ENGINEERING-MANAGEMENT REPORT ON THE APPLICATION OF A MINI-COMPUTER SYSTEM FOR DATA MANAGEMENT AND EXPERIMENTAL CONTROL IN AN ENHANCED OIL RECOVERY LABORATORY

Origin and Background. Petroleum and petroleum-derived products are vital to our society. The supply of petroleum is limited, and it is important that petroleum be produced as efficiently as possible. Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) is used to improve the overall efficiency of petroleum production. The Tertiary Oil Recovery Project (TORP) Laboratory at the University of Kansas was established for EOR research and the application of Tertiary Oil Recovery (TOR) methods to Kansas fields. The work described in this report was performed during January 1974 through January 1978.;The project is totally inclusive of all the features of an engineering project; i.e., from defining the needs of the laboratory, through designing, specifying, selecting, purchasing, installing, and demonstrating the workability of the completed project.;Design. The development of the design for the data collection and automation system for the laboratory proceeded in four phases. The phases were, in order of performance: (1) Define the requirements of the TORP Laboratory in terms of the required functions and the scale of the equipment needed. (2) Develop a knowledge of and describe in general terms alternative automation systems which could be used to satisfy the needs defined in Phase (1) above. Important features are described in this step but no evaluations are performed. (3) Evaluate the system types and select the best type or combination of types for the TORP Laboratory. The evaluation is based on cost, staffing limitations, and functional performance. (4) Develop the specifications for the TORP Laboratory automation system based on the system type(s) selected above.;Equipment Description. The laboratory automation system is structured around a NOVA 3/12 mini-computer manufactured by the Data General Corporation of Southboro, Massachusetts. The system is designed to control thermal displacement experiments and to sample and log analog and digital signals from the laboratory. Table 1 lists the major equipment used to execute the design.;Purpose and Scope. This project was conceived to improve the data handling procedures and lessen the manpower requirements for data collection and equipment control in the TORP Laboratory.;Conclusion. The project resulted in the useful and successful application of a mini-computer system for data handling and control in the TORP Laboratory at the University of Kansas.;Table 1 Equipment.;NOVA 3/12 Mini-Computer.;Diablo Series 44 Disk.;Peripherals:;Research Incorporated Output Multiplexer.;Wide-Range Analog Input System.;Magnetic Tape Subsystem.;Digital Input/Output System.;Teleprinters (2).