Autonomous setpoint optimization increases production by 10% and reduces manual interventions by 80%

The Agora™ edge AI and IOT solutions enabled autonomous operation of gas wells to improve production performance and reduce operations cost. The data-driven and physics-based approach dynamically controlled well setpoints to continually optimize production operations.

Management of hundreds of wells on intermitters did not permit the operator time to optimize their choke setpoints in real time for individual wells. This led to a high frequency of liquid loading events each month that require the operator’s production team to visit the wellsite and unload the well manually so it can return to normal operation. This tedious process consumed resources and increased production costs. The operator wanted to find a solution that improved the efficiency of their personnel, autonomously managed their choke setpoints, provided incremental production gain, and reduced or eliminated the need to manually unload the wells.

Solution
An intelligent edge computing device was deployed on ten of the field’s wells. Smart liquid loading prevention algorithms were installed in gateways to detect and communicate liquid loading risks. The solution autonomously managed the choke setpoint and flow in the wells, without human intervention. The solution continuously identified the risks, raised alarms, and allowed for remote control of the choke by production engineers, so that they could intervene when required.

AI at the edge
As the well’s naturally decline, the algorithm adapts to learn new thresholds for managing the choke setpoint, maximizing the amount of time the wells flow in steady state. In addition to improved gas rate, the algorithm proactively identifies potential liquid loading scenarios, mitigating them before they occur, and alerting the user to wells that will still require manual intervention. The unloading procedure prevents or minimizes liquid loading by utilizing multiparameter threshold criteria and a selfunloading mechanism to remove water from the wells and create enough differential pressure to allow the wells to flow normally.

Over the three-month production period, Agora edge improved production by 10% and reduced manual unloading up to 82% across the 10 wells. The operator projects to realize a total increase of 135,000 MCF of gas in one year. In addition to the production increase, the sustainability of operations was improved via Agora edge’s algorithm management. The reduction in manual unloads will substantially reduce the need for field technicians to make trips to the wellsite for liquid loading events, helping to significant reduce the operator’s carbon footprint.