MURAG

Listen to your Reservoir

ENGLISH
 factor of 1000. Another success in increasing runtimes
Concession Area Zistersdorf of artificial lift systems has been reached by selecting
supermature oilfield as specific materials. The implementation of relined tubing
best practice example
systems within RAG increased the runtime of particular
wells by the factor 20.

MURAG
Small Step with Huge Impact
A further in-house technology called MURAG, a small
device mounted on the wellhead, is used for multiple
fully automated measurement purposes based on acou-
Unit operating cost-cutting technologies – UOC (fluid)
stics. The system allows to set fluid levels by remote
1 USD/bbl – with focus on corrosion control, automation
control to produce each well at its optimum drawdown.
and smart artificial lift solutions are the essentials to be
This provides a new way of digitalization of the pump
successful in mature field operations.

The Company
80 Years of History, Extensive Experience in Oil & Gas Exploration,
Production, and Storage Operation Play a Key Role in Unlocking
Significant Energy Resources.
RAG is Austria’s oldest established exploration, pro-
duction and gas storage company, founded in 1935 as
a Joint Venture between Shell and Mobil. In 2007, after
70 years of oil & gas production solely focused on Austria,
How to Turn a Depleting Resource into a
Business Opportunity
The new business unit “RAG Technology Sales &
Services” offers upstream solutions leading to extra­
ordinary meantime between failure (MTBF) increase
from half a year up to 7 years without well intervention.
Consequently a significant unit operating cost reduction
(20 – 40 %) and production increase due to reduced
downtime can be achieved.
Meantime between Failure
25 billion cubic meters of natural gas during the past
180
80 years. With the background of long standing ex­
160
perience RAG offers highly specialized know-how,
technologies and services in operating mature oil and 140
device which can be applied to any type of pumping
system like Electric Submersible Pumps (ESP) or Pro-
gressive Cavity Pumps (PCP). At the same time simple
pressure buildup tests can give frequent well and
reservoir performance information with very short inter-
ruption of the production process – just by stopping the
well from your office desk, gathering the data and restart
production.
Based on this experience and expertise RAG conti-
nuously develops its own production technologies. To
better meet these future demands, RAG Technology
Sales & Services offers the know-how of 50 years
“TAIL END production” to all customers worldwide
with its technology and operation services built up in
more than 80 years within RAG.
MTBF 0.6 years
Failures / 100 Wells

Number of Failures / 100 Wells

the two Majors left RAG as an independent company. gas fields. 120

The core areas of business are crude oil and natural gas Unlocking resources in tail-end oil production maximi­ 100

exploration and production, trading and gas storage. z­ing recovery in gas fields and turning depleted reser- 80

Integrated E&P Services (Drilling, Well Engineering, voirs into gas storages form part of this expertise. 60

Completion and Testing, Wireline and Slickline Services)

40
as well as production technology and mature field
RAG Production & Storage History 20
MTBF 6.8 years

operation expertise support RAG business areas, joint

0
venture partners and external customers. 25,000 250

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013
RAG provides highest level of technical and economic
Underground We offer the following services as an expert for
performance and defends its competitive position
20,000
Gas Storage
200
– Reduce expensive workover
mature fields
UGS TOV operated [bcf]
Production [bbl/day]

based on innovation. 15,000 150

– Saving of operating costs: ~80.000 $/well/year
RAG is one of the leading Austrian companies with – Increase of well test efficiency % Project Management
total assets of some 700 Mio EUR financed by roughly
10,000
Gas Upper Austria
& Salzburg
100
% Production Fluid Management
30 % equity and around 400 employees. The company (Corrosion, Paraffin, Scaling)
generates revenues of some 450 Mio EUR, a cash flow
5,000
Oil Upper Austria
50
Material Selection and Corrosion Management
Oil Zistersdorf % Production Services
of some 150 Mio EUR, and achieves a profitability of 0 0
Efficiency aspect by material science
1937
1939
1941
1943
1945
1947
1949
1951
1953
1955
1957
1959
1961
1963
1965
1967
1969
1971
1973
1975
1977
1979
1981
1983
1985
1987
1989
1991
1993
1995
1997
1999
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009
2011
2013

more than 15 % (ROACE). Furthermore, RAG is the 4th
largest Underground Gas Storage operator in Europe
with a total storage volume of 5.8 billion cubic meters.
RAG has discovered and developed 175 oil & gas fields
and has produced over 15 million tons of crude oil and
In order to reduce corrosion rates RAG embarked on a % Engineering Services
In the oldest field Zistersdorf an economic tail end concerted effort of metallurgy, chemistry and produc- % Well Services
production with water cut up to 98 % underlines the tion technology and reduced in the course of a 3 years
expertise of RAG to handle mature field challenges campaign the annual corrosion rate from 4 mm/year to % Drilling Services
successfully for more than 50 years. less than 0.004 mm/year which is an improvement by a

