Copyright 2001, Society of Petroleum Engineers Inc.

This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE Latin American and Caribbean Petroleum
Engineering Conference held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2528 March 2001.
This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE Program Committee following review of
information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper, as
presented, have not been reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to
correction by the author(s). The material, as presented, does not necessarily reflect any
position of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, its officers, or members. Papers presented at
SPE meetings are subject to publication review by Editorial Committees of the Society of
Petroleum Engineers. Electronic reproduction, distribution, or storage of any part of this paper
for commercial purposes without the written consent of the Society of Petroleum Engineers is
prohibited. Permission to reproduce in print is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300
words; illustrations may not be copied. The abstract must contain conspicuous
acknowledgment of where and by whom the paper was presented. Write Librarian, SPE, P.O.
Box 833836, Richardson, TX 75083-3836, U.S.A., fax 01-972-952-9435.
Abstract
Intermittent gas lift is widely used in the PETROBRAS
onshore petroleum fields. The intermittent gas injection in the
annulus between the tubing and casing causes a gas lift valve
to open. This gas lift valve is a pressure driven valve installed
in the lower part of the tubing and controls the amount of gas
injected at the bottom of a liquid column held inside the
tubing. The injected gas becomes a big gas bubble that carries
the liquid column up to the surface. The intermittent cycles are
obtained by a motor-valve installed at the surface opening and
closing at fixed time intervals (Time cycle - Tc) and remaining
open during a fixed amount of time (Time injection Ti). This
work presents the concepts use in a firmware for
Programmable logic Control (PLC) especially designed to
optimize both Tc and Ti. Based on the tubing and casing
pressure continuously acquired by a pair of electronic pressure
transmitters (PT) and on artificial intelligence (AI) concepts
such as neural nets and fuzzy logic, this firmware performs
the pattern recognition of the casing and tubing pressure
behavior, executes an algorithm implemented by the user and
gives a diagnostic about the performance of the system. With
the diagnostic and changing the values of Ti and Tc, the
electronic device improves the system performance, reducing
the gas consumption and increasing the liquid production.
The electronic device is installed at the well site and send to
the central office, by request, the data acquired from the well.
At the central office, a PC computer with a modem performs a
data pooling, well by well, and stores the acquired data in MS-
Access type data base for further statistical and historical
analysis.
Introduction
The Intermittent Gas Lift operation consists of the intermittent
gas injection, from the casing into the tubing, in way to drag to
the surface the liquid column accumulated in the lower part of
the tubing.
The gas injection at the bottom of the well is accomplished
through a valve (gas-lift valve) installed in the lower part of
the tubing, seated or retrieved by wire line units. At the
surface the gas injection in the casing is accomplished using a
Motor Valve, as shown in Fig.1.
The complete cycle of the intermittent gas-lift is composed
basically of three periods
1
, given below:
1. Accumulation: Period during which doesn't happen
injection of gas in the casing at the surface or in the
tubing at the bottom (motor valve and gas-lift valves
closed). Fluid from the formation accumulates in the
tubing until a desirable length of slug is obtained.
2. Elevation: Period during which the liquid slug is thrown
to the surface by the injection and expansion of the gas at
the bottom of the tubing. In this period, gas in the casing
is injected in the tubing through a gas-lift valve.
3. Reduction of Pressure: Period in which the tubing
pressure is reduced to a minimum, through the removal of
the gas used for elevation of the slug.
The system optimization is obtained setting up the Fall-
Back and the Injection Gas-Liquid Ratio (IGLR). Fall-back is
the liquid portion that is not produced during the cycle - it is
the fluid volume that remains in the tubing after the slug
reaches the surface. IGLR is the relationship between the
injected gas volume and the fluid volume produced in each
cycle.
Intermittent Gas-Lift optimization consists of to maximize
the oil production, reducing the fall-back, with a minimum
consumption of gas, reducing the IGLR. Time cycle and gas-
lift valve design are the key to reduce fall back and improve
the system efficiency. The time cycle is divided in two parts:
1. Injection Time(IT): it is the period of time that the Motor
Valve at the surface remains opened, allowing injection of
gas into the casing, and
2. Time cycle (Tc): is the period of time the Motor Valve
remains closed plus the Injection time.
