Upstream oil & gas producers face unique challenges in measuring their production compared with other industries. What comes from a well is a changing mix of oil, gas, produced water, and sediment. Traditionally, test separators have been used to periodically check an individual well’s performance. These well tests are performed on a periodic basis.

Sturle Haaland

I caught up with Sturle Haaland, Emerson’s Roxar Flow Metering Director, who shared with me that for unconventional, shale oil & gas production well pads, multiphase flow meters, such as the Roxar 2600 MFPM, are being used on each well to provide accurate, continuous measurement of water, gas and oil rates coming from the wellhead.

One concern oil & gas producers have about multiphase flow meters is verification of performance, as they replace conventional test separators. To build confidence in the performance and reap the full benefits of the vast amount of real-time well data provided by these meters, their output should be monitored, analyzed and reported on. This provides valuable insights for reservoir and production optimization, as well as performance of the meter sensors. In case process conditions require any setting adjustments, an auditable track record is logged.

Sturle explained that operators often use manual processes for collecting data from the field. What’s more, their available resources for analyzing the data are also limited, and they may not always be trained on new multiphase flow metering technologies. This can make the detection of changes in production difficult, and ultimately lead to costly wrong decisions. Continue Reading ▶