Clustering Intermittent Pumping: A Novel Low-Cost Intelligent Producing Method for Multiple Wells Based on Edge Computing

Abstract

Abstract Intermittent pumping is an effective measure to reduce energy consumption and improve system efficiency for stripping wells. To date, a intelligent control cabinet for intermittent pumping usually contains one soft starting device which is used to lower the starting electric current in case of motor failure caused by frequent well restart. The cost of intelligent control cabinet is relatively high that limits the popularization of intelligent intermittent pumping. Thus, a novel low-cost clustering intelligent intermittent pumping technology which enables multiple wells to share one Silicon Control Rectifier (SCR) soft starter and one set of intelligent terminals is proposed. A calculation method for the intermittent pumping scheme of single well was proposed based on the principle of material balance. Moreover, a reasonable clustering intermittent pumping schedule for multiple wells was optimized using particle swarm algorithm to avoid the risk of control cabinet failures caused by simultaneous startup of multiple wells. The above algorithms were embedded into the IOTs intelligent control terminal to realize real-time perception and optimization. The core circuit of the control cabinet is composed of the soft starting side branch in parallel with the main branches of all oil wells, and the control switches of all branch circuits are intelligently sensed and controlled by the edge computing terminal. The pilot test of one cabinet controlling three intermittent pumping wells was carried out on a targeted oil production platform. Before optimization, the pump efficiency of the three wells is 28.8%, 36.2%, and 13.7%, respectively. The optimized production time of the three wells is 49 minutes, 118 minutes, and 104 minutes, respectively. The shut-in time is 311 minutes, 242 minutes, and 256 minutes, respectively. Automatic production is achieved through the clustering intelligent control cabinet. The application results show that the clustering intermittent pumping technology reduces the total cost of control devices for three wells by 68%. The electricity saving rate of the three wells is 61%, saving about 37000 yuan per year. The novel technology of clustering intermittent pumping fills in the blank of intelligent intermittent pumping for multiple well and greatly promotes the intelligence of oilfield sucker rod pumping system.