The operating Gas-Lift valve is designed to operate with a
difference of 200 to 300 psi between the pressure in the
casing and the pressure in the tubing at the instant of its
opening. Values below this range indicate high fall-back and
production losses and values above this range indicate an
SPE 69404
Intelligent Automation for Intermittent-Gas-Lift Oil Wells
Jose F Correa, SPE, PETROBRAS S.A.; Odair G Santos,PETROBRAS S.A., Paulo C M Inazumi,HI-Tecnologia
2 JOSE F CORREA;ODAIR G SANTOS; PAULO M INAZUMI SPE 69404
excessive consumption of gas. This differential pressure is
influenced by the time cycle:
1. larger time cycle means smaller differential;
2. smaller time cycle means larger differential.
A Gas-Lift well monitoring is usually made through
production tests and tubing and casing pressures registration at
the surface (CP-TP graph). Production tests show if the well is
operating normally from the point of view of the liquid and
gas. CP-TP graph shows the normality of the system from the
point of view of cycling time and allows to obtain the correct
diagnosis of some operational problem due to a damage in a
well equipment. The correct solution to a intermittent Gas-
Lift problem is obtained by a good understanding and analysis
of the CP-TP graph, demanding a global knowledge about the
Gas-Lift system operation. Unfortunately, the lack of this
knowledge has been generating missed interpretations of the
CP-TP graph, leading to false diagnoses and unnecessary well
services, causing production losses and increase in the
operational costs. Even in a well with a good CP-TP graph
and no operational problems, production can be improved with
the correct setting of the time cycle.
Oil Well Automation Goals
Two majors objectives are looked with the automation of a
group of oil wells
2
: (1) to increase the revenue, and (2) to
reduce the production costs.
The increase of the revenue in an oil well due to its
automation is related to:
1. reduction of the production losses, obtained with a best
and more complete collection of well data used in the well
analysis;
2. increase of the operational continuity, obtained with the
reduction of the necessary time to identify the faulty
wells;
In a non automated wells the interruption of the production
is identified through the accountancy of the production of the
field, and the identification of faulty(ies) well(s) is obtained
only by the well to well in site research.
The reduction of the production costs, mainly those related
to the excessive gas consumption, will be obtained: (1) with a
more intense accompaniment of the well conditions, since
important parameters of the well will be available for analysis
in an hourly basis. Gas circulation that would be detected only
with a visit to the well site, will be solved by the own local
controller that, besides informing the central, can cut the gas
injection under certain conditions; and (2) the local controller,
acting over the motor-valve continually optimizes the gas
injection through the continuous adjustment of the injection
time and the time cycle, increasing the flow rate and reducing
the gas consumption.
Through the measured casing pressure, the controller
verifies if the Gas-Lift valve that is injecting the gas is the one
designed to, if it is not, an alarm is sent to the central office
providing actions for correcting that problem to be taken
immediately, increasing the overall well production.
System Architecture
The architecture foreseen for the automation of
Intermittent Gas-Lifted wells involves the use of concepts
such as Neural Nets and Fuzzy Logic incorporated as a
firmware in a customized Programmable Logic Computer
(SGL Firmware).
The system involves a PC computer linked to a radio
modem, communication with several stations located in every
each well. Those stations are constituted by two Pressure
Transmitter - Tubing Pressure (TP) and Casing Pressure (CP) -
the PLC carried with the SGL firmware, a solenoid valve, a
motor-valve, and a radio modem, all fed by battery and solar
plate as shown in Fig. 2.
The SGL firmware, by means of TP and CP transmitters
continually acquire the values of the pressure in the casing and
the tubing and stores it in a database where are also stored: (1)
the mechanical characteristics of the well, (2) a group of
graphic patterns for the several geometric forms of the
pressure signs (CP-TP patterns), and (3) an algorithm with the
control rules and decision making supplied by the user (here
denominated control algorithm of the well). Through an
Neural Nets and Fuzzy Logic based algorithm
3,4,5
SGL
firmware makes the matching of the acquired CP-TP with
each of the CP-TP patterns.
