Petroleum Production Engineering

Chapter 1: Production Engineering Overview 25/8/2012

Course Content
The course aims at providing students with basis

knowledge of the petroleum production technology such as well completion, well stimulation, methods of oil well production, secondary recovery and pressure maintenance, principles of the oil well production design techniques and to show how these may be utilized to optimize production optimization from a particular well or field.

First Oil Well

Simplified system for vertical well production modeling

First oil well in 1850s Pennsylvania, USA

Oil Fields and Their Lifecycle

A lifecycle of an oil field consists of the

following stages:
Exploration

Appraisal
Development Production

Abandonment

Revenue Throughout Life Cycle

Objectives of Production Engineers

Maximize well productivity

Reduce skin, s:
Stimulation Well completion design

Reduce Pwf:
Minimize pressure losses in wellbore and surface

equipment Artificial lift or mechanical lift

Petroleum Production System

Wellbore flow

Artificial Lift

IPR (completion + skin)

Acidizing, fracturing, completion design

Reservoir System (IPR)

Phase:
Under-saturated oil Two-phase (saturated) Gas

Outer boundary
Infinite acting No-flow

Constant pressure (water influx)

Formation Damage
Damage can be caused by
Drilling/Completion Production Stimulation Any operation that alter the flow conditions

Skin Factor
Damage skin

Completion skin
Combined skin effect

Flow in Pipes
Wellbore pressure drop calculation
Single phase flow: Dphy + Dpf Two-phase flow: holdup, slip velocity and

correlations Well deliverability

Flow in horizontal pipe and surface network

Well Stimulation: Hydraulic Fracturing

Optimal Fracture Geometry
Optimal fracture length and width Dimensionless fracture conductivity

Fracture Treatment Design

2D geometry model (PKN, KGD) Total fluid volume and injection time Pad volume, Proppant mass, Injection schedule

Well Stimulation Acidizing

Artificial lift
Sucker Rod Pump
Flow rate and pump speed Effective plunger stroke length Prime mover power

ESP
Design chart Number of stages Horse power

Gas lift
Flow rate and bottomhole flowing pressure Injection point (Hinj), GLR and pressure gradient

above and below (inside tubing) Gas rate required Injection pressure and bottomhole pressure