EPSRC - Recent Oil and Gas Related Funding Award
Emma Feltham (emma.feltham@epsrc.ac.uk) is Associate Programme Manager for Process Engineering and Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology Sector Team Leader at EPSRC. Here she reports on a new oil and gas related project receiving EPSRC funding.
Towards a Truly Intelligent Oil Field
Oil companies currently produce an average of three barrels of water for each barrel of oil, which is expensive and environmentally unfriendly: the produced water is contaminated and must be treated and disposed of carefully. Ideally, water production would be prevented by measuring its movement within the reservoir and responding appropriately, but this is not possible using current technology. However, recent research suggests that water advancing towards a well can be detected before it arrives using an array of permanently installed downhole sensors. At the same time, technological advances in the oil industry have led to the development of so-called "intelligent" wells, which have valves or switching devices installed downhole to remotely control the flow of fluids into the wellbore.
This project combines and builds upon these recent advances in science and technology. It proposes the development of truly "intelligent" wells, which can detect the approach of water before it arrives, and respond appropriately to prevent or minimise water production whilst enhancing oil production. The response of the wells could be fully automated. These intelligent wells are unlike anything which has been developed previously, and offer enormous economic and environmental benefits. They may revolutionise reservoir management, particularly in fields which are difficult to access, or dangerous to operate.
The Principal Investigator is Dr Matthew Jackson (m.d.jackson@imperial.ac.uk) of the Department of Earth Sciences at Imperial College, London. This project started in October 2004 and will run until September 2006. The award value is £100,600.