LOST PROFIT REDUCTION PROCESS AND SYSTEM

Abstract

A method and apparatus for detecting a hydrocarbon production trend using a well volume comparison. The method generally includes acquiring well volume data corresponding to a plurality of hydrocarbon-producing wells, comparing the acquired well volume data with target well volume data, assigning a loss production code to at least one of the hydrocarbon-producing wells based on the comparison; and detecting a hydrocarbon production trend utilizing the assigned loss production code.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to methods and apparatuses for evaluating hydrocarbon production. Particularly, various embodiments of the present invention provide methods and apparatuses for detecting a hydrocarbon production trend using a well volume comparison.

2. Description of the Related Art

It is often desirable to monitor the production of hydrocarbon-producing wells to determine each well's operating efficiency. For example, by monitoring a hydrocarbon-production well, one can determine if the well is in need of maintenance or repair. However, conventional well monitoring systems are generally unable to identify trends in hydrocarbon production levels across several wells. Consequently, it is often difficult to identify trends that correspond to an increase or decrease in hydrocarbon production.

SUMMARY

In one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method for detecting a hydrocarbon production trend. The method generally comprises: (a) acquiring well volume data corresponding to a plurality of hydrocarbon-producing wells; (b) comparing the acquired well volume data with target well volume data; (c) assigning a loss production code to at least one of the hydrocarbon-producing wells based on the comparison; and (d) detecting a hydrocarbon production trend utilizing the assigned loss production code.

In another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a computer program for detecting a hydrocarbon production trend. The computer program comprises code segments operable to: acquire well volume data corresponding to a plurality of hydrocarbon-producing wells; compare the acquired well volume data with target well volume data; assign a loss production code to at least one of the hydrocarbon-producing wells based on the comparison; and detect a hydrocarbon production trend utilizing the assigned loss production code.

In still another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a system for detecting a hydrocarbon production trend. The system includes a plurality of measurement devices positioned in a hydrocarbon gathering network and a computing device coupled with at least one of the measurement devices. The measurement devices are operable to acquire well volume data corresponding to a plurality of hydrocarbon-producing wells. The computing device is operable to acquire said well volume data from at least one of said measurement devices, compare the acquired well volume data with target well volume data, assign a loss production code to at least one of the hydrocarbon-producing wells based on the comparison, and detect a hydrocarbon production trend utilizing the assigned loss production code.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a hydrocarbon gathering system;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of some elements of a computing device operable to be utilized by various embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the computing device of FIG. 2 coupled with a communications network; and

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing some of the functions operable to be performed by various embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description of various embodiments of the invention references the accompanying drawings which illustrate specific embodiments in which the invention can be practiced. The embodiments are intended to describe aspects of the invention in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. Other embodiments can be utilized and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense. The scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

Various embodiments of the present invention provide a system 10 operable to detect a hydrocarbon production trend based on one or more well volume measurements. Referring initially to FIG. 1, an exemplary hydrocarbon gathering network 12 is illustrated comprising a plurality of hydrocarbon-producing wells 14. Each well 14 can be operable to extract hydrocarbon fluids, such as methane, natural gas, petroleum, and the like, from a subterranean region and provide the extracted hydrocarbon fluids to one or more pipelines or other conduits for storage and processing.

In some embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the system 10 can include one or more measurement devices 16 associated with the hydrocarbon gathering network 12 and a computing device 18 operable to acquire information measured by one or more of the measurement devices 16. The computing device 18 can be integral with one or more of the measurement devices 16 and/or the computing device 18 can be remote from one or more of the measurement devices 16.

Each of the measurement devices 16 can be adapted to acquire well volume data corresponding to one or more of the wells 14. “Well volume data,” as utilized herein, refers to any data or combination of data that represents the volume of hydrocarbon fluids extracted by one of the wells 14 over a particular time period. In some embodiments, the acquired well volume data can correspond to the volume of hydrocarbon fluids extracted over a twenty-four hour period, a forty-eight hour period, a seven day period, a monthly period, a yearly period, combinations thereof, and the like.

In some embodiments, the measurement devices 16 can be operable to acquire well volume data for each of the wells 14 comprising the hydrocarbon gathering network 12. However, in other embodiments, the measurement devices 16 can acquire well volume data for only a portion of the wells 14. For example, the measurement devices 16 can be adapted to vary which wells 14 correspond to the acquired well volume data such that through periodic measurement well volume data is acquired for all wells 14.

