Patent ID: 7950464
Filing Date: 2011-05-31
Classification: E21B,G05B

Abstract:
1. A well control system for operating a plurality of production wells in relation to one another to maximize utilization of shared production facilities comprising flow lines, piping, compressors, compressor stations, tankage, separators or combinations thereof, said system comprising: at least one aboveground production well controller mounted on a wellhead flow line for each of the plurality of production wells; each of the plurality of production wells having a flow routable through a meter run/flow line shareable by one or more of the production wells, the meter run/flow line in communication with a shared production facility; at least one well flow measuring device mounted on the wellhead flow line of each of the plurality of production wells, the at least one flow measuring device being either existing infrastructure or newly installed infrastructure; a master well controller communicating with one or more of the well flow measuring devices, one or more of the production well controllers or combinations thereof; and wherein the master well controller can monitor data derived from the one or more well flow measuring devices, one or more production well controllers or combinations thereof, to determine the sequence by which to open or close a surface valve located upstream of the shared production facility based on a portion of the data, thereby opening or closing the one or more production wells in relation to one another so as to enable flow optimization and to reduce the occurrence of bottlenecks at the shared production facility.