Field development planning

NeqSim’s neqsim.process.util.fielddevelopment package provides utilities for production-profile calculations, intervention scheduling, process-aware sensitivity studies, and host tie-in screening. These utilities support engineering studies; they do not replace reservoir history matching, detailed well modelling, facility design, operations planning, cost estimation, or an independent safety review.

Choose the current API

Planning task Current API Engineering boundary
Arps decline and plateau forecast ProductionProfile A static decline calculation is unconstrained. A process-constrained forecast requires a ProcessSystem and a feed stream.
Well potential and intervention schedule WellScheduler The optimizer is a deterministic screening scheduler. It is not a rig, vessel, weather, logistics, or HSE simulator.
Process uncertainty SensitivityAnalysis The constructor takes a ProcessSystem; this is process-aware uncertainty analysis, not a standalone financial Monte Carlo model.
Host capacity and bottlenecks TieInCapacityPlanner and ProductionOptimizer There is no FacilityCapacity class. Capacity cases must use explicit process models, equipment limits, and engineering units.

For the broader workflow, see the field-development overview, the field-development API guide, and the host tie-in capacity guide. For generated API details, use the current NeqSim Javadoc.

Units and interpretation

Executable field-development planning example

The following complete Java 8 program calculates an exponential decline case, converts cumulative production to Sm3, schedules one synthetic intervention, and checks the result. Run it with assertions enabled (java -ea).

import java.time.LocalDate;
import neqsim.process.util.fielddevelopment.ProductionProfile;
import neqsim.process.util.fielddevelopment.ProductionProfile.DeclineParameters;
import neqsim.process.util.fielddevelopment.ProductionProfile.DeclineType;
import neqsim.process.util.fielddevelopment.WellScheduler;
import neqsim.process.util.fielddevelopment.WellScheduler.Intervention;
import neqsim.process.util.fielddevelopment.WellScheduler.InterventionType;
import neqsim.process.util.fielddevelopment.WellScheduler.ScheduleResult;
import org.apache.logging.log4j.LogManager;
import org.apache.logging.log4j.Logger;

public final class FieldDevelopmentPlanningExample {
  private static final Logger logger =
      LogManager.getLogger(FieldDevelopmentPlanningExample.class);

  private FieldDevelopmentPlanningExample() {}

  public static void main(String[] args) {
    double initialRateSm3PerDay = 10000.0;
    double nominalDeclinePerYear = 0.15;
    DeclineParameters decline =
        new DeclineParameters(
            initialRateSm3PerDay,
            nominalDeclinePerYear,
            DeclineType.EXPONENTIAL,
            "Sm3/day");

    double rateAfterTwoYearsSm3PerDay = ProductionProfile.calculateRate(decline, 2.0);
    double cumulativeRateYears =
        ProductionProfile.calculateCumulativeProduction(decline, 5.0);
    double cumulativeFiveYearsSm3 = cumulativeRateYears * 365.25;

    double expectedRateSm3PerDay =
        initialRateSm3PerDay * Math.exp(-nominalDeclinePerYear * 2.0);
    double rateAfterFiveYearsSm3PerDay = ProductionProfile.calculateRate(decline, 5.0);
    assert Math.abs(rateAfterTwoYearsSm3PerDay - expectedRateSm3PerDay) < 1.0e-8;
    assert cumulativeFiveYearsSm3 > rateAfterFiveYearsSm3PerDay * 365.25 * 5.0;
    assert cumulativeFiveYearsSm3 < initialRateSm3PerDay * 365.25 * 5.0;

    WellScheduler scheduler = new WellScheduler();
    scheduler.addWell("Well-A1", initialRateSm3PerDay, "Sm3/day");

    Intervention stimulation =
        Intervention.builder("Well-A1")
            .type(InterventionType.COILED_TUBING)
            .startDate(LocalDate.of(2027, 4, 1))
            .durationDays(5)
            .expectedGain(0.12)
            .cost(250000.0, "USD")
            .description("Synthetic stimulation screening case")
            .priority(1)
            .build();
    scheduler.scheduleIntervention(stimulation);

    ScheduleResult schedule =
        scheduler.optimizeSchedule(
            LocalDate.of(2027, 1, 1), LocalDate.of(2027, 12, 31), 1);

    assert schedule.getOptimizedSchedule().size() == 1;
    assert schedule.getOverallAvailability() > 0.0;
    assert schedule.getOverallAvailability() < 1.0;
    assert schedule.getTotalDeferredProduction() > 0.0;
    assert schedule.getTotalProductionGain() > 0.0;

    logger.info(
        "Rate after two years={} Sm3/day, cumulative five-year production={} Sm3, "
            + "availability={}, net production impact={} Sm3",
        rateAfterTwoYearsSm3PerDay,
        cumulativeFiveYearsSm3,
        schedule.getOverallAvailability(),
        schedule.getNetProductionImpact());
  }
}

Extending the screening case

For a facility-constrained production forecast, build and validate the process model first, then construct ProductionProfile(processSystem) and call forecast with the feed stream, explicit plateau rate, plateau duration in years, economic limit, forecast horizon in years, and time step in days. The result reports the requested and achieved plateau, cumulative production, economic life, and any process bottleneck found by the optimizer.

For intervention planning, add each well once with an explicit potential and rate unit. Build interventions with dates, durations, fractional gains, costs, and priorities before calling optimizeSchedule. Treat the result as a screening case: verify well deliverability, equipment capacities, shutdown interactions, resource constraints, cost basis, and safety-critical activities independently.

Validation checklist

  1. Match the decline-rate time basis to the time passed to the calculator.
  2. Convert cumulative values when rate and decline time bases differ.
  3. Use one rate unit consistently across all wells in a schedule.
  4. Confirm every intervention gain is a fraction and every cost has a currency.
  5. Validate facility constraints with the actual ProcessSystem, not a nameplate capacity surrogate.
  6. Reconcile the forecast and schedule against reservoir, operations, integrity, economics, and safety assumptions before decisions are made.