2 RAG.TECHNOLOGY.SALES & SERVICES 3

 Headquarter Sucker Rod Pump

PCP and ESP

MURAG Signal

MURAG
Fully Automated Multi Measurement Tool –
A Fit-for-Purpose Technology for optimizing Oil Function 1: Pump Control
Production and Gas Well Dewatering Operations Function 2: Bubble Point Control
The unique feature of the MURAG is its fully automated and purely electronic
functioning. The measuring device is enclosed, mounted on the casing outlet, Function 3: Reservoir Characterization
has a pressure rating of 5000 psi and – contrary to conventional devices – works – Pressure Build up Curve
without the need of a gas gun. – Well Interference Test
Compared with conventional downhole sensors mounted on downhole
pumps the device is insensitive to high well fluid temperatures and simple to Function 4: Condition Monitoring
maintain due to its easy access on the well head. (under development)
Additionally, it has a Stand-Alone Software package (Down-hole fluid level
measurement) and is able to provide a sampling rate of up to one measure-
Fluid Level
ment per minute. The measured fluid level data can be transmitted via SCADA
system as well.
Application Area
Pressure Rating: 5000 psi
The measurement tool enables to run downhole pumps in a safer and more Anchor Ambient temperature: -20°C to +50 °C
efficient way. It can be used to avoid pump-off conditions and the resulting Internal temperature: max. +50 °C
serious equipment damage. It can also be used to control a VSD (Variable H2S content: max. 500 ppm
Speed Drive) to keep the fluid level in a well at a specific depth to avoid down- Pump Unit
hole flow conditions below the bubble point pressure in oil production. Due to
the availability of online fluid level data all types of pumps (e.g. ESP, Sucker
Special Features
– Fully automated and purely electronic functioning
Rod Pumps, PCP) can be operated safely at more aggressive production rates.
– All types of pumps: ESP, Sucker Rod Pumps & PCP
– Insensitive to high well fluid temperatures
Bottomhole Pressure from Fluid Level
Furthermore, the continuously available fluid level data can be used to – Stand-Alone software package
– Safer and more efficient
derive bottomhole flowing and build-up pressure for production performance Reservoir
monitoring and reservoir engineering applications. – Avoid pump-off conditions
The technology has been developed and tested over the past 10 years in – Substitute for downhole gauges
the RAG oil & gas fields and has proven to be a valuable tool to optimize – Reservoir engineering application
operations of artificially lifted wells in oil, gas (dewatering) and geothermal – Developed and tested by RAG over the past
applications. 10 years

4 RAG.TECHNOLOGY.SALES & SERVICES 5

 MURAG versus Conventional Devices
Fluid Level Measurement % automatically (every minute) – discrete information Fluid Level Measurement MURAG Conventional
% unmanned (days, weeks, months) Value of Information high low
% continuous – manned Content of Information high low
% electrical / digital – discontinuous Matter of Conclusion high low
(control of pump-speed via – mechanical Control of Production high low
variable-speed-drive)
Optimization of Production high low

Fluid Level
Fluid Level

Evolution of System 4th generation parent

read-out and interpretation

of pressure built-up conclusions and reaction
Time days, weeks of months between measurements Time

shut down pump work over production before shut in for pressure built-up work over
start production again

Reservoir Characterization through Pressure Built-Up Measurement

pressure built-up to pull
to run built-up memory gauge
Pressure Built-up MURAG Conventional
memory gauge completed ?
Costs low € high € € € €
Data Availability on line off line
% mostly uninterrupted production highly interrupted production Duration just right maybe too long/short
Repetition as required low
Reaction Time short long
Production

Production
Evolution of System 4th generation parent

read-out and interpretation

of pressure built-up conclusions and reaction

built-up completed (online monitoring) Time

shut down pump start production shut down pump work over production before shut in for pressure built-up work over
start production again
immediate conclusions and reaction pressure built-up to pull
shut in for pressure built-up to run built-up
memory gauge memory gauge
completed ?

MURAG Software MURAG Productline

Pressure Build Up Curve –
Downhole Gauges vs. MURAG
60
Pressure from downhole
gauge (blue) vs. pressure
MURAG System – Basic Package:
50
Well Interference Test at gauge depth (red)
40
calculated from MURAG
Pressure [bara]

30 % MURAG HDJD 5000 High Pressure

20 Sensor Unit
built-up completed (online monitoring)
10

0
% MURAG Front End Processor
shut down pump
shut in for pressure built-up
start production
immediate conclusions and reaction
MURAG System – Extension Packages:
(Signal Generation, Analysis & Transmission)
10.12.09

15.12.09

20.12.09

25.12.09

30.12.09

04.01.10

09.01.10

14.01.10

19.01.10

24.01.20

Pump at WELL 1
meter

% MURAG BPfFL Module

bar

turned off
Oil Level Software % MURAG Oil Level Software
% MURAG Hook Up Kit
% MURAG Control Cabinet (Indoor & Outdoor)
Pump at WELL 2 turned off Fluid level at WELL 1 continues rising
Signal Processing
% MURAG Service Support
time

Measured Fluid Level

6 RAG.TECHNOLOGY.SALES & SERVICES 7

Legal notice
Published by: RAG Rohöl-Aufsuchungs Aktiengesellschaft
Schwarzenbergplatz 16, 1015 Vienna
Editorial content: RAG
Graphic design: Marianne Prutsch Werbeagentur
Pictures: RAG archives, steve.haider.com
Printed by: druck.at Druck- und Handelsgesellschaft mbH, 2544 Leobersdorf
Status February 2016

UW 784

Produced in accordance with

Austrian ecolabel standards

RAG.TECHNOLOGY.SALES & SERVICES

RAG Rohöl-Aufsuchungs Aktiengesellschaft · Schwarzenbergplatz 16 · 1015 Vienna · Austria
www.rag-technology.at · technology@rag-austria.at