A permanent downhole gauge (PDG) is a pressure and/or temperature gauge permanently installed in an oil or gas well. These gauges are typically installed in the tubing in the well and can measure the tubing pressure, annulus pressure, or both. Systems installed in well casing to read formation pressure directly, suspended systems, and systems built in coil (continuous) tubing are also available. The data that PDGs provide are useful to reservoir engineers in determining the quantities of oil or gas contained below the Earth's surface in an oil or gas reservoir and also which method of production is best.
Permanent downhole gauges are installed in oil wells and gas wells for the purposes of observation and optimization. Downhole gauges primarily monitor pressure at a single point or multiple points in a well, and may secondarily monitor temperature. These gauges may use additional sensors to measure additional environmental variables:
- pressure;
- temperature;
- distributive temperature;
- noise;
- strain; and
- flow.
The information provided by permanently mounted sensors, combined with remotely controlled valves, can enable "smart" or "intelligent" well design. A "smart well" is a well that can monitor information and make adjustments automatically with the goal of optimizing production and/or product recovery.
References
- Cui, Boyu; Chen, Lejun; Zhang, Nan; Shchipanov, Anton; Demyanov, Vasily; Rong, Chunming (8 February 2023). "Review of Different Methods for Identification of Transients in Pressure Measurements by Permanent Downhole Gauges Installed in Wells". Energies. 16 (4): 1689. doi:10.3390/en16041689. hdl:11250/3109306. ISSN 1996-1073.
- Unneland, Trond; Haugland, Torstein (1 August 1994). "Permanent Downhole Gauges Used in Reservoir Management of Complex North Sea Oil Fields". SPE Production & Facilities. 9 (3): 195–203. doi:10.2118/26781-PA. ISSN 1064-668X.
- Hüffner, Leonardo Nardi; Trierweiler, Jorge Otávio; Farenzena, Marcelo (February 2019). "Are complex black-box models for Permanent Downhole Gauge pressure estimation necessary?". Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering. 173: 715–732. doi:10.1016/j.petrol.2018.10.047.
- Carvajal, Gustavo; Maucec, Marko; Cullick, Stan (1 January 2018), Carvajal, Gustavo; Maucec, Marko; Cullick, Stan (eds.), "Chapter Seven - Smart Wells and Techniques for Reservoir Monitoring", Intelligent Digital Oil and Gas Fields, Boston: Gulf Professional Publishing, pp. 249–289, ISBN 978-0-12-804642-5, retrieved 29 February 2024
External links
- Active Completions – The history and evolution of downhole permanent reservoir monitoring systems