Intelligent Distributed Management System for Automated Wells (SGPA): Experience and Results

Abstract

Abstract SGPA is an Intelligent Distributed Management System for Automated Wells developed back in 2001/2002 for sucker-rod pumped wells analysis and management. The SGPA concepts and ideas were presented in the 2002 SPE ATC&E, in San Antonio, Tx. SGPA operates under three main subsystems, Data consistency module for acquisition and consistency of the information from different sources, Knowledge module for well analysis based on Artificial Lift experts coded experience and dynamometer card apprenticeship module for dynamometer card patterns development. The sucker rod pumping experts knowledge were coded, used and improved in several well analysis creating a Sucker rod pumping knowledge base used now to do more precise analysis and also to teach and train new engineers. Well automation brought a big change to the field personnel routine, in a few months a huge amount of well information became available and the field personnel urged to use it to implement well analysis. The dynamometer card patterns to be used by the PLC at the well site for optimization and control was also an issue. The use of patterns for normal operation, pump-off, gas lock, etc… is a key feature of the well automation system and a fundamental necessity in any well analysis. The SGPA dynamometer card apprenticeship subsystem was used to develop dynamometer patterns based in the acquired real dynamometric cards stored in the well automation system databases. This paper presents an in depth description of the SGPA knowledge base after one year use and the set of dynamometric card patterns developed. Introduction SGPA is an intelligent distributed system with three distinct levels: Local, where the actions over the well are performed by a Programable Logic Computer (PLC); Supervision, where human actions, restricted to emergency actions are performed; Analysis, where human actions deals with the application of the diagnostics and therapies proposed by the SGPA intelligent module. [3]