Surface Well Testing Equipment Overview

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 Overall Surface Well Test set-up
The equipment must safely and reliably perform
a wide range of functions:

 quickly control pressure and flowrates

at the surface and shut in the well
 separate the effluent into three separate fluid
 accurately meter the fluids
 collect and separate solids as applicable
 collect surface samples
 dispose of the resulting fluids in an environmentally safe manner

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 Flowhead and safety barriers
Function: to control the well
Minimum pressure barriers
POM 7.0
Flowhead
5K-10K-15K psi
2”-3”-5”-6”-7”
SSV
5K-10K-15K psi
3”-4”-5”

Emergency Shut-Down (ESD)

• Closure in less than 10s
• 2 or 3 independent actuators
• Controlled by push-pull stations, high/low
pilots, erosion probe, pressurized lab cabin,
etc…

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 Coflexip & data header
Coflexip hose
ID: 2, 3 or 4”
WP: 5, 10 or 15 Kpsi
Length: 45 or 60 ft

Sensitive to:
• High Temperature
• Sour fluids
• Long job duration Coflexip mandatory on floating rigs

Coflexip saddle Data header Flowhead and Coflexip

Used to connect sensors, gauges, pilots…

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 Rigid Piping
Rigid Piping with “Weco-union” connections or “Graylock” for HP:
1.5k, 2.5k, 5k, 10k, 15kpsi
straight piping, often 1m, 2m, 3m and 5m long
elbows, often 90 degree

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 Choke manifold
Function: to control the flow and the pressure
Working Pressure: 5K-10K-15K psi
Size: 3”-4”-5”
Optional: by-pass, hydraulic valves, double barriers…
Choke size denomination: /64 inch (i.e 32/64 = ½ inch)

Fixed choke:
Accurate measurement Adjustable choke:
Quick control

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 Heat exchanger
Steam exchanger Functions: Indirect heater
• Fight hydrates
• Improve separation
(emulsion, foam)
Choke
• Reduce viscosity
• Improve burning

HP coil
High viscosity oil
Methane hydrates

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 3-phase Separator
 Used to separate, meter and sample all phases of the
effluent.
 They are able to handle effluents like gas, gas
condensate, light oil, heavy oil, foaming oil, oil containing
water impurities such as mud or solid particles.
 Phase separation in a separator is based on gravity

Several models
 Conventional or new generation (CleanPhase) SEPS-A
 WP: 600psi, 720psi, 1440 psi, 2220 psi (new generation separator, commercialized in 2003)
 Max oil rate: from 2,000 to 23,800 bbl/d
 Max gas rate: from 20 to 90 mmscf/d (million ft3/d)
 Horizontal or vertical
 Conventional or Coriolis meters,
 Options: winterized, heliportable, trailer-mounted
 Low-flowrate metering skid

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 Conventional separator SEP-T
Most common separator

Separator capacity

SEP-TE specifications:
• WP = 1440 psi
• size: 42” x 10’
• max oil rate: 14,000 bbl/d (1min retention time)
• max gas rate: 60 mmscf/d

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 Conventional separator
Oil metering
• 3” ROTRON vortex meter (high rate)
• 2” FLOCO positive displacement meter (low rate)

Water metering
• 2” FLOCO positive displacement meter (low rate)

Gas metering
• DANIEL orifice plate
Floco Rotron
Differential pressure
recorded with BARTON If 2-phases separation only
chart recorder  Water cut is used to calculate water rate

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 Oil and gas rates calculations
Oil rate (bbl/d) Gas rate (mmscf/d)
Vo = V × (1 − BSW )× f × (1 − SHR )× K Q = C h w × Pf
Vo: oil volume at standard conditions (P = 14.73 psia, T = 60 degF) C = Fu × Fb × Fg × Y2 × Ftf × Fpv
V: oil volume metered at separator conditions
BSW: Basic Sediments and Water Q: gas volumetric rate at standard conditions
f: meter mechanical correction factor hw: differential pressure across orifice plate
SHR: oil shrinkage factor from separator to atmospheric pressure Pf: separator static pressure
K: temperature correction factor to 60 degF Fu : unit conversion factor
Fb : basic orifice factor
Fg : specific gravity factor
Y2 : expansion factor
Ftf : flowing temperature factor
Fpv : supercompressibility factor
Floco

