Multiphase Well Testing

Vx technology for
the life of your well
 Vx technology combines the expertise of four R&D
centers. Extensive field and flow loop tests validated
performance across the full operating range.
Applications The production challenge
■ Production well testing Schlumberger multiphase well testing services
■ Production allocation offer new solutions to the increasing challenges
of optimizing reservoir production. Multiphase JIP flow loop
■ Production trends NEL
testing is the continuous rate measurement of
■ Gas lift optimization a well's individual phases without prior sepa- Ca Re

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Well cleanup optimization

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ration. This new approach to well testing delivers br ar

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■ Subsea well testing significant on-site cost savings, improved ge
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IFP flow loop

■ test data quality and availability—allowing quick

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Exploration and
well performance trend analysis and immedi-

O flow loop
appraisal testing
ate well diagnostics. The ability to monitor
wells early and continuously from a remote Cl Dev
Benefits am e

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ay
location considerably reduces the cost per

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■ Quicker, more efficient well tested. t, me

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well testing As oil and gas fields mature, increasing ce
■ Reduced field water and gas cuts can reduce a well's per-
development costs formance. These increases, combined with F i e ld te s t s
■
changing flow parameters, can create bottle-
Early water detection
necks in the surface production facilities,
■ Improved well diagnostics further reducing the overall rates of saleable
■ Rig time savings hydrocarbons. Identifying the wells that are
■ Eliminated test lines creating bottlenecks becomes critical.
■
Rapid, accurate production diagnosis enables
Remote operation Experience and expertise
timely decisions to either increase or decrease
■ Safer installation a well’s production or to plan intervention. In Schlumberger and Framo Engineering A/S
and operation the past this diagnosis involved mobilizing have researched multiphase metering and
■ Reduced gas flaring cumbersome mobile well test units or installing testing techniques since the early 1990s. After
large maintenance-intensive test facilities on considering a variety of measurement princi-
Features the platform or at the gathering station. ples, both companies independently reached
■
Schlumberger multiphase production well the same conclusion: a venturi mass measure-
Small, lightweight and
test equipment, whether mobile or permanently ment coupled with a dual-energy gamma ray
simple to operate
installed, is compact, lightweight and low phase holdup measurement provides the most
■ Repeatable, highly maintenance for safer operations. robust combination for multiphase well testing.
accurate measurements For newly completed wells the mobile Being an absolute measurement method, this
■ SCADA compatible multiphase well testing service monitors the combination does not require the on-site flow-
■ Exceptional dynamic cleanup process. Conventionally, wells are ing calibration that is a prerequisite for other
response owing to low not put through a test spread until the fluid is
mobile well testing services.
volume and rapid relatively clean, making estimates of returned
Framo Engineering chose to precondition
stabilization drilling and completion fluids difficult. Using
the incoming flows using a mixer-flow condi-
■
a multiphase testing service, well effluent
No separation tioner originally developed for multiphase
measurements are made from the initial opening
■ Measures flow with slugs, pumping technology. Schlumberger developed
of the well. Well cleanup takes the least time
foams and emulsions a measurement method based on physically
possible and lifting costs are minimized.
■
imposing a shape factor on the incoming flow
Marine ready Field development using subsea production
systems poses particular challenges to well coupled with dual-energy gamma ray phase
■ Extensively qualified and
production optimization. Conventional test holdup measurements acquired at a very
field proven design high frequency.
systems installed in a host production facility
■ Data available In 1998 Schlumberger and Framo Engineering
require dedicated and usually costly subsea
electronically merged their technologies and manufacturing
test lines. Multiphase meters installed in the
■ High-pressure rating expertise in the creation of a joint technology
subsea infrastructure eliminate the need for
■ No moving parts— separate test lines and provide continuous center, 3-PHASE Measurements A/S. Today
low maintenance production well testing data for well diagnos- the center draws upon the engineering and
■ tics and production enhancement. development resources of both organizations
No flowing calibration
Schlumberger production well testing to provide multiphase metering technology
services help you enhance individual well development, equipment manufacture and
production, optimize field production and support to Schlumberger and Framo
maximize reservoir recovery. Engineering service locations worldwide.
 The heart of the system is the venturi section with the dual-energy gamma ray holdup meter. The source and detector
elements are contained within fully rated pressure housings that provide a second pressure barrier to well fluids.

