Acoustic instruments have been used routinely for many years as an aid in analyzing well performance of normal-pressure oil producers. Recent developments in equipment and techniques now permit more accurate calculations of acoustic static bottomhole pressures at surface pressures up to 15,000 psi in corrosive (CO2 and H2S) environments. pressures up to 15,000 psi in corrosive (CO2 and H2S) environments. Equations and charts are presented herein for determining static bottomhole pressures from acoustic and well data. Also, a special technique is pressures from acoustic and well data. Also, a special technique is recommended for shutting-in a well which in most cases will yield more-accurate results. This method has been programmed for an inexpensive, portable notebook-size computer which can be used in the field to easily perform these calculations. Introduction The liquid level in a well may be determined acoustically by generating a pressure pulse at the surface and recording the echos from collars, obstructions, and liquid level. A blank cartridge was the conventional source of pressure pulse until development of the modern gas gun. On wells having less than 100 psi, the gas gun volume chamber is pressurized to approximately 100 psi in excess of well pressure. The gas is then rapidly released into the well to create the pressure pulse. On wells having pressures in excess of 100 psi, the volume pressure pulse. On wells having pressures in excess of 100 psi, the volume chamber in the gas gun is bled to a pressure less than the well pressure. Then, a valve is rapidly opened to permit wellhead pressure to expand into the volume chamber and create a rarefraction pressure wave. A microphone converts the pressure pulses reflected by collars, liquid, and other obstructions (or changes in area) into electrical signals which are amplified, filtered, and recorded on a strip chart (Fig. 1). The liquid level depth can be determined by counting the number of tubing collars to the liquid-level reflection. Changes in cross-sectional area are also recorded. When these changes are known, they can be used as depth references to determine liquid-level depth. Also, the distance to the liquid level can be calculated by travel time from the acoustic chart and acoustic-velocity data. Acoustic measurements were generally obtained by "shooting" down the casing/tubing annulus in packerless completions (Fig. 1). p. 165

The need of oilfield operators to verify that wells are being produced at their optimum capacity and in a cost effective manner is always present. To reduce operating costs, increase oil production and increase net income requires an integrated analysis of the pumping system including the performance and interaction of all the elements: the prime mover, surface equipment, well bore equipment, down hole pump, down hole gas separator and the reservoir. This analysis is to be made based on data obtained at the surface without entering the well bore and must yield an accurate representation of the conditions that exist on the surface, within the well bore and within the reservoir. Examples of rod pumped wells, ESP pumped wells, PC pumped wells and other well analyses are presented. Introduction The need to increase oil production and reduce operating costs from wells requires an integrated analysis of the pumping system including the performance and interaction of all the elements: the surface equipment, the down hole equipment, the well bore and the reservoir. The analysis is to be based on data obtained at the surface without entering the well bore and must yield an accurate representation of conditions that exist at the surface, within the well bore, at the sand face and within the reservoir. Such system analysis can now be undertaken efficiently using portable notebook computer data acquisition systems in conjunction with appropriate sensors and a suite of analysis software. The analysis can be undertaken on beam pumped, electrical submersible pumped, progressive cavity pumped, plunger lift, gas lift, flowing and other types of wells to determine the well's performance so the production rate can be maximized and the operating expenses minimized. Field experience undertaking such analysis in numerous wells has resulted in the development of a procedure: Total Well Management (or TWM) that insures that good results are obtained with the minimum of effort. Operation of artificial lift wells using the concept of TWM results in a more complete understanding of the performance of a given well. Implementation of this concept can result in significant reductions in operating costs and increased oil production as shown by results of numerous operators in a variety of operating conditions. While this production optimization procedure is broad, the analysis and optimization concept is divided into different sections that include beam pumped wells, electrical submersible pumped wells, progressive cavity pumped wells, plunger lift wells, gas lift wells and other types of artificial lift. The different types of analyses are discussed separately. Such procedure is greatly facilitated by the use of a fully integrated portable instrument that includes all the necessary sensors, precision analog to digital electronics, computer hardware and software components. This allows immediate analysis of the well performance at the well site. The alternative is to use separate conventional fluid level, dynamometer and power instruments for data acquisition and then combine the results of each test using various application programs. One of the cost-effective advantages of an integrated analysis system is that the well data is entered only once into a data file that all of the programs use to determine well performance.

