US 12,001,762 B2
Method for performing well performance diagnostics
Mahsa Memarzadeh, Spring, TX (US); Justin A. Gantt, St. John's (CA); and Ted A. Long, Spring, TX (US)
Assigned to ExxonMobil Technology and Engineering Company, Spring, TX (US)
Filed by ExxonMobil Technology and Engineering Company, Spring, TX (US)
Filed on Dec. 19, 2019, as Appl. No. 16/720,195.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/783,758, filed on Dec. 21, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2020/0202047 A1, Jun. 25, 2020
Int. Cl. G06F 30/13 (2020.01); G06N 5/04 (2023.01)
CPC G06F 30/13 (2020.01) [G06N 5/04 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An automated method for well performance management of a well system in a hydrocarbon reservoir and detecting performance degradation events in a well in the well system, comprising the steps of:
a) inputting well test production data into a well performance model, the well performance model comprised of model parameters, the model parameters comprising one or more reservoir properties, the well performance model further comprising
an inflow component modeling a pressure drop for hydrocarbon fluids flowing from a reservoir to the well, and
an outflow component modeling a pressure drop for hydrocarbon fluids flowing in and along tubing in the well to a surface;
b) calculating a downhole model pressure based on the well performance model;
c) continuously comparing the calculated downhole model pressure with a real-time measured downhole pressure;
d) determining if there is a deviation between the calculated downhole model pressure and the real-time measured downhole pressure, and if there is a deviation, performing an analysis, by the well performance model, on the model parameters to determine one or more potential attributing causes for the deviation, wherein the analysis is formulated using an inverse optimization formulation that minimizes the squared error between the down-hole gauge pressures of the inflow component based on the well performance model and the well test production data using the following equation:

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e) inferring from the analysis on the plurality of parameters one or more causes of the deviation to improve hydrocarbon resources recovery; and
f) changing a reservoir pressure by increasing an injection fluid rate of an injection well or decreasing the injection fluid rate of the injection well responsive to the inferring one or more causes of deviation.