PRODUCTION TESTING

OVERVIEW

SUDHIR KUMAR, S.E (P)

TEL BHAVAN, DEHRADUN
 WELL TESTING

• Well testing serves as one of the primary tools for

understanding the inflow systems in the well enabling
better completions and well operations.

• Well testing is the first major activity to be

undertaken after completion of drilling operations.

• Well testing is carried out for newly drilled wells as

well as after re-completion of existing wells.
 TESTING IN UNCASED HOLES

• During drilling-
 Oil / Gas Shows
 Open Hole Logs
 Drill Cuttings
 Coring & its Analysis
• Other Testing Methods-
 Repeat Formation Test (RFT)
 Open Hole Drill Stem Test (DST)
 Modular Dynamic Tester (MDT)
 TERMINOLGIES
• RFT: is a logging tool for measuring various reservoir
parameters. A probe with an isolating packer is
forced against the formation wall every time the tool
is set, which collects fluid samples and records data.

• DST: The basic test string consists of tubing or drill

pipe run in along with the DST tools and isolating
packer. During DST the entire sequence of events is
recorded on a pressure vs time plot.

• MDT: is a new logging tool and is advanced version

of RFT.
PRODUCTION TESTING OPERATIONS

 Single Zone Testing-

Only one zone of interest is tested.

 Multiple Zone Testing-

Undertaken to test all probable
zones from bottom to top.
(commonly followed practice)
PRODUCTION TESTING IN CASED HOLES
• Basic well tests include
Conventional Production Tests
Drill Stem Test
• Further categorized by logistics
Onshore testing
Offshore testing
• Can also be classified as
 Non-Hazardous Fluids (Sweet Gas) Test
 Hazardous Fluid (Sour Gas) Test

Selection of test type will depend on reservoir engineering requirements,

safety considerations and status of the well (exploratory or development).
 PARAMETERS DIRECTLY MEASURED
DURING TESTING

 Flow rates of fluids produced (oil, gas and water)

 Pressure and temperature
- Bottomhole (static, flowing and buildup)
- Well head (static and flowing)
- Separator and other surface installations
 Fluid properties on analysis of samples.
 Separator gas gravity.
 Stock tank gravity.
 Oil shrinkage factor.
More……...
From previous…….

 True boiling point and fractionation of crude.

 Percentage of wax, asphaltene, residue etc.
 PVT analysis of bottomhole samples.
 Bottom Sediments & Water (BS & W).
 Salinity of Water.
 INFORMATION DERIVED FROM WELL TEST

 Initial Deliverability (PI)

 Reservoir Fluid Compositions & PVT properties.
 Near Well Bore Condition (Skin damage)
 Reservoir Pressures (For material balance etc)
 Reservoir Characteristics like reservoir size,
geometry, permeability etc.

More….
 From Previous….
 Optimum selection of Completion Equipment
 Tubings
 Flow Lines
 Well Head & X-Mas Tree
 Artificial Lift, etc
 Self Flow Life of Well
 Stage of Application of Artificial Lift.
 Reason for well sickness.
 TERMINOLGIES

• PI: Productivity Index- is a ratio of the stabilized flow

rate to drawdown (SBHP – FBHP). Also used to
compare different wells with different drive
mechanisms quantatively.

• Skin: indicates near wellbore damage. Can be +ve,

zero or –ve. Less than zero is a good attribute..

• Material Balance: Estimation of the total

hydrocarbons available in the reservoir in-situ.
 SOURCES OF DATA FROM WELL TESTS

DATA REQUIRED TEST TYPE

Shut-in pressure Build-up, PI, IPR, Isochronal
Flowing pressures & rates PI, IPR, Isochronal
Transmissibility Build-up, drawdown
Well bore damage Build-up, drawdown
Radius of drainage Build-up, drawdown
Productivity PI, IPR, Isochronal, drawdown, build-up
Reservoir drainage Drawdown (long term)
Reservoir heterogeneities Long-term build-up and drawdown
Reservoir continuity Interference test, pulse test
 TERMINOLGIES
• IPR: Inflow Performance Relationship- describes the ability of a
reservoir to produce into the wellbore at a given point of time. A IPR
curve defines the relationship between FBHP and production rates.
Can be used to predict well behavior.

• Isochronal: Some wells require long stabilization times thus making

flow-after-flow tests impractical and sometimes misleading. Isochronal
tests are conducted with 4 to 6 hr flowing and shut-in times. Well is
allowed to stabilize at only one rate.

• Interference test: A multiple well test wherein a long duration rate

modification in one well creates a pressure interference in an
observation well that can be analyzed for hydrodynamic
communication.

