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24-Pet-A5 Petroleum Production Operations · December 2017

Question 1 of 5: Rod-Pump Sizing — Straight-Line IPR

Nivaar worked solution (AI-drafted; not reviewed by a licensed engineer)

Notes on this paper

National Exams December 2017 — 98-PET-A5 Petroleum Production Operations (3 hrs, open book). Reference texts: Golan & Whitson, Well Performance, 2nd ed.; Ahmed, Reservoir Engineering Handbook, 5th ed.; Brown, The Technology of Artificial Lift Methods, Vol. 2a–4; Beggs, Production Optimization Using Nodal Analysis, 2nd ed.; Craft & Hawkins, Applied Petroleum Reservoir Engineering, 3rd ed.

Question 1: Rod-Pump Sizing — Straight-Line IPR (25 marks)

Question text not reproduced: the examination questions are © Engineers and Geoscientists BC. Open the official past paper (linked at the top of this page) to read the question, then follow the worked solution below.

Given. A stabilized test and a build-up test bracket the well's inflow performance; the pump swap only changes where on this same IPR the well is asked to operate.

Test rate, $q_{test}$120 STB/day
Test flowing pressure, $P_{wf,test}$600 psi
Static (average) reservoir pressure, $\bar P_R$1200 psi
Bubble-point pressure, $P_b$300 psi

Find. $J$; AOF; $P_{wf}$ for $q=150$ STB/D; $q$ at $P_{wf}=350$ psi; the IPR curve.

Check: every $P_{wf}$ this question asks about (600, 450, 350 psi) sits above $P_b=300$ psi, so the well is producing single-phase (undersaturated) liquid throughout — a straight-line, constant-$J$ IPR is the physically correct model here, not a simplification of convenience.

Approach. Since the test point lies above the bubble point, apply the straight-line productivity-index relation $q_o=J(\bar P_R-P_{wf})$ directly to back out $J$, then use it for every other part.

  1. Productivity index. $J=\dfrac{q_{test}}{\bar P_R-P_{wf,test}}=\dfrac{120}{1200-600}=\dfrac{120}{600}$. $\boxed{J=0.2\ \text{STB/day/psi}}$.
  2. Absolute open flow (AOF). Extending the straight line to $P_{wf}=0$ at constant $J$ (as instructed): $q_{max}=J\,\bar P_R=0.2\times1200$. $\boxed{\text{AOF}=240\ \text{STB/day}}$.
  3. Flowing pressure for 150 STB/day. Rearranging: $P_{wf}=\bar P_R-\dfrac{q}{J}=1200-\dfrac{150}{0.2}=1200-750$. $\boxed{P_{wf}=450\ \text{psi}}$. This is above $P_b$, so the straight line is still valid at this rate.
  4. Rate at $P_{wf}=350$ psi. $q=J(\bar P_R-P_{wf})=0.2\times(1200-350)=0.2\times850$. $\boxed{q=170\ \text{STB/day}}$ — this is the rate the larger pump should deliver once it pulls $P_{wf}$ down to 350 psi.
1300 1040 780 520 260 0 0 52 104 156 208 260 test: 120 STB/D @ 600 psi (d) 170 @ 350 (c) 450 @ 150 q_o, STB/day P_wf, psi Q1 -- straight-line IPR, J = 0.2 STB/day/psi
Fig. 1 — IPR straight line ($J=0.2$ STB/day/psi) from the 1200 psi static pressure to the 240 STB/day AOF, with the original test point and the two computed operating points (c) and (d) marked.
QuantityValue
(a) Productivity index, $J$0.2 STB/day/psi
(b) Absolute open flow, AOF240 STB/day
(c) $P_{wf}$ for $q=150$ STB/day450 psi
(d) $q$ at $P_{wf}=350$ psi170 STB/day
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