Daniel orifice
FOH charts plate meter
Rotron separator oil line shrinkage tester

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 Gas Oil Ratio (GOR)
GOR1 = Free Gas (sc) / Oil (sc)
GOR2 = Solution Gas (sc) / Oil (sc)
GORtotal = GOR1 + GOR2
Note: CGR = Condensate Gas ratio
GOR is a critical value for:
- Fluid identification
- Well Test design
- Flowrates Quality Check

1st Stage 2nd Stage

Total
Separator Conditions Ambient Conditions

Gas Oil Ratio

Free
Free Gas
Gas
Solution Tank gas
Gas
Live Oil

Dead Oil Oil

(STO) 0 Separator
Atm. pb
Well Head

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 New generation: CleanPhase
SEPL is designed to handle clean-up

Sand jet line

“True” 3-phases
separator

Coriolis meter: Carry-over monitoring

improved measurement + enhanced mist extractor

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 Tanks
Gauge tank Functions: Surge tank
 Calibration of separator oil meters
 Measurement of low liquid rates
 Measure of oil shrinkage
(from Sep to atmospheric pressure)
 Liquids storage before disposal
1x25, 2x50 or 2x100 bbl  Non-pressurized sample
Atmospheric (non-H2S)
 Second-stage separation
Transfer pump Oil manifold Gas manifold
(Electrical, diesel or air) (5-ways diverter)
(2-ways diverter)
1x80 or 2 x 50 bbl
WP = 50 or 150 psi (H2S rated)
Recommended for offshore

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 Burners
GreenDragon (conventional) Oil Atomizer
 Used to safely dispose of well effluents
Commercial launch in 1971
 Burning allows longer tests (no storage)
 Available with 1, 3 or 4 heads
 Max oil rate: 4000, 7000 or 9000 bbl/d
 Remote control pilot light
 Option: mud burner (mud mixed with diesel)
 Water ring

Large heat radiation Water screen

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 Burners
Evergreen
 Fallout-free and smokeless combustion
 Highly efficient with all types of oil, particularly heavy and waxy oils
 Up to 25% water cut (ideal for clean-up)
 Developed with the European THERMIE program and with the
combustion expertise of Institut Francais du Pétrole (I.F.P.),
commercialization in 1999.
Temperature up to 1150°C (i.e. 150-200 °C more than conventional burners) Evergreen,
also called “Sunflower”
 Oil rate up to 15,000 bbl/d (multi-rate kit)

1950
1784
1619
1453
1287
1122
956
790
625
460
293

Burner head Large air supply required Turbulent design enhances air ingestion into the flame

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 Booms
Reduces heat radiation on the rig.
 60 feet or 85 feet
 U-boom or V-boom (heavy duty)
 Usually 2 burners (in case of wind change)
 Often permanent installation (connection issues)

Vertical King
guy lines Post Burner and boom rig-up
King post and base plate axis
must be aligned

Rotating
Horizontal base plate
guy lines

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 Solids production
One of the oldest serious problems associated with testing
oil & gas wells.

Well producing from younger tertiary age reservoirs.

Formations are weakly consolidated.
Frac flow back Proppant
Formation sand
(unconsolidated formation)

Formation rock debris Formation rock debris Proppant (post-frac flow back)

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 Sand control
Solids + high velocity  erosion Prevention
 Increase line sizing
Surface piping erosion: potential catastrophic accident  Minimize flow direction changes
 Equipment located downstream choke  Minimize flow restrictions
(high velocity, low thickness) Use “heavy wall” equipment
 Elbows and flow direction changes Mitigation
 Restrictions (adjustable stem tip, choke, valves…)  Perform regular thickness test
 Thermowells  Erosion probe connected to ESD

Eroded choke stem tip

Eroded Eroded elbow
thermowell

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 Solids control systems
Sand is being controlled with a variety of
methods and techniques at the bottom hole
& at the surface.
At bottom , gravel packing systems are the most
common methods used.

At surface, in well testing, three Schlumberger

purpose-built types of sand removal units are used:
Dual-pot Sand Filter
Cyclonic Sand Filter (new technology)
Sand Separator

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 Solids control systems
Dual pot sand filter Cyclonic desander
10K, 15Kpsi
5K or 10K psi

Filter cleaning
50, 100, 200, 300, 400 µm

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 THE END
Thanks for your attention

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