The control algorithm contains a group of control rules
specified by the user and written in a programming language
called LCS
6
, specially developed for this project. Special
functions in the LCS language allow the user to code Injection
Time (Ti) and or the time cycle (Tc) changes.
The PLC has analog and digital I/O ports used to the
acquisition of the well data and RS422/485 serial ports used to
radio communication. This ports are also used for a cluster
architecture where each cluster can be composed by 4 PLCs
connected point-to-point through cable, sharing the same
radio-modem (Fig.3). The use of only one radio for each
cluster seeks to reduce the installation costs .
A PC database located in a Central Operation Station
(COP) makes the polling updating a database with all the
collected data from each station, data such as the CP-TP
graph, injection gas-lift valve identification, max-min CP-TP
values, slug traveling time, etc... .
Concepts
The concepts used in the SGL firmware were developed by
Rocha et Alli for a Sucker rod pumping application
3,4
and
adapted for the Intermittent Gas-Lift by the authors. A briefly
description is given bellow.
Neural Nets A Neural net is made of layered neurons in
which each neuron from a lower layer is linked to each one of
the next layer by a connection called "synapses". To each link
is given a relevance (z) which represents the neuron relevance
to the hypothesis under analysis, as shown in the Fig. 4.
Perceptron is a special kind of neural net where there is
only two layers and the upper layer has only one neuron and
the lower layer has as much synapses and neurons as input
SPE 69404 INTELLIGENT AUTOMATION FOR INTERMITTENT-GAS-LIFT OIL WELLS 3
values. In the case of the CP-TP patterns each point with its
relevance represents a neuron of the perceptron. Each input
neuron has a fuzzy function in which the input data is the
distance from the acquired significant point with each pattern
points - a fuzzy function is used to calculate the matching of
the acquired significant point with the closest pattern point.
The output neuron, in the upper layer, calculates the matching
of the set of acquired significant points with the perceptron by
means a relevance balanced mean
3,4
- read the appendix for a
more detailed description.
The perception creation - Creating a perceptron to represent
a specific well condition is basically the definition of a set of
neurons with the following properties: XY coordinates,
relevance and variance. It can be made starting with a
predefined models or using generic models.
Training the perceptron - Training the perceptron involves
the selection of the appropriate fuzzy function and the
definition of the relevance and variance values. The use of
negative values for the relevance is allowed and is known as
punishment function
5
.
Hardware
The PLC is held in a closet together with the following
components: Radio Modem, Customized PLC, Command
Keys and On/Off Keys for gas injection, as shown in Fig.5.
The closet has the following command keys:
"Manual/Automtico" Key and "Liga/Desliga" Key. The
"Manual/Automtico" Key indicates the selection of the type
of operation of the PLC, manual and automatic operation. In
the manual mode the PLC executes the gas injection only in
manual way and in the automatic mode the PLC executes the
gas injection according to the current Injection Time(IT) and
Time Cycle(Tc).
The transition from a mode of operation to another stops
the gas injection, that is to say, if for example the PLC was in
the manual mode and it was injecting gas manually, the
transition to the automatic mode causes the system interrupts
the injection of gas and starts to execute the cycle beginning
as if the Injection Time had just ended. This period of time
until the next injection is called the accumulation time. By the
other hand if the PLC is in the automatic mode and in the
injection time period, the transition to Manual interrupts the
injection of gas and starts the manual, without executing the
control cycle of the system.
"Liga/Desliga" Key has different functionality depending
upon the mode operation of the PLC, when it is in the manual
mode, the transition from the OFF state - "Desliga" - to the
ON state - "Liga" - causes the PLC to start the manual
injection of gas, and the transition from ON to OFF state
causes the PLC to stop the manual injection. In the automatic
mode this key allows the SGL to enabled and execute (ON) or
inhibit and not execute(OFF) the control algorithm.
Config Databases
The SGL firmware foresees a group of data bases
7
that should
be configured by the supervisory application located in the
COP: (1) Data base for the well configuration, (2) Data Base
for the CP-TP Patterns, and (3) Data Base for the control
algorithm.
Well configuration database: The database for the well
configuration contains technical specifications associated to
the well, such as the depths of the kick-off valves, calibration
pressure of the valves, diameter of the valve seat, static
pressure of the reservoir, degree API of the produced oil, etc..
