Methods and apparatus for remote real time oil field management

A method for remote real time oil field management, comprising:

• a) installing at least one sensor in an oil field;
• b) coupling the at least one sensor to a CPU with memory located at the oil field;
• c) programming the CPU to collect and store data from the at least one sensor;
• d) programming the CPU to at least partially analyze the data;
• e) providing remote access to the data;
• and
• f) programming the CPU to determine whether results of the at least partial analysis correspond to an anomaly, wherein said anomaly is a parameter going out of bounds within a predetermined interval.

A method for remote real time oil field management, comprising:

• a) installing at least one sensor in an oil field;
• b) coupling the at least one sensor to a CPU with memory located at the oil field;
• c) programming the CPU to collect and store data from the at least one sensor;
• and
• d) providing remote access to the data, wherein
• said step of programming the CPU to store data includes programming the CPU to decimate based on age of the data.

An apparatus for remote real time oil field management, comprising:

• a) at lease one sensor installed in an oil field;
• b) at least one CPU with memory located at the oil field coupled to said at least one sensor, said at least one CPU being programmed to collect data from said at least one sensor and store the date in said memory;
• and
• c) communications means for coupling said CPU to a communications network, wherein said CPU is programmed to determine covariance of the data.

An apparatus for remote real time oil field management, comprising:

• a) at least one sensor installed in an oil field;
• b) at least one CPU with memory located at the oil field coupled to said at least one sensor, said at least one CPU being programmed to collect data from said at least one sensor and store the data in said memory;
• and
• c) communications means for coupling said CPU to a communications network, wherein said CPU is programmed to at least partially analyze the data, said CPU is programmed to determine whether results of the at least partial analysis correspond to an anomaly and said anomaly is a parameter going out of bounds within a predetermined interval.

An apparatus for remote real time oil field management, comprising:

• a) at least one sensor installed in an oil field;
• b) at least one CPU with memory located at the oil field coupled to said at least one sensor, said at least one CPU being programmed to collect data from said at least one sensor and store the data in said memory;
• c) communications means for coupling said CPU to a communications network;
• and
• d) data compression means for compressing data stored by said CPU, wherein said data compression means includes means for decimating data based on age of the data.

A method, comprising:

• a) installing at least one sensor in an oil field;
• b) coupling the at least one sensor to a CPU with memory located at the oil field;
• c) programming the CPU to collect and store data from the at least one sensor;
• d) providing remote access to the data;
• e) programming the CPU to at least partially analyze the data;
• and
• f) programming the CPU to apply a correlation function, wherein said step of programming the CPU to apply a correlation function includes programming the CPU to
• i. let active wells produce or inject with a nearly constant rate;
• and
• ii. perform a periodic flowrate pulsing of the wells in a manner whereby the active wells are not pulsed at the same time or with the same amplitude.