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.