Method for controlling and/or optimizing production of oil and/or gas wells and facilities

1. A method for controlling and optimizing production operations in clusters of oil and/or gas production wells and facilities, which are equipped with production, pressure, temperature, vibration, flow, seismic and/or other sensors that generate raw reservoir, production and/or production equipment performance data, the method comprising:

a) collecting said raw data in a number of central data surveillance centers;

b) processing, monitoring and/or analyzing trends in said collected raw data by at least one central expert support team and/or system, which converts these data and/or trends into actionable component data and total system performance data;

c) transferring said actionable component data to at least one regional asset operation control center;

d) transferring said actionable total system performance data to at least one regional total production optimization center, in which said actionable total system performance data and trends are interpreted, analysed and converted into actionable total asset control data that are subsequently transferred to at least one regional control center; and

e) optimizing and/or controlling production of said clusters by action taken in at least one regional asset operation control center, said optimization and/or controlling being based on the actionable component data and the actionable total asset control data;

wherein the number of central data surveillance centers is more than three times smaller than the number of regional asset operation control centers and/or the number of regional total production optimization centers.

2. A method for controlling and optimizing production operations in clusters of oil and/or gas production wells and facilities, which are equipped with production, pressure, temperature, vibration, flow, seismic and/or other sensors that generate raw reservoir, production and/or production equipment performance data, the method comprising:

a) collecting said raw data in at least one central data surveillance center;

b) processing, monitoring and/or analyzing trends in said collected raw data by at least one central expert support team and/or system, which converts these data and/or trends into actionable component data and total system performance data;

c) transferring said actionable component data to at least one regional asset operation control center;

d) transferring said actionable total system performance data to at least one regional total production optimization center, in which said actionable total system performance data and trends in said actionable total system performance data are interpreted, analysed and converted into actionable total asset control data that are subsequently transferred to at least one regional control center; and

e) optimizing and/or controlling production of said clusters by action taken in at least one regional asset operation control center, said optimization and/or controlling being based on the actionable component data and the actionable total asset control data;

wherein at least one central expert support team and/or system associated with said at least one central data surveillance center monitors data relating to vibration, temperature, pressure and/or other data about the oil and/or gas production and/or operations of pumps, compressors and/or other rotating equipment deployed in the oil and/or gas production and/or injection wells, pipelines and/or production facilities of various assets and processes, and compares and analyzes trends in these data in order to derive actionable component performance data that enable staff in one or more regional asset operation control centers to adjust well flow and/or sub-systems to inhibit excessive wear and/or damage of the rotating equipment, wells and/or other facilities.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein, if vibration, temperature and/or pressure in a specific pump, compressor and/or other piece of rotating equipment is significantly higher than that of other similar rotating equipment, the actionable component performance data include a rotating equipment overload warning.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein, if vibration, temperature and/or pressure in a specific pump, compressor and/or other piece of rotating equipment is significantly higher than that of other similar rotating equipment, a regional total production optimization center generates actionable total asset control data, which comprise an asset operations scheme in which the performance of the specific pump, compressor and/or other piece of rotating equipment is reduced and/or recommendations are made to maintain, repair and/or replace the specific pump, compressor and/or other piece of rotating equipment within a specific period of time.