Surface Well Testing Automation – Case Study and Lessons Learned

Abstract The paper discusses a case study that focuses on enhancing safety standards for surface well testing. To achieve this, the study involves upgrading the surface well testing equipment and revising the service delivery procedure to minimize safety risks while still meeting the well test objectives. Surface well testing is a well-established process that involves the fluid processing and disposal to acquire data while flowing the well. However, when dealing with sour fluid, the associated risks become much more severe and thus creating much higher HSE risks. It was necessary to re-evaluate existing safety protocols and upgrade the equipment by automating some operations and changing the data acquisition methodology. These measures reduces the likelihood and severity of any potential hazards to an acceptable level, allowing for the safe acquisition of necessary data while minimizing risk to personnel and the environment. A new concept for surface well testing has been introduced, which has significantly improved the efficiency of unlocking reserves from sour reservoirs. This was achieved through a combination of material and seal upgrades, as well as automation. The automated choke manifold played a key role by allowing remote control of flow instead of requiring an operator to manually change choke beans. This eliminated personnel exposure to high-pressure hazards. The traditional hydraulically operated emergency shutdown system was replaced with an electrical one, allowing for 13 times faster well shutdown. It can also automatically shut-in the well thanks to integration with an H2S gas detection system. The inline gas analyzer has enabled real-time monitoring of H2S, reducing the need for frequent manual sampling and minimizing personnel exposure and gas release into the environment. Overall, these upgrades have significantly improved safety and efficiency in surface well testing, enabling the safe extraction of valuable resources from challenging environments. For the first time, an automated surface well testing package was introduced. The paper will discuss about lessons learnt and recommendation on new developments for further improvement of the system. This is first the milestone towards fully autonomous surface well testing.