Overview: Well Testing (February 2006)

Stratton, Jay (Anadarko)

OnePetro 

Careful well-test design applied intelligently to exploration and development situations is the reality check for information that many times can only be inferred from other reservoir-evaluation tools. With drilling rigs in short supply and day rates at historic high levels, smart application of well-test technology may reduce costs considerably by use of short-duration openhole wireline-test equipment. Commerciality can be determined quickly and rigs moved on to the next objective or well. In contrast, extended well tests, conceived to prove a commercial hydrocarbon accumulation, may provide enough data to validate a reservoir description and clear economic hurdles without drilling an additional well—important for time-critical decisions on adjacent leases. Many times in the operating environment, a petroleum engineer may use well-test results to provide a reality check and economical data acquisition for geophysicists, production geologists, and simulation engineers on one end of the organization and production operations personnel pushed to maximize well rates on the other end. Careful well-test planning and analysis can satisfy both extremes. Reservoir-characterization professionals can validate reservoir boundaries, pressures, and the accuracy of production history. Production operations can maximize production confidently in a miscible-gas flood without going below minimum miscibility pressure and compromising recovery. A delicate balance can be maintained with little or no production loss, allowing responsible reservoir management while maximizing rates and ultimate recovery. With oil prices hovering around U.S. –60/bbl, there has never been a larger incentive to optimize well testing in exploration, development, and production environments. This month's selections show how relatively conventional testing procedures, applied intelligently, can accelerate development decisions. Deconvolution of real-time reservoir performance is always going to be an attractive goal in well-test analysis to eliminate production loss from conventional pressure-transient analysis. Use of multiple analysis techniques can be complementary to other reservoir-characterization methods. Advances in intelligent completions, permanent data-acquisition systems, and flow-measurement technology continue to entice petroleum professionals into devising innovative techniques for advanced well-test analysis. Well Testing additional reading available at the SPE eLibrary: SPE 96026 "Determination of Optimal Window Size in Pressure-Derivative Computation Using Frequency-Domain Constraints," by Y. Cheng, SPE, Texas A&M U., et al. SPE 94436 "Time-Lapse Production Logging and the Concept of Flowing Units," by O.D. Cortez, SPE, Centrica Energy, et al. SPE 94018 "Application of Buildup Transient-Pressure Analysis to Well-Deliverability Forecasting in Gas/Condensate Reservoirs Using Single-Phase and Two-Phase Pseudo pressures," by M. Bozorgzadeh, SPE, Imperial College, London, et al.

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