Weatherford smart rod-lift solution increases production in Indonesia

Weatherford International announced its smart rod-lift solution has increased production in wells in Indonesia.

The solution is comprised of production optimisation software, automation, and skilled engineers, helped boost uptime 42 per cent and increase production 37 per cent for 40 reciprocating rod-lift wells in Sumatra, Indonesia.

The solution redefined the production strategy for the field, and the operator is currently installing the smart rod-lift solutions on the remaining 160 wells.

The operator objectives were two-fold: First, optimize production in horizontal wells throughout a mature, 200-well, reciprocating-rod-lift asset. Second, reduce downtime caused by premature equipment wear; the pump failure rate was averaging 15 days of downtime.

“Weatherford helped our client to redefine production strategy for this 200-well field,” said Manoj Nimbalkar, Global Vice President, Production Automation and Software, Weatherford. “Production optimisation software helped the operator monitor and remotely respond to dynamic well conditions, resulting in a 42 percent increase in uptime by preventing rod failures. Add to that the installation of variable speed drives at each of the 200 wellsites in tandem with a rod-string controller to alleviate existing rod-string problems.”

Weatherford production-optimisation experts assessed production in the asset along with its failure history. To combat ongoing fluid-pound issues, the team recommended upgrading the automation systems from fixed speed to variable speed. In addition, the Weatherford team recommended a WellPilot variable-speed drive and rod-pump controller unit to regulate the pump speed throughout each stroke. As a final piece of the solution, the team recommended the Weatherford production optimization software platform to enable the operator to monitor real-time well performance.

“The smart rod-lift solution, featuring WellPilot variable speed drives and rod-string controllers, empowered this operator to optimize production by automatically adjusting lift parameters,” said Nimbalkar. “The Weatherford production optimisation software platform enabled remote monitoring and management, which enabled a faster response to dynamic well conditions. The success in meeting and exceeding all operator objectives has placed Weatherford and its field-proven solutions at the top of the production plans for the field’s remaining 160 wells.”