Testing new wells to determine their flow capacity prior to connecting them to surface production facilities is standard procedure in the oilfield. This accomplishes a number of goals, including monitoring fundamental parameters required to simulate the well’s beginning performance, assessing drilling efficiency, and contrasting actual and anticipated output.

A portable test separator that is attached to the well is used to measure the well’s flow at various steady rates during the test. The separator is designed to submit the well’s effluent to a large pressure drop, allowing the constituent phases—in this example, oil and gas for Adzhip Karachaganak B.V.—to be separated before phase rates are monitored. Traditionally, highly effective burners have been used to flare the separation process products, limiting liquid dropout in the vicinity of the well.

Operators and top service providers have developed strategies to minimize and completely avoid flaring during these well testing in light of the requirement to protect the environment. Adzhip Karachaganak B.V. mobilized the Expro-designed Mega Flow separator in Karachaganak in March 2008 in an effort to reduce environmental consequences. The oil and gas rates may be detected, recombined, and redirected into the production flow line thanks to this special piece of equipment that enables phase separation to occur at higher pressures. This not only eliminates all flaring, but the hydrocarbon recovery also lowers the equipment’s operating costs. These tests are conducted more recently, after multiple improvements to the metering of the separators in the surface facilities.