Patent ID: 8600717
Filing Date: 2013-12-03
Classification: E21B

Abstract:
1. A computer-executable method, comprising: modeling a network of interdependent wells for hydrocarbon production as a network simulation in an online model, wherein production of the wells is considered interdependent as between the wells in the online model; modeling multiple interdependent variables related to the hydrocarbon production of the network and modeling lift performance curves of the interdependent wells as a mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) problem in an offline model, wherein production of the wells is considered independent as between the wells in the offline model; solving the MINLP problem with a MINLP solver to obtain offline results, wherein solving the MINLP problem offline to obtain the offline results comprises solving the MINLP problem to obtain optimal values comprising an optimized allotment of lift-gas for the network of interdependent wells; inputting the offline results comprising the optimized allotment of the lift-gas from the offline model into the network simulation of the online model to obtain online results including optimized wellhead pressures for the network of interdependent wells; feeding-back the optimized wellhead pressures from the online model into the offline Model; iterating between the offline model and the online model until the online and offline results reach convergence; and communicating the optimal values for the interdependent variables at the convergence from a controller to the network of interdependent wells to optimize hydrocarbon production.