These data is used internally by the SGL firmware to
calculate important parameters, such as the well flow rate,
tubing pressure at the depth of each gas-lift valve, the closing
pressure at each valve at the surface, etc..
CP-TP patterns database: The Data Base for the CPTP
Patterns contains a set of eight graphic patterns for the TP
graph and a set of eight graphic patterns for the CP graph.
Each graphic pattern indicates an specific well/system
condition such as NORMAL operation, well DROWNING,
motor-valve LEAKING, tubing clogged with paraffin, slug too
large, time cycle too small, injection time too large, etc..
These patterns should be specified by the field engineer
that knows the behavior of each well to be automated. The
SGL firmware is enough flexible as to allow that each well to
be controlled based on its specific group of patterns, in way to
represent as close as possible the real behavior of each well.
The patterns are compared with the respective CP-TP
graphs acquired during the system cycle. This comparison is
made by the use of Neural Nets and Fuzzy Logic techniques
known as Pattern Recognition as mentioned earlier, each
pattern is a PERCEPTRON neural net, where each neuron has
x-y coordinates, variance and relevance.
Rules Database: The Data Base for the Algorithm of control
contains group of control rules that dictate the actions to be
taken by the system over the solenoid valve to change the
behavior of the system. This group of rules is denominated "
Algorithm of Control " of the well.
As with the CP-TP graph patterns, this control algorithm
should also be specified by the field engineer that knows the
behavior of each well to be automated. The specification of
algorithms specific to each well is also allowed.
The control algorithm should be specified with the LCS
language
6
which was specifically developed to allow the field
engineer to code his own knowledge to describe the ideal
control for each well, without the need to change the SGL
firmware. Once the control algorithm is specified, it should be
compiled and sent via radio-modem to the PLC in the well.
To be noted the SGL firmware is totally opened in the sense of
allowing alterations in the control algorithm, without
demanding efforts of equipment or firmware change, allowing
that along its use it could be improved based on its own
feedback.
Controller Available Data
The SGL firmware foresees a group of databases that provides
the acquired data of the process and or the calculated data, that
4 JOSE F CORREA;ODAIR G SANTOS; PAULO M INAZUMI SPE 69404
can be requested by the supervisory application located in the
COP. The following data bases are available to be requested
by the supervisory application: Acquired CP-TP graph data
base, Acquired CP-TP Significant Points data base, Patterns
Recognition Diagnosis data base, Parameters related to the
Acquired CP-TP graph data base.
Acquired CP-TP graph data base contains the set of
coordinates of the CP-TP graph acquired during the
Acquisition Time (AT) as shown in the Figs. 6 to 8. This
acquisition time is directly related with the ITof the well.
Through this data base it is possible to show graphically the
Acquired CP-TP values in the supervisory application located
in the COP, (Figs. 9 and 10).
Acquired CP-TP Significant Points data base contains a
set of points generated by the significant points extraction
algorithm. This algorithm generates what is denominated CP-
TP significant points graph where all redundant points were
removed
3,4
.
Patterns Recognition Diagnosis data base contains the
matching results of the pattern recognition algorithm, a set of
values representing the similarity degree of the acquired CP-
TP graph to each pattern.
Parameters related to the Acquired CP-TP graph data
base contains a set of CP pressure values obtained when: the
injection starts (A), the operating Gas-Lift valve opens (B), the
motor-valve closes (C), the operating Gas-Lift valve
closes(D), and the acquisition time ends (E), and, a set of TP
values obtained when: the acquisition time for the TP values
starts (A), the slug tail arrives at the surface (B), the gas tail
reaches its highest velocity (C), the tubing gas flow stops (D),
and the acquisition time for the TP ends(E) as shown in (Figs.
11 and 12).