Each of the measurement devices 16 can be associated with one of the wells 14 to acquire hydrocarbon production data, such as well volume data, therefrom. For example, in some embodiments, each measurement device 16 may include an electronic flow meter operable to directly or indirectly acquire well volume data based on sensed measurements. For instance, one or more of the measurement devices 16 can directly measure the volume of produced hydrocarbon fluids to acquire the well volume data. Additionally or alternatively, one or more of the measurement devices 16 can be adapted to calculate the well volume data indirectly from hydrocarbon production characteristics.

Each measurement device 16 can include processing and memory elements, discrete from those provided by the computing device 18, to store and process data independent of the computing device 18. For example, each measurement device 16 can store well volume data within its memory for periodic retrieval by the computing device 18 and/or process acquired data to calculate the well volume data without direct measurement of produced hydrocarbon fluid volumes.

In some embodiments, one or more of the measurement devices 16 can be remote from the wells 14 and associated with other portions of the hydrocarbon gathering network 12, such as with pipelines, storage tanks, and the like. Thus, the measurement devices 16 can acquire well volume data from the other portions of the hydrocarbon gathering network 12 without being associated with one or more of the wells 14. Additionally or alternatively, one or more of the measurement devices 16 can utilize the devices, systems, and methods disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,978,210, which is incorporated herein by reference, to acquire well volume data.

One or more of the measurement devices 16 can be adapted to communicate with other measurement devices 16 utilizing wireless and/or wired communication methods. Thus, various measurement devices 16 can share well volume data and other measured and acquired information to facilitate the communication of information to the computing device 18 or other components of the system 10.

The computing device 18 can include any element or combination of elements operable to process information provided by one or more of the measurement devices 16 to detect a hydrocarbon production trend. In some embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the computing device 18 can be associated with a memory 20, a display 22, and/or a communications element 24. The various elements of the computing device 18 can be disposed within a single housing or distributed between a plurality of discrete housings in any combination. The elements of the computing device 18 can be coupled together in any configuration utilizing wired and/or wireless connections.

The computing device 18 can include various analog and digital components operable to perform the various functions discussed herein. In some embodiments, the computing device 18 can include a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a programmable logic device, an application specific integrated circuit, digital and analog logic devices, computing elements such as personal computers, servers, computing networks, portable computing devices, combinations thereof, and the like. Thus, the computing device 18 can comprise a plurality of computing elements in some embodiments.

The memory 20 can be associated with the computing device 18 and include memories of any form or configuration for storing computer programs and information, as is discussed in more detail below. Thus, the memory 20 can comprise a computer-readable medium. In the context of this application, a “computer-readable medium” can be any element or combination of elements that can contain, store, communicate, propagate or transport at least a portion of a computer program for use by or in connection with one or more computing devices such as the computing device 18.

The computer-readable medium can be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semi-conductor system, apparatus, device, or propagation medium operable for use by the computing device 18 or other devices. More specific, although not inclusive, examples of the computer-readable medium can include the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable, programmable, read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc (CD), a digital video disc (DVD), and an electrical signal representing one or more portions of a computer program. The computer-readable medium could even be paper or another suitable medium upon which a program is printed, as the program an be electronically captured, via for instance, optical scanning of the paper or other medium, then compiled, interpreted, or otherwise processed in a suitable manner, if necessary, and then stored in a computer memory.

The display 22 can be also be associated with the computing device 18 and adapted to display information provided by the computing device 18, such as detected hydrocarbon production trends, to one or more users. The display 22 can include various human-readable display elements, such as cathode-ray tube monitors, liquid crystal displays, a plasma display, a surface-conduction electron-emitter display, a light-emitting diode display, combinations thereof, and the like.

As shown in FIGS. 2-3, the computing device 18 can utilize the communications element 24 to access a communications network 26 such as an intranet, peer-to-peer network, and/or the internet to exchange information with other devices associated with and/or connected to the communications network 26. The computing device 18 can be operable to access the communications network 26 utilizing wired and/or wireless connections. Additionally or alternatively, the computing device 18 can utilize the communications element 24 to directly access other devices, systems, and elements, such as the wells 14 and/or measurement devices 16, through wired or wireless connections without relying on the communications network 26. Thus, in some embodiments, the computing device 18 can be positioned remotely from wells 14, hydrocarbon gathering network 12, and/or measurement devices 16. Alternatively, the computing device 18 can be integrated with one or more of the measurement devices 16 for use with a common housing and components.