Oilfield operators continually need to verify that their wells are being produced at the optimum capacity and in a cost effective manner. An integrated analysis of the pumping system is required to reduce operating costs, increase oil production and increase net income. The integrated analysis of the pumping system must include the performance and interaction of all the elements: the prime mover, surface equipment, well bore equipment, down hole pump, down hole gas separator and the reservoir. This integrated analysis methodology is called Total Well Management, TWM. The TWM analysis is made based on data obtained at the surface without entering the well bore and yields an accurate representation of the conditions existing on the surface, within the well bore and within the reservoir. A field case study of a sucker rod lifted well illustrates the procedure and benefits of the Total Well Management methodology. Introduction The need to increase oil production and reduce operating costs from wells requires an integrated analysis of the pumping system including the performance and interaction of all the elements: the surface equipment, the down hole equipment, the well bore and the reservoir. The analysis is to be based on data obtained at the surface without entering the well bore and must yield an accurate representation of conditions that exist at the surface, within the well bore, at the sand face and within the reservoir. Such system analysis can now be undertaken efficiently using portable notebook computer data acquisition systems in conjunction with appropriate sensors and a suite of analysis software. The analysis can be undertaken on sucker rod lifted, electrical submersible pumped, progressive cavity pumped, plunger lift, gas lift, flowing and other types of wells to determine the well's performance so the production rate can be maximized and the operating expenses minimized. Field experience undertaking such analysis in numerous wells has resulted in the development of a methodology: Total Well Management (or TWM) insures good results are obtained with the minimum of effort. Operation of artificial lift wells using the concept of TWM results in a more complete understanding of the performance of a given well. Implementation of this concept can result in significant reductions in operating costs and increased oil production as shown by results of numerous operators in a variety of operating conditions. TWM production optimization methodology is a broad analysis and optimization concept, and is applicable to sucker rod lifted wells, electrical submersible pumped wells, progressive cavity pumped wells, plunger lift wells, gas lift wells and other types of artificial lift.An example of a sucker rod lifted field case study illustrates the procedure and benefits of the Total Well Management methodology. Such procedure is greatly facilitated by the use of a fully integrated portable instrument that includes all the necessary sensors, precision analog to digital electronics, computer hardware and software components. The integrated system allows immediate analysis of the well performance at the well site. The alternative is to use separate conventional fluid level, dynamometer and power instruments for data acquisition and then combine the results of each test using various application programs. One of the cost-effective advantages of an integrated analysis system is that the well data is entered only once into a data file and the integrated system uses the data to determine well performance.

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The need for oilfield operators to verify that wells are being produced at their optimum capacity and in a cost effective manner is always present. The need to reduce operating costs, increase oil production and increase net income from wells requires an integrated analysis of the pumping system including the performance and interaction of all the elements: the reservoir, wellbore, the downhole pump, the gas separator and the prime mover. The analysis is to be made based on data obtained at the surface without entering the wellbore and must yield an accurate representation of conditions that exist on the surface, within the wellbore and within the reservoir. This paper presents a modern and logical approach to the solution of this problem through the use of Windows based applications and Sigma-Delta state of the art data acquisition hardware. Introduction The key for maintaining profitable oil field operations is to verify that wells are being produced as close to their optimum capacity as possible, and in the most cost-effective manner. Two basic questions must be answered:Is the well producing all the fluid that it is capable of producing without problems?"Is the well operating as efficiently as possible?" In any artificial lift system, and in particular a pumping system, the overall efficiency is a good indicator of performance since it expresses the relationship between the energy supplied (directly related to operating cost) to the effective work done by the pumping system in lifting a volume of fluid from a given depth (directly related to income). Figure 1 shows the effect of the overall efficiency on the lifting cost per barrel of oil for a typical situation in a mature oil field. Notice that as long as the water cut is low; (say less than 60%), an inefficient system may be tolerated since the oil lifting cost stays below $ 1.50/bbl. However as the water cut increases it becomes imperative that the well be operated as efficiently as possible since the oil lifting cost rises exponentially as the efficiency drops below 35%. Total Well Management The total system analysis can now be undertaken efficiently using portable lap-top-based data acquisition systems in conjunction with appropriate sensors and a suite of analysis software. Field experience undertaking such analysis in numerous wells has resulted in the development of a procedure (Total Well Management or TWM) which insures that good results are obtained with the minimum of effort. Operation of pumping wells using the concept of TWM results in a more complete understanding of the performance of a given well. Implementation of this concept can result in significant reductions in operating cost as shown by results by various operators in a number of mature West Texas fields. The TWM procedure involves the following steps:Determine the overall efficiency as a means to identify wells that are candidates for improvement.Establish the well's inflow performance to determine if additional production is available.Analyze performance of downhole pump.Analyze mechanical loading of rods and beam pumping unit.Analyze performance of prime mover.Design modifications to existing systemImplement changes and verify improvement.