Power Source
Due to a lack of electric energy power in the areas where are
located most of the gas-lift wells, the system is autonomous in
what concerns the source of energy. In this case it is used a
plate for reception of solar energy and batteries, in way to
supply 200W - 24Vdc for the SGL closet. The SGL closet
power consumption includes the PLC, the radio-modem, the
charge regulator, a fan, a solenoid valve, and the CP-TP
transmitters
Operation Cicle
The operation cycle of the well can be divide in the following
parts:
Tc - Time Cycle which is the time for one complete operation
cycle;
IT - Injection Time which is the effective time for gas
injection;
ID - Injection Delay which is the delay in the beginning the
of gas injection;
Ta - Accumulation Time which is the remaining time
between the end of the gas injection and the beginning of the
next operation cycle;
Taqu Total Acquisition Time which is the time for
acquiring CP-TP signs, starts at the same time of the injection,
and acquires points every each 40 milliseconds;
Tcp Complement Acquisition Time which is the time for
acquiring the remaining time after Taqu, during this interval
10 points are acquired.
Usual numbers for Tc are 10-120 minutes and for IT
values of the order of some seconds to 6 minutes.
The Delay Time has for objective to guarantee that doesn't
happen many simultaneous injections of gas, in way not to
lower the pressure of the line that drives the gas to be injected
in the wells. Thus, this time should be the smallest in way to
guarantee a better performance of elevation to the Gas-Lift
system, even so maintaining a homogeneous distribution of
the injection of gas in each well of the field, (Fig.6).
CP-TP Acquisition Cycle The CP-TP acquisition cycle is
contained inside of the time "Taqu", where CP is acquired. TP
is acquired in the interval of time "Tat", which is proportional
to the time "Taqu", so that the TP acquisition begins after a
delay of time programmed by the user. Thus, after the
beginning of the injection of gas the acquisition of the CP
signs starts and after the time delay "Trat" starts the TP
acquisition. For such, there is the Trat_K factor: configuring
Trat_K = 0.0 the TP acquisition starts at the same time of the
CP acquisition and configuring Trat_K = 1.0 the TP
acquisition starts after the IT time (Fig.7).
Supervisory software
Given the peculiar characteristics of the automation to be
implanted, it was necessary to develop specific database and a
specific supervisory software with communication driver and
graphic user interface. The graphic user interface allows user
to execute configuration functions, data acquisition and
commands. The PLC configuration is done through screens,
for the Well configuration, for the Gas-Lift Valves
parameters, for the CP-TP Graph Patterns and for the control
algorithm, there are also screens for Status and Analysis, as
shown in Fig.10.
Field Experience
The SGL system was installed in one well for test during
eighteen months. The test was stopped after an unsuccessful
workover. The test showed the SGL system profitability
reducing the average gas injection in 600 m3/d and increasing
the well production in an average of 1 m3/d. The control
algorithm was developed to maintain a steady production
adjusting the injection time in response to the slug time travel
as shown in Fig 13. The lower time travel of the slug the
greater the time injection and the greater the time travel of the
slug, the lower the time injection.
At the time this paper was written 22 more intermittent gas
lifted wells were been automated with this technology, and
115 more are expected for the next year.
SPE 69404 INTELLIGENT AUTOMATION FOR INTERMITTENT-GAS-LIFT OIL WELLS 5
Conclusions
1. The technology used is proven to be powerful enough as
to put the field engineer knowledge and experience in a
24 hours day basis to monitor the well in site;
2. The use of the Artificial Intelligence concepts developed
for Sucker Rod Pumping, as described in references 3 and
4, to gas-lift was proven to be feasible and successful;
3. In the test pilot was obtained a reduction of 20% in the
mean injection time;
Nomenclature
Tr - Delay Time for the start of the gas injection, seconds;
Tc - Time Cycle, seconds;
IT- Injection Time, seconds;
Ta - Accumulation Time, seconds;
Taqu - Acquisition time, seconds;
Tcp - Complement Acquisition Time, seconds;
Tat - TP acquisition time, seconds;
Trat - Delay for start Tat, seconds;
Tvg Slug time travel, seconds;
TvgPadrao Slug time travel reference value, seconds;
z
j
- Relevance of the significant point;

j
Variance of the pattern point
c
j
- Possibility of an acquired point to match a pattern
point;
C Possibility of an acquired CP or TP set of points to
match a CP or TP pattern
d
i
Euclidian distance from a acquired point and a pattern
point.
Subscripts
j - perceptron neuron index;
i - CP-TP acquired point index
References
1. Santos, Odair Geraldo dos: Expert System for Intermitent
Gas-Lift Diagnosis, Class work for the Intelligent System
for Oil Explotation - Petroleum Department UNICAMP-
Brazil, july 1995.