Vx* technology, commercialized in 1999,

Venturi
is the basis of the latest generation of mul- Source section
tiphase flowmeters and was developed
using the cumulative expertise of both
organizations. This expertise was supported
Detector
by more than 57 years of well test data
recorded by both permanent and mobile
testing units, in land and subsea installations,
across four continents.

Vx technology
Based on field-proven designs upgraded
with a new high-performance phase holdup
detector and flow model, Vx technology is
at the core of the latest generation of mul-
tiphase flow meters. These meters bring
enhancements and major performance
improvements over traditional testing
methods. The benefits include superior
dynamic response to fluctuating flows,
high-accuracy rate measurement, and
unmatched resolution and repeatability. Source
Exceptional dynamic response makes housing
testing operations quicker and more efficient
and provides valuable new information for
diagnosis and optimization of a well's per-
formance. These meters are more accurate
than separation-based systems because Detector
Direction housing
they are independent of separation efficiency
of flow
and insensitive to slugs, foam and emulsions.
Flowmeters designed using Vx technology
require no process control because they
are insensitive to changes in flow rate, phase the Schlumberger Platform Express* together ensure that the full character of the
holdup and pressure regime. The heart of density logging tool. This detector can flow from the well is acquired independently
the measurement section, a flowmeter with process 1 million points per second, of the upstream flow regime in a compact and
no moving parts, can be mounted in a which enables a complete calculation of cost-effective manner.
portable skid for temporary installations, water, oil and gas fractions every 22 ms. The high-speed detector produces a
such as mobile well testing, or installed as signature count rate over the two peak
■ Flowmeters incorporate a blind tee in
a permanent monitoring device for land, energy bands that is a function of the
topside or subsea applications. Mass flow the flowline upstream of the measuring
unit that acts as a filter to impose a measured medium. These count rates
rate is measured conventionally using permit a triangular solution of phase
absolute and differential pressure sensors. predictable flow shape onto the flow-
stream. This tee effectively removes holdup when high-energy count rate is
Flowmeters are available in several sizes plotted against low-energy count rate.
to cover a broad range of three-phase rate flow anomalies imposed by downhole
conditions and surface piping and Phase holdup is determined by the inter-
combinations. section of two lines. The first line represents
In multiphase flows various sizes of gas, eliminates high-frequency flow instabilities
the gas/liquid ratio and the second connects
oil and water slugs flash through the venturi in the venturi throat.
the 100% gas point to the oil/water ratio
section unpredictably and often at very ■ The combination of flow shape control point.
high frequencies. Key design and modeling and rapid sampling and processing Reliability and accuracy of these
features address this phenomenon to ensure enables the derivation of a “slip law.” This flowmeters have been verified during
accurate measurement of individual flow law describes the differential velocity of extensive field testing across five continents.
rates under these conditions. the various phases, which is a critical step During 1200 flow loop tests and 400 field
■ Phase holdup is measured by a new in computation of multiphase flows. jobs, fluid parameters were varied over
high-speed, dual-energy spectral gamma Rapid sampling and processing, flow wide ranges to ensure performance as
ray detector that follows the design of shape control and a robust slip law specified across the operating envelope.
Different fluids attenuate gamma rays by varying amounts. Counts from the high-
and low-energy peaks are used to establish each phase holdup.

