American Oil and Gas Reporter - August 2015 - 95

able the user to check on the sample quality that is being used to calculate the volume, energy, component volumes and net
allowable, as well as the percentages of
sediments and water.
Experience with unconventional production indicates that the composition can
vary widely from one shale basin to the
next. Therefore, the measurement staff
cannot simply apply the same validations
ranges to their quality data in all cases. It
is important for the application to adjust
or calculate the set-points in a manner that
is appropriate to the particular field. This
validation also may reveal a trend in the
quality of oil or gas that is produced and
allow operations personnel to make adjustments in their forecasts or implement
measures to enhance production.
Expert system validations compare a
record with a running or weighted average
of a user-specified number of prior records
to look for deviations from the trend. By operating on trends, expert system validations
allow analysts to focus on exceptions that
are important while avoiding cases in
which data could be flagged unnecessarily.
Not only does this validation allow for
seasonal changes in the gas and/or liquids

temperatures, but it also allows for a
production trend that matches the technology. For a shale gas well, validations provide early indications of a production decline and allow faster implementation of
optimization efforts. One way in which the
rapidly changing flow rates impact production, for example, is the need to change artificial lift systems or compression horsepower as individual well or multiwell pad
production declines.
The key capabilities of automated
measurement applications combine to
provide a powerful and comprehensive solution that measurement departments can

put to work rapidly to optimize production
and help improve bottom-line business
performance. Users benefit from rapid payback in terms of compliance, enhanced
production, increased asset efficiency,
and lower operating costs.
❒

Coming In September

Using advanced 3-D seismic data
to precisely land and steer long-lateral Niobrara wells, and field trial results of new chemical stimulation solutions.

R. MICHAEL
SQUYRES

R. Michael Squyres is president of
Flow-Cal Inc. in Houston. With nearly 30 years of experience in designing
and developing measurement software
applications, he has worked with supervisory control and data acquisition, and
electronic flow measurement standards
organizations to pioneer better ways to
validate, calculate and report measurement data. Squyres has developed specialty applications and provided consulting services for on- and offshore domestic and international upstream, midstream and downstream measurement
applications. He is a member of the
American Petroleum Institute, Southern
Gas Association, Canadian Gas Association, Gulf Coast Measurement Society and Midwest Measurement Society,
and serves on the board of directors for
the American School of Gas Measurement and Technology. Squyres holds a
B.S. in computer science from the University of Houston.
AUGUST 2015 95

American Oil and Gas Reporter - August 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Oil and Gas Reporter - August 2015