SYSTEM OPTIMIZATION AND

EVALUATION
EPL 400: PETROLEUM PRODUCTION
ENGINEERING II

Engr. (Dr.) Sunday S. Ikiensikimama

Professor of Petroleum and Gas Engineering

Adjunct Professor: Department of Gas and Petroleum

Engineering
Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya
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 References
• Amieibibama Joseph, Subsurface Production
Lecture Note, University of Port Harcourt.

• Bath 1998, Introduction to Well Testing,

Schlumberger Wireline and Testing.

• Dale Beggs 2003, Production Optimization

using Nodal Analysis.

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 Nodal Analysis
Nodal analysis is the application of systems
analysis to the complete well system from:
• The outer boundary of the reservoir to the sand
face.

• Across the perforations and completion section to

the tubing intake.

• Up the tubing string including any restrictions and

down hole safety valves, the surface choke, the
flow line and separator.
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 Nodal Analysis Cont’d
• It uses a combination of:

1. Well inflow performance.

2. Downhole multipurpose flow conduit

performance (vertical or directional conduit
performance).

3. Surface performance (including choke,

horizontal or inclined flow performance and
separator).
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 Nodal Analysis Cont’d
• The effect of various changes in one
component of the system has an overall effect
on the entire system.

• Typical wells are selected in order to show the

effect of various changes, such as :
1. Separator pressure.
2. Flow line size.
3. Surface choke size.
4. Tubing size.
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 Nodal Analysis Cont’d
• Analysis shows whether or not the particular
well is limited in its production rate by the
reservoir’s ability to give up fluids or by the
producing system.

• The selection of various parameters, such as

separator pressure or size of flow line is
related to economics.

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 Nodal Analysis Cont’d
• For example, the selection of the separator
pressure in a gas lift system is extremely
important in determining compressor horse-
power.

• Separator pressures from 40 to 120 psi may have

very little effect on the flow rate from a low
productivity well (perhaps 10 B/D), but may have
a very decisive effect on the flow rate of high
productivity wells (perhaps 500 B/D).
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 Nodal Analysis Cont’d
• The changing out of the flow line may permit
the same separator pressure but reduce the
wellhead flowing pressure and, hence,
increase production considerably.

• It may be that the down hole and horizontal

conduits have not been properly sized.

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 Nodal Analysis Cont’d
• Too small a tubing size may retard the
production rate as well as too large a tubing
size.

• Also, low flow rates can be inefficient in large

tubing sizes and undesirable heading
conditions may exist.

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Items Used Often To Optimize Oil And
Gas Wells
• Reservoir skin

• Completion effects

• Tubing size

• Wellhead or separator pressure

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 Completion Effects
Variables in the completion design that are
subject to change and optimization include:
• Perforation shot density

• Perforation size

• Perforation diameter

• Perforation length

• Perforation interval
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 Completion Effects Cont’d
• Gravel pack size

• Gravel pack permeability

• Damage zone radius and permeability

• Perforation crushed zone effect

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 Effect of Perforation Interval
Reduced perforation interval affects the
inflow segment in two ways:

• Increases the pressure loss encountered as

the flow converges.

• Reduces the number of actual perforations

available for flow into the well bore.

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 Effect of Tubing Size

Improperly sized tubing affects an efficiently

designed well system in two ways:

• If the tubing is too small, friction loss will

become excessive.

• If the tubing size is too large, additional pressure

loss will be encountered due to liquid loading.

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 Effect of Wellhead Pressure
• This is the wellhead or top of tubing pressure
which is the outlet pressure of the total system.

• Lowering of this outlet pressure results in

increased well capacity.

• Increased well performance can be achieved by:

 Installing larger chokes in the wellhead or

 Installing a compressor to reduce the wellhead

pressure.
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 The Reservoir Component
• Composed of the flow between the reservoir
boundary and the surface.

• The component is always upstream of the node.

• The flow through the reservoir is referred to as

the inflow performance relationship (IPR) of a
well.

• IPR is a measure of the reservoir’s ability to

produce fluid as a result of pressure differential

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The Reservoir Component Cont’d
Reservoir ability depends on:
• Reservoir type

• Producing drive mechanism

• Reservoir pressure

• Formation permeability and

• Fluid properties

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The Reservoir Component Cont’d

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 Inflow Performance Curves
• In performing a system analysis on a well, it is
necessary to have good test data on the well so that
the reservoir capability can be predicted.

