Operating companies in the oil and gas sector face the increasing challenge to maximize overall profitability by improving the recovery of hydrocarbons and reduce operating costs. The amount of available real-time data obtained from downhole instruments, surface SCADA and DCS systems can rapidly become overwhelming such that operations managers require tools to process these large amounts of data within the time constraints imposed by the situation. The operational goal of “producing the limit” can only be achieved by translating data into actionable information and delivering it in time to drive critical decisions.

Process Ecology has developed a methodology for synchronized integration of a dynamic simulation model of the production facilities with real-time online data obtained from the production field. By dynamically simulating the production system we can characterize it as a transient, multiphase operation capable of modeling time-dependent phenomena. The implementation incorporates development of an accurate dynamic model of the wells and the production network, as well as an online, real-time application which transfers data between historian database and the simulation model at predetermined time steps.

An important outcome of these systems is that they act as “virtual instrumentation” for key unmeasured variables such as well flowrates. The system can also monitor the performance of specific equipment and support decisions to switch to production modes such as artificial lift. It can also be run offline as a look-ahead tool to predict future behaviour given initial conditions or to run what-if scenarios.

Real time models that match the field improve understanding of the overall system, and provide the tools to translate vast amount of data into decision support for daily operational strategies.