Production engineering connects reservoir behaviour, well performance and surface operating conditions to safely and efficiently deliver hydrocarbons from the asset.
Production engineering
Production is where the development concept becomes an operating asset. Actual rates, pressures, fluid behaviour and well performance provide continuous evidence about how the reservoir and production system are behaving.
Production engineering investigates the complete flow path from reservoir to surface, identifying constraints and opportunities to maintain or improve well and field performance.
Production workflow
Production engineering combines field measurements, well performance analysis and reservoir understanding to determine how the asset can produce more effectively within its operating constraints.
Bring the completed and tested well into production while establishing stable operating conditions and confirming expected behaviour.
Key activities
Evaluate the ability of each well to deliver hydrocarbons under its current reservoir and operating conditions.
Key activities
Understand the relationship between reservoir inflow and the pressure losses required to move fluids from the reservoir to the surface.
Key activities
Where natural reservoir energy is insufficient, optimise the artificial-lift and well operating system to improve production performance.
Key activities
Manage day-to-day well and production-system performance while maintaining safe, reliable and controlled operations.
Key activities
Use production, pressure and fluid data to diagnose performance changes and identify opportunities for improved recovery.
Key activities
Production system
Production performance is controlled by the interaction between reservoir inflow, the wellbore, completion, artificial lift and the surface production system.
Integrated disciplines
Reliable production decisions require the reservoir, well, completion and surface system to be considered together.
Production diagnosis
Is the well delivering according to the reservoir and well model?
What is limiting the current production rate?
Is the restriction caused by the reservoir, wellbore, completion or surface system?
What does the inflow and outflow behaviour indicate?
Would artificial lift or another intervention improve performance?
What production changes require further reservoir or well investigation?
Engineering chain
Next stage
Continuous surveillance turns production history, pressure, fluid and well-performance data into decisions for improving the field over time.