Page 32 - Intelligent Digital Oil And Gas Fields

Introduction to Digital Oil and Gas Field Systems 13

dedicated staff and complete workflow mobile communication with field
operations staff. Collaboration reaches very high levels with synergy
between disciplines. Communication with field operations staff is via
closed-circuit TV, video, and chatting.

1.5 MAIN COMPONENTS OF THE DOF
Holland (2012) described three major and essential components for
DOF adoption: (1) work processes, (2) technology architecture, and (3)
organization (people). These three major components aim in one direction
to achieve a company’s vision and strategy goals, measures, and incentives.
As any large project, DOF is a confluence of people, technology, and pro-
cess. The main components are then overlaid in what we call the core of
DOF (Fig. 1.6), which has five main areas that must be fully synchronized
to implement a successful DOF solution: sensing and control, data manage-
ment, workflow automation, visualization, and collaboration.

1.5.1 Instrumentation, Remote Sensing, and Telemetry of Real-
Time Processes

This area focuses on the equipment and technology in the physical oil and
gas operations, both on the surface and downhole, required for telemetry,
the remote collection and transmission of data required to monitor, opti-
mize, and automate operations. The wellhead includes a series of mechanical
or electronic devices (gauges) to measure in real-time pressure, temperature,
fluids, and other special data such as chemicals, solids detection, and radia-
tion (Fig. 1.7). Downhole locations are equipped with another family of
sensors specially designed to work in high-temperature and high-pressure
conditions. Sensors are connected to electrical cables that send analog pulses
to a control panel located close to the wellhead.
The control panel consists of many hardware components for the analog-
to-digital signal conversion. A key component includes remote terminal
units (RTU) and programmable logic controllers (PLC), which perform
similar functions. They are connected to sensors with cables, and they send
digital data to the transmission hardware using wireless equipment that
includes Ethernet, switchboards, WiMAX (microwave signals), and routers
all connected to a CPU, which is often powered by a solar panel. The router
sends the digital data to SCADA as shown in Fig. 1.8.
Chapter 2 describes of these equipment in detail.