Atlantic Richfield Company

Other

Atlantic Richfield Corporation

Richard F Stoisits

Michael D McCormack

Donald J MacAllister

Tuan D Ma

Perry W Scherer

Miroslav M Kolpak

Richard L Payne

Kelly D Crawford

Jeffry A Rugen

Gordon J Krist

Michael C Vincent

Gary K Youngren

Anthony C Schwarz

Martin De Pinto

A computer system and method of operating the same to optimize the operating conditions of a petroleum production field, in which a plurality of wells are arranged according to drill sites, and connected to one or more central processing facilities, is disclosed. In this disclosed embodiment, gas compression capacity is a significant constraint on the operation of the complex production field, and surface line hydraulic effects of well production are to be considered in the optimization. A genetic algorithm is used to generate, and iteratively evaluate solution vectors, which are combinations of field operating parameters such as incremental gas-oil ratio cutoff and formation gas-oil ratio cutoff values. The evaluation includes the operation of an adaptive network to determine production header pressures, followed by modification of well output estimates to account for changes in the production header pressure. Convergence of the genetic algorithm identifies one of the solution vectors as containing an optimal combination of field operating parameters that may be used by production personnel to set the operating conditions of the field.

Petroleum production optimization utilizing adaptive network and genetic algorithm techniques

A system for producing a material balance solution for well patterns in a hydrocarbon reservoir is described that automatically optimizes the fluid allocation factors for each well used in determining the solution. The system automatically optimizes estimates for the allocation factors to be used in the material balance solution by randomly generating a first generation of allocation factor strings, each string in the generation assigning allocation factors to each of the wells in the reservoir. A fitness function value is determined for each of the strings by evaluating a fitness function, wherein the fitness function comprises the sum of the differences between computed and measured field pressures for each pattern, and the sum of the differences between target allocation factors and the allocation factors specified within the string for each well. A succeeding generation of allocation factor strings is produced according to a genetic algorithm. The process of determining a fitness function value for each of the strings is then repeated for the succeeding generation. The string having a fitness function value meeting a specified criteria is identified, wherein the identified string represents the optimized estimates of the allocation factors for the reservoir for use in determining the material balance solution.

Automated material balance system for hydrocarbon reservoirs using a

A packed bed static mixer, and a piping network including the same, is disclosed. The packed bed static mixer includes a vertical intake portion, within which packing material consisting of small elements, is disposed. The packing elements may be spheres, PALL RING elements, or the like, and are fabricated of a material suitable for the particular application of the static mixer. The size of the packing elements is maintained to be relatively small relative to the mixer, to provide numerous mixing vortices therewithin; the packing elements are randomly packed into the static mixer. Outlets are provided which extend horizontally and radially from the bottom of the static mixer, and are typically of smaller diameter than the intake portion. Because the mixing action depends upon the size of the vortices at the interstitial voids among the packing elements, the disclosed static mixer design may be readily scaled to various diameters.

Packed bed static mixer

Natural gas is reinjected into an earth formation for storage and/or stimulating the recovery of hydrocarbon liquids by mixing the gas with water at a pressure sufficient to maintain bubble flow of gas dispersed in a water flowstream in a range of volumetric gas fraction up to about twenty percent of total flow. A water and gas distribution system includes static flow mixers for maintaining uniform distribution of gas bubbles in the water flow stream through the distribution conduits. The mixers may comprise multi-stage bladed mixing elements of the same or opposite pitch and extending across the intersection of branch conduits with the main conduit of the distribution system. The water and gas may be mixed in an injection well having a tubing string extending within the well and having a distal end below the point of injection into an earth formation so that a uniform gas and water mixture enters the formation through the well perforations.

Simultaneous water and gas injection into earth formations

Growing community of inventors

Plano, TX, United States of America

Richard F Stoisits