Patent ID: 7474969

Claim:
A method for determining multiphase fluid streams flowing from individual wells of a cluster of crude oil, gas or other fluid production wells, wherein the fluid streams produced by the individual wells are commingled and routed via a fluid separation assembly into fluid outlet conduits for transportation of at least partly separated streams of crude oil, gas or other fluids; the method comprising: arranging a flowmeter at each fluid outlet conduit; producing oil or gas from the cluster of wells and monitoring a dynamic fluid flow pattern of the accumulated multiphase stream of well effluents produced by the cluster of wells by means of the flow meters; performing a series of well tests during which production from a tested well is varied and production from other wells is maintained substantially constant or interrupted; monitoring during each well test a dynamic fingerprint of the variation of the flow pattern of effluents produced by the tested well; assuming that an estimated dynamic flow pattern is an accumulation of said dynamic fingerprints that are multiplied by unknown weight coefficients; determining the unknown weight coefficients by iteratively varying each weight coefficient until the estimated dynamic fluid flow pattern substantially matches with the monitored dynamic fluid flow pattern; and using the determined weight coefficients to produce real-time estimates of the multiphase flux from at least one well.