Real-Time Edge Intelligence and Remotely Controlled Optimization of Intelligent Completion Injectivity
Authors: Faizah N. , Tan C. , Tan A. S. , Kalidas S. , Goh Kim Fah G. , Musayev R. , Barretto G. 
Published: May 2024

Intelligent completion injectivity refers to controlling and monitoring fluids injected into reservoirs to enhance oil and gas production at nearby producers. Traditional methods often lack the precision and adaptability required to optimize multi zonal injectivity effectively, particularly in the activation of flow control valves (FCV) to optimize production or injection. In conventional operations, these valves are activated manually on-site by a delayed chain of instruction decided on in town and communicated to an on-site technician. This must be done physically on unmanned platforms, thus adding operational complexity and high operating cost.

The intelligent completion system deployed in this work leveraged advanced sensors and actuators to enable real-time adjustments, allowing for a more nuanced and efficient injection process. To enable fully compliant remotely controlled intelligent completions with smart edge computation, the interfaces were managed from design to execution to achieve a fit-for-purpose solution. The system integration test was essential to verify smooth execution with improved injectivity interface panel (i.e., onsite GUI) of zonal rate measurement visualization. Downhole equipment comprised permanent downhole gauges (PDG) and FCV. Surface equipment such as a hydraulic pump system with engineered logics of rate calculation were connected to the downhole flow control valves measurements. Meanwhile surface acquisition units (SAU) were connected to PDG systems. Data from PDG SAU and the hydraulic control system are transmitted from offshore to office via satellite communication or internet. Smart algorithm embedded software was engineered to enable real-time data monitoring and control remotely from offshore.

With the automated system, the end users can confidently actuate the FCV on the offshore platform from a device located on offshore or office. The process from receiving information to making a decision to take action, which was previously done in months, can now be done in minutes. This allows water/gas injection optimization by maximizing areal and vertical sweep, enables remote injection control, and provides on-site gas and water single-phase injection rate computation. This means the monitoring rate profiling is now directly provided from site acquisition capability, in contrast to the conventional method of post-processing done in town to first analyze the data and then generate the profile. The intelligent system consists of rate computation algorithms to help the user estimate the water/gas injection rate and back allocation when flow is commingled from multiple zones through FCV. The algorithm uses real-time data that are acquired through the PDGs (i.e., annulus and tubing gauges), with the pressure drop across the FCV, FCV position information, and reservoir properties input into the system. Subsequently, the estimated flow rate is used to calculate the injectivity index, which is applied in optimization to overcome challenges such as uneven zonal split injection and unfavorable zonal water-front propagation due to over- or under injection.

Intelligent completions are chosen for wells known to have potential for injection or production optimization from multiple zones. Operational complexity, cost, and resource challenges are the bottlenecks to operations that realize the wells’ full potential. Embedding engineered real-time data monitoring and control has proven to simplify operations, reduce OPEX, and minimize HSE risk. The adoption of these technologies has enabled acceleration in digital transformation program to deliver well and resource productivity, efficiency safety, and performance.