Various functions that can be performed by the system 10 are illustrated in FIG. 4. For example, in some embodiments the system 10 can: acquire well volume data, referenced at step 100; compare acquired well volume data with target well volume data, referenced at step 102; assign one or more loss production codes based on the comparison, referenced at step 104; detect a hydrocarbon production trend, referenced at step 106; and adjust a hydrocarbon production process, referenced at step 108.

Some of the steps illustrated in FIG. 4 can represent one or more code segments comprising at least a portion of a computer program executed by the computing device 18. Steps 100-108 can be performed in any order and are not limited to the specific order described herein. Steps 100-108 can be performed simultaneously or concurrently such that the illustrated steps are not necessarily sequential. Further, steps 100-108 are not each necessarily performed by all embodiments of the present invention.

In step 100, well volume data corresponding to one or more of the wells 14 is acquired. In some embodiments, well volume data is acquired for each of the wells 14 comprising the hydrocarbon gathering network 12. However, as discussed above, well volume data can be acquired for any static or dynamic combination of the wells 14. The well volume data can be acquired utilizing one or more of the measurement devices 16 as discussed above. For example, each measurement device 16 can measure well volume directly, compute well volume based on acquired information, and/or acquire well volume from other devices or systems.

The computing device 18 can acquire the well volume data from one or more of the measurement devices 16. For example, in embodiments where the computing device 18 is remote from the measurement devices 16, the computing device 18 can access one or more of the measurement devices 16 utilizing the communications element 24. The computing device 18 can also communicate with one or more of the measurement devices 16 indirectly, such as where an intermediate system stores data provided by the measurement devices. For example, in some embodiments as shown in FIG. 3, a database 28 can be adapted to communicate with both the computing device 18 and measurement devices 16 to store well volume data for acquisition by the computing device 18. The computing device 18 can also acquire the well volume data through a user input, such as where a user inputs information corresponding to well volume data to the computing device 18 utilizing an input device such as a keyboard and/or mouse.

The computing device 18 can be operable to directly acquire well volume data from other devices such as the database 28 and/or measurement devices 16. Additionally or alternatively, the computing device 18 can acquire data and information other than well volume data from various sources such as the measurement devices 16, database 28, user inputs, combinations thereof, and the like, and calculate and/or estimate the well volume data utilizing the acquired information. Thus, the computing device 18 can acquire the well volume data by processing information and need not directly acquire the well volume data from the measurement devices 16.

The computing device 18 can store the acquired well volume data within the memory 20 and/or database 28 for later access and retrieval. The computing device 18 can also sort and/or categorize acquired well volume data by corresponding well 14 and measurement device 16, date of retrieval, frequency of retrieval, combinations thereof, and the like.

In step 102, the well volume data acquired in step 100 is compared to target well volume data. “Target well volume data,” as utilized herein, refers to any data or combination of data that represents a target volume of hydrocarbon fluids extracted by one of the wells 14 over a particular time period. In some embodiments, acquired well volume data for each well 14 can be compared to target well volume data for each well 14 to identify any variance between the volumes. Additionally or alternatively, acquired well volume data for any groups or combinations of the wells 14 can be compared to target well volume data for any groups or combinations of the wells 14.

The target well volume data can be a predetermined value stored by the computing device 18, memory 20, database 28, and/or other portions of the system 10. Thus, the value of the target well volume data for each well 14 can be defined by the user and/or the computing device 18 prior to the comparison of step 102 to correspond to a desired, expected, and/or previous well volume. For example, the user can select the value of the target well volume data to correspond to an expected production amount derived from previous well performance, geophysical analysis, statistical analysis, combinations thereof, and the like.

In some embodiments the target well volume data can be dynamically generated by the computing device 18 in response to various user inputs, acquired well volume data, system 10 information and configuration, combinations thereof, and the like. For example, the computing device 18 can dynamically calculate the target well volume data in step 102 based on present conditions of the hydrocarbon gathering network 12 such that it is not necessary to utilize predetermined values.

In various embodiments, the computing device 18 is operable to compare acquired well volume data and target well volume data. However, in some embodiments, other portions of the system 10, such as one or more of the measurement devices 16, can perform the comparison of step 102. The results of the comparison, such as if the acquired and target well volumes differ and/or the extent to which the well volumes differ, can be stored within the memory 20 and/or database 28 for later access and retrieval.

