Methodologies and apparatus for the recognition of production tests stability

A method for improving an accuracy of a machine in performing a well production test, the method comprising:

• receiving multiphase flowmeter data representative of a characteristic of a multiphase fluid flowing through a multiphase flowmeter;
• segmenting, by executing an instruction with a processor, the multiphase flowmeter data into time blocks;
• reducing misclassification errors in classifying a stability of the flow of the multiphase fluid through the multiphase flowmeter and identifying a representative sample of the flow for the well production test by:
• converting, by executing an instruction with the processor, the multiphase flowmeter data in at least some of the time blocks from a time domain to a frequency domain, the multiphase flowmeter data in the frequency domain including low-frequency components, which are below a frequency threshold, and high-frequency components, which are above the frequency threshold;
• performing, by executing an instruction with the processor, a first comparison of a contribution of the low-frequency components in the frequency domain relative to a contribution threshold to classify the flow as a stable flow or an unstable flow, the time blocks having the contribution of low-frequency components below the contribution threshold classified as representing the stable flow and the time blocks having the contribution of low-frequency components above the contribution threshold classified as representing the unstable flow;
• verifying the classification of the time blocks having the contribution of the low-frequency components above the contribution threshold as representing the unstable flow by performing, by executing an instruction with the processor, a second comparison of the multiphase flowmeter data in the frequency domain to a frequency cutoff threshold;
• and
• one of maintaining or adjusting, by executing an instruction with the processor, the classification of the time blocks classified as representing unstable flow based on the second comparison;
• and
• analyzing, by executing an instruction with the processor, flow stability of the flow based on the time blocks classified as representing stable flow in the time domain.