American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2016 - 96

Production Technology
FIGURE 4
Optimizing Production, Transportation, Processing and
Marketing Activities with SCADA and Enterprise Operations Platform

ty design to optimize field planning.
The next step in the process is performing real-time optimization and operations on each well, using the data collect-

ed and stored on the EOP (yellow box,
center). Various well parameters, including gas and liquids production, artificial
lift pumping rates, and inflow control de-

vice (ICD) operations, are analyzed and
validated against previously defined set
points and key performance indicators
(KPIs). If the data do not strongly correlate with KPIs, the operator can make
changes to the control devices (raising or
lowering pump rates, activating or deactivating ICDs in smart completions, etc.)
to optimize production.
To take this a step further, the operator
can use the data on the EOP to analyze other wells in the field (green box on the right
side) to optimize the performance of all facilities, surface equipment, and drilling
programs at each site. This sequential optimization process can be followed on each
asset type throughout the organization so
that the operator has a solid understanding of productivity and operational efficiencies across the enterprise.
Armed with this understanding, individuals from the field to the front office can
perform their job functions in ways that
drive further production gains in the
safest and most cost-effective manner. ❒

New Production Tech Averts Failures
By Corinne Westeman
Unscheduled downtime in oil and gas
production operations is a double whammy that results in lost revenues and added
costs to repair problems, which erodes bottom-line margins. But in times of low commodity prices especially, any equipment
failure or downhole operating condition
that disrupts the flow of hydrocarbons to
the sales line can be a profit killer.
Consequently, operators are zeroed in
on improving the efficiency and economic performance of producing assets in all
types of plays. The key metric is cost per
barrel of oil equivalent produced, and although every producer has contingencies
in place to deal with the unexpected, a well
failure is not an option. This is particularly true for resource plays with multiwell
pads, where one problem can take production from four or more wells off line and
potentially upset operations at downstream processing facilities.
Right on cue, the latest innovations in
production technology-from mechanical
downhole tools to digital well site monitoring and analysis software-are designed
to maximize efficiencies and production
flows while minimizing cost and pre96 THE AMERICAN OIL & GAS REPORTER

venting well failures.
A case in point is Multilift Welltech
Inc.'s SandGuard™, a tubing-string tool
designed to be installed above an electrical submersible pump to protect it from
sand fallback, which Chief Executive Officer Paul Shotter says is the leading
cause of ESP failures in unconventional
horizontal wells.
When an ESP cycles off, he observes,
previously pumped sand falls back and collects on it, clogging the pump and damaging internal components when it restarts.
"Sand fallback can damage upper stages,
cause broken shafts, and burn out motors,
forcing operators to replace their ESPs
three to four times a year, in some cases,"
Shotter remarks. "The labor and equipment
costs to replace the pump, plus the loss of
time and revenue during lost downtime,
can be as much as $400,000."
However, with the SandGuard tool in
place, fallback sand is quarantined away
from the pump, allowing for trouble-free
restart. The sand trapped in the SandGuard
goes back into the production flow when
the pump restarts, and is produced to the
surface.
"Anytime the pump shuts down, the
SandGuard seals the ESP from sand intru-

sion and possible damage on the restart,"
Shotter says. "This is a $20,000 solution
to a $400,000 problem."
Shotter says SandGuard lowers an operator's lease operating expenses by protecting downhole equipment in sandy
wells (including those with proppant
flowback) and increasing ESP run days.
The best part, Shotter adds, is the product
has proven highly reliable because it has
no moving parts, making it invisible to the
ESP and completely fail safe.
SandGuard diverts falling, solids-laden
fluid to an inner chamber that, in turn, allows the fluid to drain back through the
pump while capturing sand and solids in
the chamber. When the pump is restarted,
these captured sands and solids are expelled by the flow action of the pumped
fluid and are carried to surface, he confirms.
The system can be cycled endlessly,
eliminating potential damage to the pump.
"Most importantly, there are no ports to the
annulus, making pumped recirculation
impossible," he adds.
The SandGuard was designed specifically to withstand sand's erosive potential over long periods down hole. However, Shotter recommends the SandGuard be

American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2016

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