Further, in some embodiments, the acquired well volume data and target well volume data for one or more of the wells 14 can be compared to determine if the acquired well volume data varies from the target well volume data by more than a tolerance volume. If the acquired well volume data varies from the target well volume data by more than the tolerance volume, the computing device 18 can flag or otherwise identify the particular well 14 to which the acquired well volume data corresponds and store an indication of the flagging or identification within the memory 20 and/or database 28.

The tolerance volume can be a predefined volume generated by the user or the computing device 18 and stored by the computing device 18, memory 20, and/or database 28. For example, the user can select the tolerance volume to enable substantially underperforming wells to be identified. The value of the tolerance volume can itself be a volume and/or a percent of the target well volume data. For example, if the acquired well volume data varies from the target well volume data by more than ten percent, the computing device 18 can flag the well 14 corresponding to the acquired well volume data. Further, the tolerance volume can be the same for all wells 14 or groups of wells 14 and/or be individually selected for each well 14 for which well volume data is acquired.

In step 104, a loss production code can be assigned to at least one of the wells 14 based on the comparison performed in step 102. The loss production code can indicate the performance of the wells 14, such as the extent to which the acquired well volume data satisfies the target well volume data for each well 14. In some embodiments, the loss production code is assigned to one of the wells 14 only if the comparison of step 102 indicates that the acquired well volume data corresponding to the particular well 14 varies from the target well volume data by more than the tolerance volume discussed above. Thus, for example, at least one loss production code can be assigned to each well 14 flagged by the computing device 18 in step 104.

In some embodiments, the computing device 18 and/or the user of the computing device 18 can ascertain the cause of the variance between the acquired well volume data and target well volume data and select one or more loss production codes that correspond to the cause of the variance. Various exemplary production codes are provided below in Table 1.

TABLE 1
			4-Commercial
1-Wells	2-Facilities	3-Export	Losses	5-Other
1.1	2.1	3.1	4.1	5.1
Well Integrity	Turbo-	1st Party	Commercial	Fuel &
	Machinery	Operated	Losses	Flare
1.2	2.2	3.2		5.2
Artificial Lift	Other Rotating	Third-		Extreme
or Wellbore	Equipment	Party		Conditions
Hydraulics		Operated
1.3	2.3
Simultaneous	Process Upsets
Operations
1.4	2.4
Downhole	Plant
Maintenance or	Turnaround
Optimization
1.5	2.5
Regulatory,	Facility
Compliance, or	Maintenance or
Surveillance	Modification
1.6	2.6
Downhole	Pipeline
Impairment	Integrity
	2.7
	Gathering
	System Flow
	Assurance &
	Hydraulics
	2.8
	Power &Fuel
	2.9
	Instrumentation
	and Control
	2.10
	Work Process
	&Human
	Performance
	2.11 Facility
	Capacity
	2.12 3rd Party

Thus, if the comparison in step 102 indicates that acquired well volume data corresponding to a particular well 14 varies from the target well volume data for the particular well 14 by more than the tolerance volume, the computing device 18 and/or user can select one or more of the loss production codes to assign to the particular well 14. For example, the user can identify the cause of a variance from the target volume data as extreme weather (code 6.1) and a turbo-machinery malfunction (code 2.1). Such production codes can be assigned to each well 14 flagged by the computing device 18 in step 102, to all wells 14, and/or only a selected portion of the wells 14.

In some embodiments, the user can manually investigate or otherwise identify the cause of the variance and assign one or more corresponding loss production codes accordingly. For example, the computing device 18 may visually or audibly prompt the user to enter one or more of the loss production codes based on the comparison. Additionally or alternatively, the computing device 18 can automatically assign one or more loss production codes based on information available from the user, the memory 20, the database 28, the hydrocarbon gathering network 12, combinations thereof, and the like. For example, the computing device 18 can be configured to identify various well and equipment configurations automatically and assign corresponding loss production codes to wells 14 based on the comparison of step 104 without any input by the user. However, in some embodiments the user and/or computing device 18 may be limited to assigning a single loss production code for each well volume comparison to facilitate the trend analysis discussed below.

As should be appreciated, embodiments of the present invention can employ any loss production codes for assignment to the wells 14 as the codes listed in Table 1 are merely exemplary. In various embodiments, the number of loss production codes is sufficient to enable one or more hydrocarbon production trends to be easily identified in step 106. Thus, in some embodiments, it may be desirable to maximize the number of assignable loss production codes. However, any number of loss production codes and type of loss production codes can be utilized by embodiments of the present invention.

