Well Test Solution
Well testing requires that a single measurement path is used to quantify the production from a number of different wells. The process is usually to configure valves to allow a specific well to flow into a test separator, configure flow computers to accurately measure the specific product from that well, and then to actually measure the production from the output of the separator. Batch records are generated by flow computers that capture the well production.
Well testing solutions range from turnkey products to completely custom solutions. Turnkey products are easy to get started with, but lack flexibility for end user and site specific requirements. Completely custom solutions are perfectly fit for purpose, but take time to build, test, document and maintain.
PLC Shift treads the middle ground between turnkey solutions and custom code. PLC Shift gas and liquid flow computers can be used to easily and quickly build reliable and accurate well testing solutions that are flexible enough to meet any need. Features that are built into the flow computers, like purge control, allow for significantly less custom code in the PLC when compared to custom solutions. However, by relying on some PLC code and integration effort, the solution can be perfectly tailored to your exact requirements.
A well testing application has 4 main pieces:
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Measurement. Accurately measure production using standard algorithms.
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Automation. Control the physical site and measurement equipment. We have samples projects for Codesys Soft PLCs and SCADAPack 47xi devices.
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Operator HMI. Allow the operator to start and stop tests, view test results, and otherwise control the process. This is only included for Codesys based solutions.
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Reporting. How test results are presented. For the demo we use Microsoft Power BI.The following sections show one way of building these different parts using PLC Shift flow computers. However, this is just an example. We use a Codesys soft PLC, but this could just as easily be done in a Rockwell Logix PLC, or any other controller that is supported by PLC Shift. The same idea applies to the HMI and reporting - we've made some choices to build our demo with, but you can easily make other choices that fulfill your specific needs.
Summary
This section contains summary information on the solution. There is a dedicated section for each topic that goes into more detail in the links at the bottom of this page. All files used in this demo can be found in the Well Test - Downloads section.We show how to build a demo system that assumes that there is a 3 phase separator with gas, oil and water legs.Measurement
We use PLC Shift gas and liquid flow computers to accurately measure production volumes and to export data for reporting. We use three apps: a Gas Flow app to measure gas, a Liquid Flow app to measure oil and another Liquid Flow app to measure water.
PLC Shift Apps for Well TestingAutomation
Automation for this demo takes the form of structured text code that runs on a Codesys soft PLC. The code is straightforward, and only comprises a couple of routines.
Structured Text Code for Well TestingOperator HMI
The operator HMI is built using Codesys and is browser based. It's suitable for operation via mobile phone.
Operator HMIReporting
We have built a sample report with interactivity using Microsoft Power BI desktop reporting tools, but any tool can be used. Flow computer data that is generated by PLC Shift flow computers have indexes, like the Batch User ID, Asset ID, and others that make it trivial to link records in different tables together. This greatly reduces the data transformation that is required to build usable and interactive reports, regardless of the actual reporting tool used.
A sample report in desktop format can be found online at this link. A simpler version that is suitable for mobile devices is here.
Well Test Results in PowerBI