OIL AND GAS WELL TEST

In the petroleum industry, a well test is the execution of a set of

planned data acquisition activities. The acquired data is analyzed to
broaden the knowledge and increase the understanding of the hydrocarbon
properties therein and characteristics of the underground reservoir where
the hydrocarbons are trapped.
The test will also provide information about the state of the
particular well used to collect data. The overall objective is identifying the
reservoir's capacity to produce hydrocarbons, such as oil, natural
gas and condensate.
Data gathered during the test period includes volumetric flow
rate and pressure observed in the selected well. Outcomes of a well test,
for instance flow rate data and gas oil ratio data, may support the well
allocation process for an ongoing production phase, while other data about
the reservoir capabilities will support reservoir management.
Field production phase

Simplified process flow diagram. A plant is receiving a multi phased flow of

oil and gas from many wells via a manifold. Flow from one well only may be
taken to the test separator (shaded). The test separator has the feature to
separate gas and water from the oil, and to have each component
measured, under different conditions.
Flow test
This test has also been called daily test[2] and may have various other
namings. Often, and especially at offshore fields, a number of wells
produce to a common separator, and flows from several separators or
facilities may be headed into a commingled flow in pipeline that transports
oil or gas for sale (export).
The total flow rate of all wells in total are measured, but the contributions of
the individual wells are unknown. It is important to know the individual
contributions to account hydrocarbon material balance and for well
monitoring and reservoir management.
To obtain individual well flow rates, it is common to use a smaller test
separator. This is an isolated and down-scaled processing system in
parallel with the normal flows. Regularly, for example once a month per
well, the flow from one and only one selected well is led into the test
separator for determining well flow rate for the selected well.[3] The
separator divides the flow from the well into the streams of individual
products which typically are oil, gas and water, but may include natural-gas
condensate. Contamination may also be removed and fluid samples
collected. This helps to allocate individual flow rate contributions, but the
method has uncertainties. Flow rate, water cut, GOR and other parameters
for the test system can deviate from production separators.[4] This is
generally taken into account by the allocation of products back to individual
wells based on the field total, and by using data from the individual well
tests.
Another method[5] to obtain individual well flow rates takes the state
observer approach, where the states to be estimated as the unknown flow
rates from individual wells. This approach allows the incorporation of other
modes of measurements such as spin-cuts (manual water cut readings)
and dynamometer card based inferred rates. The reconciliation of these
measurements with the flow tests, along with a systematic mechanism to
account for measurement noise, leads to improved per well rate estimation
accuracy.
Multiphase flow meters have to some degree reduced the need for flow
tests and test separators.[6] Multiphase flow meters are not suitable for all
applications where clean-ups are required post workover. In the absence of
accurate, robust and low-cost multi-phase flow meters, large oil fields with
thousands of wells continue to rely on well tests as the primary source of
information for production surveillance.