Russia Has Created a Method For Monitoring Oil Production Without Expensive Sensors
Specialists from the Perm National Research Polytechnic University (PNRPU) have developed a system for monitoring and managing the operating parameters of pumps in oil production plants, replacing expensive sensors, the breakdown of which increases the financial and time costs of enterprises. The press service of the university reported this.
“To monitor the stable operation [of electric submersible pump installations] and real-time control, today telemetry systems are used that measure all production parameters (pressure, temperature, vibration, equipment operation). These are expensive complexes, and if at least one sensor is damaged, it will take time to repairs and large financial costs. <…> PNRPU scientists have developed a system for sensorless control and monitoring of pump operating parameters. The technology, which increases the reliability and efficiency of petroleum products production, has not previously been used in the world,” the report says.
The authors have improved mechanisms for monitoring the operation of submersible pumping units, with the help of which about 80% of oil is produced in Russia, the university clarified. The key element of such a system is an electric centrifugal pump that lifts liquid from the well to the surface. The parameters of this process are controlled by sensors, which easily fail in an aggressive environment. Their repair requires stopping work, which entails financial losses for companies.
“PNRPU scientists offer a unique way to control the operation of a pump underground using only two <…> [instruments] of measurement – current and voltage. To do this, they developed two systems that allow monitoring oil flow and making an indirect assessment of parameters based on a digital model of an electric centrifugal pump Their combination is the basis for sensorless control of the entire technological process,” the university’s press service reported.
The new approach will improve the reliability of equipment and reduce the cost of oil, the authors believe. The results of the work were published in the IEEE Sensors Journal.
