Production Operations & Optimization Flashcards
7 cards from real SPE practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Production Operations & Optimization flashcards as text
Which artificial lift method is most suitable for a high-GOR well producing from a deep, high-pressure reservoir with corrosive fluids?
Answer: Hydraulic Jet Pump
Hydraulic jet pumps have no moving parts downhole, making them ideal for corrosive, high-GOR environments where ESPs and rod pumps suffer rapid wear.
In a gas-condensate well, retrograde condensation occurs when reservoir pressure drops below which pressure?
Answer: Dew point pressure
Retrograde condensation in gas-condensate reservoirs begins when pressure falls below the dew point, causing liquid dropout in the reservoir.
A production engineer observes that a well's IPR curve has shifted left over time with no change in skin. What is the most likely cause?
Answer: Reservoir pressure depletion
A leftward shift of the IPR curve without a change in skin indicates reservoir pressure depletion, which reduces the maximum flow rate at zero bottomhole pressure.
What is the primary purpose of a choke manifold on a well completion?
Answer: To control wellhead flow rate and backpressure
A choke manifold controls the flow rate from the well and maintains appropriate backpressure to manage reservoir drawdown and prevent sand production.
Which parameter is most directly optimized by nodal analysis to maximize production rate?
Answer: Operating point (intersection of IPR and TPR)
Nodal analysis identifies the operating point where the Inflow Performance Relationship (IPR) intersects the Tubing Performance Relationship (TPR), and optimization seeks to move this intersection to a higher flow rate.
A well experiencing liquid loading in the tubing will typically show which symptom on a production trend?
Answer: Erratic production with declining rates and intermittent slugging
Liquid loading causes erratic, declining production with slugging behavior as accumulated liquids periodically unload and then rebuild in the tubing.
In waterflooding optimization, which technique uses streamline simulation to redistribute injected water for improved sweep efficiency?
Answer: Rate reallocation based on streamline flux
Streamline-based rate reallocation adjusts injection and production rates so that flux is redistributed along streamlines to improve volumetric sweep efficiency.