PhaseTester service
The PhaseTester* service utilizes a mobile
well testing unit designed for easy deploy-
ment. This solutions-oriented service covers
5000
Low-energy peaks all steps of the testing process from design
Air to reservoir interpretation. Schlumberger
offers service components to match the
4000 needs of the job, including site-specific
safety analysis, wellsite operations, well
test reporting, well data analysis and
3000 production diagnosis.
High-energy peaks Rated in accordance with API standards,
Counts
Oil the PhaseTester Vx unit can be installed to
accept fluids directly from the flowline
2000
Fresh Water
and then return them after measurement.
water + 10% NaCl Pressure loss across the system is typically
3 to 30 psi, much lower than for a conven-
1000 tional test separation system. This feature
allows metered fluids to be returned with-
out the pumping of liquids or flaring of the
0 produced gas.
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 The API 6A rating eliminates the require-
Energy (keV) ment for additional shutdown and pres-
sure relief systems, thereby enhancing the
simplicity of rig-up and safety of the site
operation. With minimal footprint and on-
site installation needs, PhaseTester service
reduces the cost per well tested through
The solution triangle displays a crossplot of counts in the high- and low-energy peaks. efficiency and easy logistics. The
The point shown on the chart has a gas holdup of 40% and a water/liquid ratio of 60%.
PhaseTester Vx unit has excellent dynamic
response to the well flow and requires little
or no stabilization time. As many as three
wells can be tested per day on a typical
production station.
For complex needs such as measurement
Gas and recovery of returned drilling, comple-
tion and workover fluids, PhaseTester
service can be combined with other tem-
porary testing equipment. The EverGreen*
zero-fallout burner can be used in conjunc-
tion with PhaseTester service for disposal
of effluents.
High-energy PhaseTester data are compatible with
peak count rate 40%
data from other Schlumberger production
optimization services such as WellWatcher*,
PS Platform* and Flagship services. Data
can be combined onto a common acquisi-
tion platform with bottomhole pressure
Oil and temperature measurements and
60% production logs.
Water
PhaseWatcher service
Low-energy peak count rate The PhaseWatcher* service is tailored to
meet the needs of platform- and land-based
wells that require permanent well monitor-
ing facilities. Schlumberger offers a broad
range of solutions to meet specific
requirements, including assistance in initial
design, equipment installation and com-
missioning. After commissioning, services
can extend to include site operation. Using
a remote data link to the PhaseWatcher
This PhaseTester Vx 52 test unit, weighing only 3300 lbm [1500 kg], is certified for use in Zone 1 hazardous areas.
Power and data links are through a single cable.

The compact PhaseWatcher unit easily integrates into any production system.

equipment, Schlumberger also offers data

validation and quality control, well test
reporting, well data analysis, production
Detector housing diagnosis and reservoir interpretation.
With sensitive, accurate and reliable
Outlet multiphase production measurements,
you can continuously diagnose production
anomalies and fine-tune wells to produce
at the highest efficiency. Measurements
taken close to the wellhead can be used to
Source housing
optimize downhole pump efficiency or gas
lift systems.
Eliminating the need for a test separator
with its associated support systems and
controls considerably reduces space, weight
and maintenance requirements, resulting
in inherent gains in safety. Because minimal
Differential
pressure cell operational input is needed after setting
Flow computer
the initial parameters, PhaseWatcher service
is ideal for satellite or unmanned locations,
including subsea installations.

Inlet
The PhaseWatcher subsea meter is retrievable using a remotely operated A PhaseWatcher subsea meter is lowered into its barrel during factory
vehicle and can be equipped with fluid sampling equipment. acceptance testing. The meter assembly is positioned between guideposts.

Running tool interface

Data acquisition unit

Sensor module Interface to
control system

Retrieval cartridge
Clamp

Flow mixer
Inlet
Barrel

Venturi meter

Gamma
fraction meter

Outlet

PhaseWatcher subsea service Subsea multiphase meters installed with subsequent production loss. It
Framo Engineering provides PhaseWatcher either on a production tree or in a subsea also changes the flow regime in the
subsea service worldwide. Service options manifold reduce field development costs pipeline, and the wells left on production
include design and integration of the multi- significantly by eliminating the surface test- produce under different conditions, further
phase flow meter into subsea structures, ing facility and expensive subsea test lines. complicating the analysis. Subsea flowme-
project interface definition and coordination, Test line volumes further dampen a top- ter installations provide benefits for well
project-specific qualification and acceptance side facility's ability to track the well's diagnostics and production control that
testing, on-site supervision of installation dynamic situation and increase stabilization exceed those of installations on the top-
and commissioning. After commissioning, times, thereby reducing the frequency at side.
remote data links to the PhaseWatcher which wells can be tested. Commingling
subsea equipment enable Schlumberger to production from several wells also
provide services as needed: periodic data obscures discrete changes in individual
validation and quality control, well test well performance.
reporting, well data analysis, production When flow from several wells is
diagnosis and reservoir interpretation. This commingled through a subsea production
combination of services ensures that the manifold without a test line, there are few
correct expertise is applied at each stage alternatives to “testing by difference.” This
in the life of the field. technique requires periodic shut-in of wells
www.slb.com/oilfield
SMP-5788 ©Schlumberger
February 2003 *Mark of Schlumberger