The assigned loss production codes and an indication of the each code's corresponding well 14 can be stored by the computing device 18 within the memory 20 and/or database 28 for later access and retrieval. Additionally or alternatively, the assigned loss production codes and corresponding well indications can be provided to the communications network 26 for access by other devices and systems.

In step 106, a hydrocarbon production trend is detected utilizing one or more of the loss production codes assigned in step 104. For example, the computing device 18 and/or the user can utilize the assigned loss production codes to identify one or more hydrocarbon production trends. For example, based upon assigned loss production codes, the user and/or the computing device 18 could detect that a decrease in hydrocarbon production is associated with the use of a certain pump that fails under high temperatures. Similarly, the computing device 18 and/or user could detect that an increase in hydrocarbon production is associated with a particular maintenance schedule, facility, operator, and the like. As such, the hydrocarbon production trend may be detected utilizing any combination of the loss production codes assigned in step 104.

Thus, through the correlation of assigned loss production codes and increased or decreased hydrocarbon production, embodiments of the present invention enable one or more hydrocarbon production trends to be easily identified even when the hydrocarbon gathering network 12 includes a significant number of wells 14. Information associated with the detected hydrocarbon production trend can be presented on the display 22 to enable understanding by the user and/or stored within the memory 20 and/or database 28 for later access and retrieval.

In some embodiments, steps 100-106 can be repeated such that the detected hydrocarbon production trend represents a hydrocarbon production trend over a period of time. For example, steps 100-104 can be performed on a daily or weekly basis, such as where the acquired well volume data corresponds to a daily production volume, the target well volume data corresponds to a target daily production, and the loss production codes are assigned on a daily or weekly basis. The detected hydrocarbon production trend can thus correspond to daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, bimonthly, semi-annual, and/or annual production trends. Similarly, a plurality of hydrocarbon production trends can be detected each corresponding to varying periods of time.

In step 108, a hydrocarbon production process can be adjusted based upon the hydrocarbon production trend detected in step 106. For example, if the detected hydrocarbon production trend indicates that a particular type of equipment is prone to failure, the user can replace the failure-prone equipment to increase hydrocarbon production. Similarly, maintenance schedules and the like can be adjusted based on one or more detected hydrocarbon production trends. The user may provide the computing device 18 an indication of the adjustment to enable the computing device 18 to utilize the indication to facilitate in the detection of hydrocarbon production trends.

Detected hydrocarbon production trends may also be evaluated on a periodic basis, such as monthly, quarterly, yearly, and the like, to allow the user to adjust hydrocarbon production processes only at specific intervals. Thus, the hydrocarbon production process may be evaluated at intervals different than those represented by the detected hydrocarbon production trend. As should be appreciated, hydrocarbon production processes can be adjusted in any manner based upon the detected hydrocarbon production trends and are not limited to the examples provided above.

Embodiments of the present invention thus enable hydrocarbon production trends to be easily and rapidly identified in steps 100-106 and appropriate corrections to be implemented in step 108 to reduce downtime and increase production and well optimization.

As used herein, the terms “a,” “an,” “the,” and “said” means one or more.

As used herein, the term “and/or,” when used in a list of two or more items, means that any one of the listed items can be employed by itself, or any combination of two or more of the listed items can be employed. For example, if a composition is described as containing components A, B, and/or C, the composition can contain A alone; B alone; C alone; A and B in combination; A and C in combination; B and C in combination; or A, B, and C in combination.

As used herein, the terms “comprising,” “comprises,” and “comprise” are open-ended transition terms used to transition from a subject recited before the term to one or elements recited after the term, where the element or elements listed after the transition term are not necessarily the only elements that make up of the subject.

As used herein, the terms “containing,” “contains,” and “contain” have the same open-ended meaning as “comprising,” “comprises,” and “comprise,” provided below.

As used herein, the terms “having,” “has,” and “have” have the same open-ended meaning as “comprising,” “comprises,” and “comprise,” provided above

As used herein, the terms “including,” “includes,” and “include” have the same open-ended meaning as “comprising,” “comprises,” and “comprise,” provided above.

As used herein, the term “computer-readable medium” means any element or combination of elements that can contain, store, communicate, propagate or transport at least a portion of a computer program for use by or in connection with one or more computing devices.

As used herein, the term “well volume data,” means any data or combination of data that represents the volume of hydrocarbon fluids extracted by one of the wells 14 over a particular time period.

As used herein, the term “target well volume data,” means any data or combination of data that represents a target volume of hydrocarbon fluids extracted by one of the wells 14 over a particular time period.

