Agenda

 WELL TESTING OVERVIEW

 SAFETY & POM
 WELL TEST TYPES
 CLEAN UP
 WELL TEST DATA
 SURFACE TESTING EQUIPMENT
 Well Testing Overview

• Well Testing is the only technique that examines a significant

portion of the reservoir under dynamic conditions to determine its
production capabilities & reservoir properties.
Six Common Objectives for Well Test:
1. Identify produced fluids

2. Measure reservoir pressure & temperature

3. Determine well productivity

4. Obtain samples suitable for laboratory analyses

5. Evaluate reservoir parameters

6. Estimate completion efficiency

How much for how long……?

 Surface Testing Equipment Functions:

• Quickly control pressure and flowrates at the surface and shut in the well.
• Separate the effluent into three separate fluids (oil, gas and water), accurately
meter the fluids, collect and separate solids as applicable.

• Collect Surface Samples.

• Dispose of the resulting fluids in an environmentally safe manner.
Typical Onshore SWT Layout
Pressure Operating Overview

All surfaces testing equipment used shall be pressure

rated. The rating is expressed as a Working Pressure
( WP ) and Test Pressure ( TP )

• Working Pressure (WP):

- Maximum allowable pressure never to be exceeded
during field operations of the equipment

• Test pressure (TP):

- Pressure used to test equipment to ensure proper
operation at WP
 Surface Testing Equipment General Rules
All surface pressure and flow control equipment used upstream
of, and up to the choke manifold must have a minimum WP
rating of 5000 psi.

Selection of Equipment Working Pressure:

WP = 1.2  MPWHP
• HPHT service:
– WHP > 10 000 psi
– WHT > 250 °F
– High Flow-rate: Gas  30 MMSCF/D
Liquid  8000 B/D
Sequence of Operations for most of WT are:

 Pressure Testing the equipment

 Cleaning up the well

 Flowing the well at one rate or several successive rates

 Taking representative fluids samples

 Recording the pressure Build-up during a Final Shut-In

 Types of Well Test
• Exploration well
 Open-Hole DST: normally short test (less than 12 hours),
Flowhead.

- During drilling, unexpected traces of hydrocarbons appear

RIH an open-hole DST to determine whether a true reservoir exists.

 Cased-Hole DST: if logs, open-hole DST are promising casing will

be RIH, then perforations.

• Production well
• Development well
Limits of the Clean up

• Flowrate and Pressure should be the highest compatible

with Surface Testing Equipment.

- Monitor carefully the Pressure downstream choke manifold

(limited by the WP of piping, separator manifold inlet, burners,
etc.)
Clean-up Duration

1. BSW < 1% Solids

2. SALINITY measurement of water if any

3. PH measurement (after Acid job)

4. Stabilization of WHP
Surface Well Testing Equipment
Flow Head

• Flowhead is the primary Well Pressure Control Equipment

• Control the fluid flow in and out of the well
• Provided temporary shut off at surface
• Pressure Rating: 5000, 10000 & 15000 Psi
All equipped with:
Flow Valve
Actuator

Swivel allows to:

rotate flow head
Emergency Shutdown System

 ESD mandatory when:

 WHP > 5000 psi or

 H2S present or
 High rate tests:

- Gas > 30 MMSCF/D or

- Oil > 8000 bpd

• ESD recommended on all well test

operations.
 Surface Safety Valve & Emergency
Shutdown System

- SSV is to Shut In the flow - ESD stations

upstream of the choke manifold - HI pilot: Upstream Choke Manifold
and Operated by ESD - LO pilot: Downstream Choke
- Pressure Rating: 5K, 10K, 15K Manifold
WP
 Choke Manifold

- Choke Manifold is to control the flow

rate and pressure at the well head.

- Allows different choke sizes.

- Pressure rating: 5000, 10000 & 15000

Psi
 Critical Flow
- A flow condition that occurs across the choke, in which pressure fluctuations
downstream of the choke cannot affect the conditions pressure & flowrate
upstream of the choke.

- The choke is called EFFECTIVE, when Critical flow is achieved through it.

- Conditions thru a choke exists when:

1. For an Oil well : Downstream pressure

< 0.6 upstream pressure

2. For a Gas well: Downstream pressure <

0.5 upstream pressure
Non-Critical Flow Critical Flow
Heaters and Steam Exchangers

- Hydrate Prevention, specially on gas wells

- Viscosity Reduction - Emulsion Breaking
- Foam Reduction - Increased Burner
Efficiency
- Pressure rating: 5000 Psi
 Separator

- Separator is the main surface testing

piece of equipment.
- It separates the three phases of the effluent
which can then be metered and sampled
individually.

- Pressure Rating: 720 psi, 1440 psi WP

Separator Vessel
Surge Tank

• Vertical Surge Tank:

- Measure low flow
- Calibrate meter
- Measure shrinkage

• Single Compartment vessel:

- H2S Services, 50 psi WP, 80 bbls

• Dual Compartment vessel:

- H2S Services, 150 psi, 2x50 bbls
Oil & Gas Manifold

• Gas Manifold on the gas outlet line from the separator, diverts the gas
flow to either port or starboard gas flare
• Oil Manifold on the oil outlet line from the separator, diverts the oil flow
to either burners, or to and from tanks
• Pressure Rating: 1440 Psi
 Transfer Pump

• Empty one tank compartment while the other is

being filled
• Reinject oil into an existing flowline
• Pressure boosting when there is insufficient
pressure to achieve atomization at burner
• Type of Transfer Pump:
- Centrifugal Transfer pump: H2S, 2000 to
10000 bbls/day
- Screw-type Transfer pump: Not H2S, 4000 to
5000 bbls/day
- Gear-type Transfer pump: Not H2S, 2000
bbls/day