Page 20 - Intelligent Digital Oil And Gas Fields

Introduction to Digital Oil and Gas Field Systems 3

(A) (B)

(C) (D)
Fig. 1.2 (A) Offshore oil production platform, (B) subsea well production template,
(C) onshore production from artificial lifted wells, and (D) operations center.

what will be possible in the near future. This chapter provides an introduc-
tion to DOF and the subsequent topics to be covered.

1.1 WHAT IS A DIGITAL OIL AND GAS FIELD?
When many people first hear the term digital oil field they visualize
things such as computer displays where you can drag-and-drop digital
objects and push buttons to monitor and automate the equipment used in
oil and gas field operations. This common vision most definitely describes
the interface for a DOF system. But behind the crystal screens are many
sensors, cables, circuits, electronic switches, logic algorithms, and com-
puters, which are integrated with the specialized instrumentation and
equipment—below ground and on the surface—required to run oil and
gas fields. This sophisticated collection of technology is further integrated
with processes and people into a single system that allows people to interface
with the computer technology to optimize the operations of oil and gas
fields. It is this collection of technology, processes, and people into an intel-
ligent system that we refer to as the DOF.
DOF systems are commonly known for the promise of delivering the
right data, to the right people, at the right time for effective asset decision