The preferred forms of the invention described above are to be used as illustration only, and should not be used in a limiting sense to interpret the scope of the present invention. Modifications to the exemplary embodiments, set forth above, could be readily made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

The inventors hereby state their intent to rely on the Doctrine of Equivalents to determine and assess the reasonably fair scope of the present invention as it pertains to any apparatus not materially departing from but outside the literal scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. A method for detecting a hydrocarbon production trend, said method comprising:

(a) accessing loss production codes assigned to a plurality of hydrocarbon-producing wells; and

(b) detecting a hydrocarbon production trend utilizing said assigned loss production codes.

2. The method of claim 1, further including before (a)—

(c) assigning said loss production codes to said plurality of hydrocarbon-producing wells based on a comparison of acquired and target well volume data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said well volume data comparison is performed by a computing device and said assigned loss production codes are inputted by a user to said computing device.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein (c) includes assigning one of said loss production codes to a first of said hydrocarbon-producing wells only if said comparison indicates that said acquired well volume data for said first hydrocarbon-producing well varies from said target well volume data for said first hydrocarbon-producing well by more than a tolerance volume.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein at least one of said loss production codes are assigned to each hydrocarbon-producing well corresponding to acquired well volume data that varies from said target well volume data by more than said tolerance volume.

6. The method of claim 2, further including before (a)—

(d) acquiring well volume data corresponding to said plurality of hydrocarbon-producing wells.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said user acquires said well volume data by instructing said computing device to access a plurality of measurement devices positioned in a hydrocarbon gathering network.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting a hydrocarbon production process based on said detected hydrocarbon production trend.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising repeating (a) and (b) such that said detected hydrocarbon production trend represents a hydrocarbon production trend over a period of time.

10. A method for detecting a hydrocarbon production trend, said method comprising:

(a) acquiring well volume data corresponding to a plurality of hydrocarbon-producing wells;

(b) comparing said acquired well volume data with target well volume data;

(c) assigning a loss production code to at least one of said hydrocarbon-producing wells based on said comparison; and

(d) detecting a hydrocarbon production trend utilizing said assigned loss production code.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising adjusting a hydrocarbon production process based on said detected hydrocarbon production trend.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising indicating said detected hydrocarbon production trend on a human-readable display.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein (a) includes acquiring said well volume data from a plurality of measurement devices positioned in a hydrocarbon gathering network.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein (a) includes acquiring said well volume data from a computer-readable memory.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein (c) includes assigning said loss production code to at least one of said hydrocarbon-producing wells only if said comparison of (b) indicates that said acquired well volume data varies from said target well volume data by more than a tolerance volume.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said tolerance volume is predetermined.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein at least one of a plurality of loss production codes are assigned to each hydrocarbon-producing well corresponding to acquired well volume data that varies from said target well volume data by more than said tolerance volume.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising repeating (a) through (c) such that the detected hydrocarbon production trend represents a hydrocarbon production trend over a period of time.

19. A system for detecting a hydrocarbon production trend, said system comprising:

a plurality of measurement devices positioned in a hydrocarbon gathering network, said measurement devices operable to acquire well volume data corresponding to a plurality of hydrocarbon-producing wells; and

a computing device coupled with at least one of said measurement devices, said computing device operable to— acquire said well volume data from at least one of said measurement devices, compare said acquired well volume data for each of said hydrocarbon-producing wells with target well volume data for each of said hydrocarbon-producing wells, provide an indication of said comparisons to a user, and receive a loss production code from said user in response to at least one of said comparisons and assign said received loss production code to at least one of said hydrocarbon-producing wells.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein said computing device is operable to access at least one of said measurement devices through a communications network.

21. The system of claim 19, further comprising a human-readable display coupled with said computing device and operable to visually present said indication of said comparisons.

22. The system of claim 19, further comprising a computer-readable memory coupled with said computing device and operable to store data corresponding to assigned loss production codes.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein said computing device is further operable to prompt said user for said loss production code for a first of said hydrocarbon-producing wells only if said comparison indicates that said acquired well volume data for said first hydrocarbon-producing well varies from said target well volume data for said first hydrocarbon-producing well by more than a tolerance volume.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein said tolerance volume is a predetermined volume stored in a computer-readable memory.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein said computing device is further operable to prompt said user for said loss production code for each hydrocarbon-producing well that corresponds to acquired well volume data that varies from target well volume data by more than said tolerance volume.