• Pulse test: Similar to interference test but using shorter rate pulse with
smaller observed pressure changes.
PRODUCTION TESTING EQUIPMENT

 Flowhead
 Sand Trap
 Choke manifold
 Indirect Heater
 Test Separator
 Oil & Gas manifold The equipments are
 selected based on the
Surge Tank / open tank
practical realities at
 Transfer Pump site and their layout is
 Oil & Gas Burner accordingly decided.
 SCHEMATIC OF A THREE PHASE SEPARATOR
Pressure control valve
Mist Extractor

Well Fluid In Gas Out

Inlet Shut-in
Valve
Oil and Emulsion
Oil
Water
Inlet Diverter
Water Out Oil Out

Level Control Valve

 GENERAL PREPARATIONS
• Scrapping of production casing to ensure clear, uniform and
obstruction free hole inside the casing upto the bottom.

• The kill fluid is also thoroughly conditioned to ensure its quality.

• Perforations to establish communication from reservoir to

wellbore in cased hole is done by casing gun, thru-tubing or by
tubing conveyed perforating system.

• The well is then activated in which sufficient differential pressure

is created around the wellbore thereby inducting the formation
fluid to flow to the wellbore and then to the surface.

• When the produced formation fluid reaches the surface either by

its own energy or with the help of artificial lift, the well is put for
production testing.
 CONVENTIONAL WELL TEST
PROCEDURE
1. Probe and scrape the production casing upto 10 mts
below zone of interest.
2. Record CBL-VDL.
3. Displace casing with water. Observe 30 minutes (for
negative test). Test casing hermetically at maximum
expected surface pressure for 30 minutes. Displace water
with mud of required sp.gr.
4. Perforate the object.
5. Set wireline set permanent packer.
6. RIH production string with seal assembly, stab into
packer and test packer or RIH with retrievable packer .
7. Space out string & install flowhead and hook up surface
facilities.
 CONVENTIONAL WELL TEST PROCEDURE-
Contd.
8. Test surface equipment & displace string volume mud
with diesel/brine.
9. Carry out initial flow & build-up study (after stimulation, if
required).
10. Carry out detail flow & build-up study.
11. After completing flow studies kill well by reversing out or
bull heading.
12. POOH production string after circulation and
conditioning of well.
13. Isolate the object by cement/bridge plug.
 DST WELL TEST PROCEDURE
1. Follow steps 1 to 3 as for conventional well test.
2. RIH TCP string, packer and associated DST equipment.
3. RIH with the above BHA on 4 ¾” drill-collars with tester
valve in closed position filling every drill-collar stand with
diesel.
4. Pressure test BHA to expected surface pressure for 10
minutes.
5. Continue running in hole tubing till TCP guns are
approximately against perforation depth. String to be
filled with diesel/water intermittently for required
drawdown.
6. Correlate packer and TCP gun depth using radioactive
marker in the DST assembly.
7. Space out string. Install flow head and production
facilities.
 DST WELL TEST PROCEDURE- Contd.

8. Activate TCP gun to perforate the zone by pressurizing

tubing/dropping bar in tubing.
9. Carry out initial flow & build-up study.
10. Carry out detailed flow & build-up study (after stimulation,
if required).
11. After completing flow studies kill well by reversing out or
bull heading.
12. Circulate & conditioned mud after activating short and
unseat packer.
13. POOH production string after circulation and conditioning
of well.
14. Isolate the object by cement/bridge plug.
 GAS WELL TESTING

The problems in gas well testing include:

* Gas expansion (hydrate problem)
* Erosion

 Hydrate formation is prevented by staged pressure

reduction, use of heater, glycol injection etc.

 Erosion problems limit the flowrate which can be produced

through a flowline of given internal diameter (ID). Further
erosion may occur in the chokes also. Hence appropriate
equipments are to be used and choke condition is to be
monitored.
 SOUR OIL/GAS TESTING

• Presence of H2S demands more attention towards safe

operating practices and equipment used during testing.
The normal testing equipment and procedures need to
incorporate:
– Corrosive affect of sour gas on all equipment.
– Safety of operating personnel.
– Safety of operations undertaking.

• The testing equipment (downhole and surface, flowlines,

valves etc.) should be as per NACE recommendations (MR-
01-75). Appropriate H2S detection systems, Personnel
Protecting Equipment (PPE) and other safety equipments
should be available at the site.
OFFSHORE LAYOUT SCHEME

Safe distances
ONSHORE LAYOUT SCHEME

Safe distances
SOME CHECKPOINTS DURING TESTING

• System design and equipment for undertaking all

alternative programs of testing should be prepared well
in advance.

• Equipment check, calibration and layout should be

done keeping safety in view.

• The status of the well must be established before

concluding any well test operation to reduce
unnecessary inventory of undecided status wells.