Bringing New Levels of Automation and Flexibility to Well Testing Operations — Case Study

The oil industry has been perpetually examining well testing methods, with the goal of improving overall efficiency, ensuring data quality, and streamlining processes to achieve program objectives. Over the years, the aim of drillstem testing (DST) has remained mostly unchanged. However, operators want to meet the forecasted production investments of their fields, while improving operational efficiency and maintaining the highest level of operational standards, with safety and the environment being paramount. One of the solutions was developing a live, downhole, reservoir testing platform. The breakthrough consisted in introducing automation and real time monitoring to adjust the test program according to the actual reservoir response rather than blindly following a predefined test program, necessitating better operational flexibility. This platform is united by a wireless telemetry technology allowing an acoustic communication with downhole tools in real time. The automation of the data acquisition, downhole tools actuation and real time monitoring of the downhole operations, gives the operators the ability to perform well tests with reduced uncertainties, less human intervention and improved data quality. The early availability of reservoir knowledge enables operational efficiencies by meeting the test objectives earlier, thus reducing significantly the overall test period and the associated well testing costs. This paper describes the common well test objectives and challenges, the overall design of the wireless telemetry system, and automation of the job preparation and execution of the downhole operations that led to the successful completion of the well test campaign in very hostile condition, remote areas and restricted period. The use of the telemetry system in several well testing campaigns in different regions of the world, allowed to control critical downhole equipment and to acquire reservoir data transmittable to the clients office in town in real time. Various operation examples will be discussed to demonstrate how the automated data acquisition and downhole operations control has been used to optimize operations.

A Review of Downhole Wireless Technologies and Improvements

Downhole wireless communication in the form of mud pulse telemetry enabled directional drilling over the past 60 years and has been hugely successful. Technologies like Measurement While Drilling (MWD), Logging While Drilling (LWD), and Geosteering would simply not exist without it. But in the Production and Producing end of the business, applications for downhole wireless communication have been less clear, especially where long distances and long-term monitoring are concerned. Several wireless technologies are in use today for long-term production applications. Electromagnetic (EM), acoustic, and pressure pulse telemetries are finding application as wireless production gauges, drill stem test tools, and drilling alternatives to pressure pulse. But the large-scale vision of, "Breaking the Wire!" in production wells has not yet occurred. Permanent Downhole Gauges (PDG) with an umbilical to surface are still the product of choice for long-term production monitoring. A history of wireless approaches in production applications will be given and the different methods used in the industry will be explained. A comparison and contrast of wireless telemetry methods will be explored, explained, and evaluated. Advantages and disadvantages will be listed for each approach. A ranking system will be employed to illustrate the evaluation results of the different wireless telemetry methods. New variants for wireless telemetry, power supplies, and measurement methods will be proposed. Preferred applications for each gauge type will be given. Downhole gauges can be improved by integrating pressure pulse, a downhole power generator, and downhole flow rate measurement into a single unit. The overall size can be ten times shorter than existing systems while still generating a larger wireless signal. Such a system would make wireless downhole gauges much more practical and should significantly increase their uptake in the industry. Real-time measurement of downhole pressure and downhole flow rate transforms the accuracy and effectiveness of Pressure Transient Analysis (PTA). Better reservoir understanding can be gained by using only drawdown tests, without shutting in the well. Smaller tools are generally more cost effective.

Al-enabled, implantable, multichannel wireless telemetry for photodynamic therapy

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an alternative method for treating cancers, and its outcomes are highly dependent on light delivery to tumor cells to activate a photosensitizer. Existing approaches paired with advances in wireless technologies enable remote delivery of light to tumors but suffer from poor spatiotemporal resolution due to inabilities to minimize oxygen depletion in a tumor. Here, we introduce AI-informed low-power wireless telemetry with an integrated thermal/light simulation platform that bypasses all constraints above. The simulator leads to the optimized combination of wavelengths and light sources, and AI-assisted wireless telemetry uses the parameters from the simulator to enable adequate illumination of tumors through high-throughput (< 20 mice) and multi-wavelength operation. They establish a range of guidelines for effective PDT regimen design. Hypericin and Foscan mediated PDT demonstrated substantial suppression of tumor growth, suggesting that the proposed platform provides the potential for widespread use in fundamental research and/or clinical settings.

Abnormal electrophysiological phenotypes and sleep deficits in a mouse model of Angelman Syndrome

Background Angelman Syndrome (AS) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by impaired communication, motor and balance deficits, intellectual disabilities, recurring seizures and abnormal sleep patterns. The genetic cause of AS is neuronal-specific loss of expression of UBE3A (ubiquitin-protein ligase E6-AP), an imprinted gene. Seizure and sleep disorders are highly prevalent (> 80%) in the AS population. The present experiments were designed to identify translational, neurophysiological outcome measures in a model of AS. Methods We used the exon-2 deletion mouse (Ube3a-del) on a C57BL/6J background to assess seizure, sleep and electrophysiological phenotypes. Seizure susceptibility has been reported in Ube3a-del mice with a variety of seizure induction methods. Here, we provoked seizures by a single high-dose injection of 80 mg/kg pentylenetetrazole. Novel experiments included the utilization of wireless telemetry devices to acquire global electroencephalogram (EEG) and neurophysiological data on electrographic seizures, power spectra, light–dark cycles, sleep stages and sleep spindles in Ube3a-del and WT mice. Results Ube3a-del mice exhibited reduced seizure threshold compared to WT. EEG illustrated that Ube3a-del mice had increased epileptiform spiking activity and delta power, which corroborates findings from other laboratories and recapitulates clinical reports in AS. This is the first report to use a cortical surface-based recording by a wireless telemetry device over tethered/fixed head-mount depth recordings. Less time in both paradoxical and slow-wave sleep, longer latencies to paradoxical sleep stages and total less sleep time in Ube3a-del mice were observed compared to WT. For the first time, we detected fewer sleep spindles in the AS mouse model. Limitations This study was limited to the exon 2 deletion mouse model, and future work will investigate the rat model of AS, containing a complete Ube3a deletion and pair EEG with behavior. Conclusions Our data enhance rigor and translatability as our study provides important corroboration of previous reports on epileptiform and elevated delta power. For the first time we report neurophysiological phenotypes collected via translational methodology. Furthermore, this is the first report of reduced sleep spindles, a critical marker of memory consolidation during sleep, in an AS model. Our results are useful outcomes for therapeutic testing.

