The need for monitoring individual
well production is becoming increasingly
essential in unconventional field operations.
The drivers behind this need are
related primarily to accurate reporting
for production allocation between wells.
In North American unconventional operations,
the main driver for meter-per-well
flowrate monitoring is accurate per-well
production accounting, due to the complexity
of landowner interests. As operators
seek better ways to account their
production, they see several additional
benefits from replacing traditional separators
with multiphase flowmeters for
produced fluid measurement.
Specific flow assurance challenges can
be encountered in unconventional field
production. The use of multiphase flowmeters
can help diagnose and mitigate
such challenges. Early detection is a critical
factor, but more importantly, proper
understanding of the impact of the commingling
of fluids produced from various
wells in the same pad can allow optimization
of the chemical injection to mitigate
the issue. The nature of fluid heterogeneities,
high variability of production conditions,
and variability of the production
life of various wells, coproduced in the
same pad and commingled into the same
flowlines and process system, lead to unexpected
flow assurance issues in shale
oil and gas production.
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