In terms of Maximising Economic Recovery (MER) in the United Kingdom Continental Shelf (UKCS), the measurement of well production rates is essential to optimise the hydrocarbon production strategy from within the well itself. This is achieved through a process called a well test where a snapshot of production is monitored by measurement equipment and instrumentation. The data collected is then used to characterise the reservoir near the wells and to optimise the wells’ production rates. However, the measurement accuracy required to provide sufficient control has not been established and there is little information in the public domain that shows what the current typical operational measurement uncertainty is. Given that modelling and reservoir management is highly dependent on these measurements, the allowable uncertainty must be known to fully assess if the equipment and the methodology of verifying the measurements is fit for purpose. This paper details an investigation of the effects of flow measurement errors on interpreting well testing data and estimating the recoverable reserves. In addition, current MER strategies for the UKCS are discussed and the importance of using downhole flow measurement data in well testing for MER has been emphasised.

中文翻译：

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流量测量在 UKCS 油气采收中的作用

就英国大陆架 (UKCS) 的最大经济采收率 (MER) 而言，井生产率的测量对于从井内优化碳氢化合物生产策略至关重要。这是通过称为试井的过程实现的，其中生产快照由测量设备和仪器监控。然后使用收集到的数据来表征井附近的储层并优化井的生产率。然而，提供足够控制所需的测量精度尚未确定，公共领域中几乎没有信息显示当前典型的操作测量不确定度是多少。鉴于建模和油藏管理高度依赖于这些测量，必须知道允许的不确定度，以充分评估设备和验证测量的方法是否适合目的。本文详细研究了流量测量误差对解释试井数据和估算可采储量的影响。此外，还讨论了 UKCS 当前的 MER 策略，并强调了在 MER 试井中使用井下流量测量数据的重要性。