Benefits of Real Time Pressure Monitoring from Surface Read out Devices Case History- Zino Hub

Abstract

The Zino Hub is a very active gas hub within the Niger Delta region responsible for the delivery of major gas production and growth projects for key customers both in the export gas domain and IPP space. There are 38 producing gas wells completed across 19 reservoirs within this hub. These wells are pivotal to the delivery of gas to ensure the daily contractual agreements allotted to the hub is met. Due to the prolific and high level of gas deliverability within the hub, the Well, Reservoir and Facility Management Plan (WRFM) is highly prioritized, rigorously challenged and implemented. As a part of the regulatory and WRFM fix the basics requirement, these reservoirs are monitored regularly to ensure they are produced under very healthy and acceptable reservoir practices. Yearly budget allocations for surveillance drives the quality and quantity of data acquired over these reservoirs. Over the years, the major source of pressure acquisition from these wells have been via gauges deployed through wireline. This of course has inherent challenges spanning from human resource deployment to acquisition sites in the face of current danger of kidnaps, high logistics cost and man power shortage, well site accessibility, unforeseen danger associated with well entries, inability to acquire data concurrently on demand without jeopardizing production (deferments) and many other threats such as escalated costs ensuing from community restiveness and demands Recently, there has been a gradual shift from the wireline pressure acquisitions to the deployment of Permanent Down Hole Gauges with surface read out facilities for some of these wells. The value and convenience vis a vis the wireline deployment can never be over emphasized. On the front line is the cost reduction achieved in surveillance cost via these PDHG deployment. The interface feeders deliver well and reservoir data directly from the wells to the office there by facilitating insitu monitoring of reservoir and well parameters and very quick analysis are done to ensure healthy production of these wells within their operating envelopes. Well performance and diagnosis are done often on demand because consistent data is available daily. The benefits accruing from this deployment is transparently contributing to a more robust, accurate and readily available data to the engineers and end users. This paper will highlight the obvious benefits of this deployment and, also recommend future improvements that would facilitate better analytical result.