Abnormal electrophysiological phenotypes and sleep deficits in a mouse model of Angelman Syndrome

Background: Angelman Syndrome (AS) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by impaired communication, motor and balance deficits, intellectual disabilities, recurring seizures and abnormal sleep patterns. The genetic cause of AS is neuronal specific loss of expression of UBE3A (ubiquitin-protein ligase E6-AP), an imprinted gene. Seizure and sleep disorders are highly prevalent (>80%) in the AS population. The present experiments were designed to identify translational, neurophysiological outcome measures in a model of AS.Methods: We used the exon-2 deletion mouse (Ube3a-del) on a C57BL/6J background to assess seizure, sleep and electrophysiological phenotypes. Seizure susceptibility has been reported in Ube3a-del mice with a variety of seizure induction methods. Here, we provoked seizures by a single high-dose injection of 80 mg/kg pentylenetetrazole. Novel experiments included the utilization of wireless telemetry devices to acquire global electroencephalogram (EEG) and neurophysiological data on electrographic seizures, power spectra, light-dark cycles, sleep stages and sleep spindles in Ube3a-del and WT mice.Results: Ube3a-del mice exhibited reduced seizure threshold compared to WT. EEG illustrated that Ube3a-del mice had increased epileptiform spiking activity and delta power, which corroborates findings from other laboratories and recapitulates clinical reports in AS. This is the first report to use a cortical surface-based recording by a wireless telemetry device over tethered/fixed head-mount depth recordings. Less time in both paradoxical and slow-wave sleep, longer latencies to paradoxical sleep stages, and total less sleep time in Ube3a-del mice were observed compared to WT. For the first time, we detected fewer sleep spindles in the AS mouse model. Limitations: This study was limited to the exon 2 deletion mouse model, future work will investigate the rat model of AS, containing a complete Ube3a deletion and pair EEG with behavior.Conclusions: Our data enhance rigor and translatability as our study provides important corroboration of previous reports on epileptiform and elevated delta power. For the first-time we report neurophysiological phenotypes collected via translational methodology. Furthermore, this is the first report of reduced sleep spindles, a critical marker of memory consolidation during sleep, in an AS model. Our results are useful outcomes for therapeutic testing.

Abnormal electrophysiological phenotypes and sleep deficits in a mouse model of Angelman Syndrome

Background: Angelman Syndrome (AS) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by impaired communication, motor and balance deficits, intellectual disabilities, recurring seizures and abnormal sleep patterns. The genetic cause of AS is neuronal specific loss of expression of UBE3A (ubiquitin-protein ligase E6-AP), an imprinted gene. Seizure and sleep disorders are highly prevalent (>80%) in the AS population. The present experiments were designed to identify translational, neurophysiological outcome measures in a model of AS. Methods: We used the exon-2 deletion mouse (Ube3a-del) on a C57BL/6J background to assess seizure, sleep and electrophysiological phenotypes. Seizure susceptibility has been reported in Ube3a-del mice with a variety of seizure induction methods. Here, we provoked seizures by a single high-dose injection of 80 mg/kg pentylenetetrazole. Novel experiments included the utilization of wireless telemetry devices to acquire global electroencephalogram (EEG) and neurophysiological data on electrographic seizures, power spectra, light-dark cycles, sleep stages and sleep spindles in Ube3a-del and WT mice. Results: Ube3a-del mice exhibited reduced seizure threshold compared to WT. EEG illustrated that Ube3a-del mice had increased epileptiform spiking activity and delta power, which corroborates findings from other laboratories and recapitulates clinical reports in AS. This is the first report to use a cortical surface-based recording by a wireless telemetry device over tethered/fixed head-mount depth recordings. Less time in both paradoxical and slow-wave sleep, longer latencies to paradoxical sleep stages, and total less sleep time in Ube3a-del mice were observed compared to WT. For the first time, we detected fewer sleep spindles in the AS mouse model. Limitations: This study was limited to the exon 2 deletion mouse model, future work will investigate the rat model of AS, containing a complete Ube3a deletion and pair EEG with behavior. Conclusions: Our data enhance rigor and translatability as our study provides important corroboration of previous reports on epileptiform and elevated delta power. For the first-time we report neurophysiological phenotypes collected via translational methodology. Furthermore, this is the first report of reduced sleep spindles, a critical marker of memory consolidation during sleep, in an AS model. Our results are useful outcomes for therapeutic testing.