A.L. Podio, University of Texas at Austin & J.N. McCoy, Doug Cook & Dieter Becker, Echometer Co.
This paper addresses the widespread need of oil field operators to continually verity that wells are being produced as close to their optimum capacity as possible, and in the most cost-effective manner. 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 within the wellbore, at the bottom of the well, at the sandface and within the reservoir. As such it is not an easy task since fairly complicated processes are involved in the flow of gas, oil and water mixtures in wellbores and a number of operators are often confused by the apparently contradictory evidence which one may obtain. The objective of this paper is to present in simplified terms some of the basic concepts of well performance analysis and to recommend a procedure to be followed in obtaining, organizing and analyzing the data assisted by a user friendly software program: AWP98.