Value Creations through Tangguh Big Gas Well Daily Surveillance Integration Challenge

Abstract

Managing big gas well requires careful monitoring to ensure optimum wells production within their operating envelopes whilst continuously obtaining production data. Such data improves subsurface understanding over time and become a basis for optimization exercises, wellwork initiation, and quick corrective actions. Tangguh all-inclusive well surveillance integrates various daily data analysis into an efficient well surveillance process. It essentially looks for both early problem signs and improvement opportunities, enabling ahead anticipations. Tangguh real time surveillance allows continuous parameter monitoring: pressures, temperatures, choke opening, multiphase flowrates, sand detection, annuli pressures, and system backpressure. A semi-automatic system then integrates all available data quickly and allow engineers to perform meaningful analysis timely. The integration is a significant upgrade over the past surveillance practice, where typically more time spent on data gathering instead of the analysis; and missing anomalies that happened in unmonitored parameters while concentrating on a specific parameter. Combining with some non-routine data acquisitions, this well surveillance integration enables a quick and thorough well performance review and assists unlocking optimization opportunities. Three examples below demonstrate value creation from the integrated well surveillance. First example: combining real time well data and the non-routine acquisitions enable robust well productivity model construction. This has improved the understanding of each well productivity and operating limits, which upon evaluating lead to deliverability increases by simple well limits upgrade and debottlenecking projects. Other result includes assistance in defining restoration wellwork candidate. Second example: by continuous comparison between real time data and calculated performance model, the surveillance has shown its ability to detect well choke trim damage while flowing. This successfully prevented problem escalation into a more serious safety incident, such as gas release from an eroded choke valve. Third example: despite the challenges in accurate dry-gas-well liquid rate measurement, continuous water source identification is applied honoring the significant reserve it may impact, starting from routine salinity monitoring, theoretical condensed comparison against receiving facility figures, and material balance plots. All positively indicate no aquifer breakthrough yet so far.