2. Corra, Jos Francisco; Santos, Odair G.; Intermitent Gas-
Lift Well Automation - Conceptual Description SGL
Project Memorial Description - Internal documentation, april
1998.
3. Alegre, L.; Morooka, C. K.; Rocha, A. F., - Intelligent
Diagnosis of Rod Pumping Problems. SPE 26516 ,1993.
4. Alegre, L.; Rocha, A. F.; Morooka, C.K., - Intelligent
Approach to Rod Pumping Problems, SPE 26253 , 1993.
5. Rocha, A. F. - Neural Nets: A Theory for Brains and
Machines. Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence, Springer
Verlag, vol. 638, 1992.
6. Inazumi. Paulo C. M.: LCS language specification,
Tecnical documentation for the SGL project. Doc. Ref. HI
Tecnologia -JDF002 ver. 1.02 , march 1999.
7. Inazumi. Paulo C. M.: SGL Database Description, Tecnical
documentation for the SGL project. Doc. Ref. HI
Tecnologia - JSW003 ver. 1.00 , march 1999.
Compressor
Casing Pressure
Tubing Pressure
Motor Valve
Casing
Oil
Operating valve
Fig. 1 A schematic of a intermittent gas lifted well
Lap Top
PC
Rdio Modem
RS 232
Remote
supervision
and config.
Local
supervision
and config.
Gs Lift Well
CP-TP graph
Time
Press.
Solar
cell
SGL
COP
PC
Fig. 2 SGL overview
PC
Rdio
Modem
RS232
Remote
supervision
and config.
SGL COP
PC
SGL RS232 SGL
CLUSTER N
RS232 SGL SGL RS232 SGL
CLUSTER 1
. . .
Fig. 3 SGL cluster architecture
Fig. 4 Perceptron
Lower layer
Upper layer
Neuron 1 Neuron 2
Neuron n-1
Neuron n
Z1
Z2 Zn-1
Zn
6 JOSE F CORREA;ODAIR G SANTOS; PAULO M INAZUMI SPE 69404
Fig. 5 SGL closet
Tc - Time cicle
IT - injection Time AT - Accumulation Time
Tas - Total Acquisition Time
Taqu -
Acquisition Time
Tcc - Complete Time Cicle
Tcp - Complemental Acquisition Time
dT - Delay Time
Tar - Acquisition time delay for CP
Tat - Acquisiton time for
TP
Trat - Acquisiton time
delay for TP
Fig. 6 SGL time schema
C P
A
B
C
D E
T i m e
A
B
C
D E
T i m e
T P
T a s
T a r
T r a t T a t
T i T a q u T c p
T c
Fig. 7 SGL acquisition time schema
C P
A
B
C
D E
T i m e
A
B
C
D E
T i m e
T P
T i T a q u T c p
T c
Fig. 8 SGL complement time schema
Fig. 9 Supervisory acquisition interface
Fig. 10 Supervisory status interface
Press.
A
B
C
D
E
time
0 10
Fig. 11 Casing Pressure with significant points
SPE 69404 INTELLIGENT AUTOMATION FOR INTERMITTENT-GAS-LIFT OIL WELLS 7
A
C
B
D E
0
10 time
Press.
Fig. 12 Tubing Pressure with significant points
Fig. 13 Control Algorithm
'
Apendix - Matching Calculation
The CP-TP pattern is a perceptron where the input value is
given by a set of two fuzzy functions which input is the
relationship between the distance (di) and variance (
j
); di is
the distance between a CP-TP significant point and a
perceptron neuron, and j represents the maximum acceptable
distance from an acquired point and the perceptron neuron, as
shown in the figures bellow.
( ) ( )
2 2
' '
j j i j i
y y x x d + =
If v
j
< 0
If v
j
> 0
The possibility of the set of acquired points match the
perceptron is given by the expression:

=
j
j
i
j j
z
z c
C
c
1
d
i
/vj
0.5
1
c
d
i
/v
j
1
1
0.66
x
i
x
i
Y
j
y
i
s
i
s
j

j
d
i