing costs, and enhances business returns by reduce failures and workovers onlive wells, and hence optimizes well production.

Also this improve the safety by reduces the travel to-and-from testing sites and lowers direct physicalexposure to hazardous areas which may cause long-term HSE concern, in addition to provide dataconfidentially via secure login and continuous encrypted transmission.

Another main key advantage of this new system is data verification which allows the service providersto monitor and verify the RT data being transmitted to Saudi Aramco as rig site personal and serviceproviders are accessing the same data.

ConclusionSaudi Aramco has been the industry leader in the use of realtime WITSML data for well over a decade,and is committed to making the maximum use of Open Standards to reduce the reliance on verticallyintegrated service company offerings. Having originally used real time WITSML data for pioneeringgeosteering of wells for optimal well placement during field developments; Saudi Aramco wished tofurther extend the scope of monitoring wells in real-time to drilling data, to reduce operational risk andoptimize the drilling process to reduce cost.

Exploration well testing has moved to more advanced and robust method with the fusion of real timedata transmission, which supports rapid decision making and effective interpretation in a timely manner,avoiding delays in providing reports and results.

With the help of advance real time data integration and visualization for critical well testing operations,the near future can support remotely monitored operations for the exploration well testing avoiding manyfield trips and extra requirements of engineers on rig site to supervise the operations. This will savevaluable operations time and effective decision making under supervision of senior engineers in townbased on the real time data shipped to headquarter.

Also the advent of the latest technologies, the oil industry has put more emphasis on accomplishingoperational objectives safely and more efficiently than ever before. In pursuing these goals, operators andservice companies are designing more innovative applications to meet the oilfields operational andbusiness challenges.

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ReferencesSPE 167813 An Innovative Approach to Select Shallow Casing Points Remotely, Utilizing Real-

Time WITSML Data

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Fusion of Real Time Data Transmission and Visualization to Optimize Exploration Well Testing Ope ...IntroductionReal-Time Data InfrastructureReal-Time Visualization SystemBusiness ImpactsConclusion

References