• The IPR (Inflow Performance Relationship) curve shows

1. A straight line (constant PI - Productivity Index
denoted “J”).

2. A curve which shows that the PI is decreasing with

rate (as in gas wells).

3. A combination of 1 and 2.

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Inflow Performance Curves Cont’d

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Inflow Performance Curves Cont’d
• The constant PI normally occurs for single
phase liquid flow above the bubble point
pressure.

• The curved line shows the PI to be decreasing

below the bubble point pressure because of
two phase flow conditions in the reservoir
(liquid plus gas).

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 Components of a Producing System
Cont’d
• This system consists of
three phases:

1. Flow through porous

medium.

2. Flow through vertical or

directional conduit.

3. Flow through horizontal

pipe.
A Simple Producing System
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 Components of a Producing System
Cont’d
• The various pressure losses
that can occur in the
system from the reservoir
to the separator has shown:

• ∆P1 = Pr - Pwfs = Pressure

loss in porous medium.

• ∆P2 = Pwfs - Pwf = Pressure

loss across completion.

• ∆P3 = PUR - PDR = Pressure

loss across regular, choke or
tubing nipple. Possible Pressure Losses in a System
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 Components of a Producing System
Cont’d
• ∆P4 = PUSV - PDSV=
Pressure loss across
safety valve.

• ∆P5 = Pwh - PDSC =

Pressure loss across
surface choke.

• ∆P6 = PDSC - PSEP =

Pressure loss in surface
flow line.
Possible Pressure Losses in a System
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 Components of a Producing System
Cont’d

• ∆P7 = Pwf - Pwh = Total

pressure loss in tubing
string which includes
∆P3 and ∆P4.

• ∆P8 = Pwh - PSEP = Total

loss in surface flow line
including surface choke.
Possible Pressure Losses in a System
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 Components of a Producing System
Cont’d
• Shown below is the locations of the various
nodes.

Location of the Various Nodes 26

 Components of a Producing System
Cont’d
• The node is classified as a
functional node when a
pressure differential exists
across it.

• The pressure or flow rate

response can be represented by
some mathematical or physical
function.

• Node 1 represents the separator

pressure, which is usually
regulated at a constant value.

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 Components of a Producing System
Cont’d
• The pressure at node
1A is usually constant at
either gas sales lines
pressure or gas
compressor suction
pressure.

• The pressure at node

1B is usually constant at
0 psig.

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 Components of a Producing System
Cont’d
• Therefore, the separator
pressure will be held
constant at the higher of
the two pressures needed
to flow single phase gas
from node 1 to node 1A.

• or to flow single phase

liquid from node 1 to
node 1B.
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 Components of a Producing System
Cont’d

• It will be assumed that

the separator pressure
is constant for any flow
rate, and it will be
designated as node 1.

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 Components of a Producing System
Cont’d
• Notice that in the system there
are two pressures that are not a
function of flow rate.

• They are Pr at node 8 and PSEP

at node 1.

• For this reason any trial and

error solution to the total
system problem must be
started at node 1 (PSEP), or at
node 8 (Pr) or both nodes 1 and
8 if and intermediate node such
as 3 or 6 is selected as the
solution node.
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 Components of a Producing System
Cont’d
• Once the solution
node is selected, the
pressure drops or
gains from the starting
point are added until
the solution node is
reached.

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 Application Of System Analysis
• The nodal systems approach may be used to
analyze many producing oil and gas well
problems.

System analysis can be applied on both

1. New wells and
2. Existing wells.

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Application Of System Analysis Cont’d

For new wells it can be used to:

1. Simulate anticipated conditions

2. Plan the optimum completion and well

design.

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Application Of System Analysis Cont’d
For existing wells it can be used to:

• Model existing conditions

• Evaluate areas of potential improvement

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Application Of System Analysis Cont’d
• A partial list of possible applications is given as
follows:
1. Selecting tubing size.
2. Selecting flow line size.
3. Gravel pack design.
4. Surface choke sizing.
5. Subsurface safety valve sizing.
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Application Of System Analysis Cont’d
6. Analyzing an existing system for abnormal flow
restrictions.
7. Artificial lift design.
8. Well stimulation evaluation.
9. Determining the effect of compression on gas
well performance.
10.Analyzing effects of perforating density.

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Application Of System Analysis Cont’d

11.Predicting the effect of depletion on

producing capacity.

12.Allocating injection gas among gas lift wells.

13.Analyzing a multi-well producing system.

14.Relating field performance time.

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