Page 355 - Intelligent Digital Oil And Gas Fields

298 Intelligent Digital Oil and Gas Fields

(CWEs) or decision support centers (DSC), which are designed for collab-
oration from multiple disciplines using fit-for-purpose workflow visualiza-
tion that integrate across an operational value chain. These spaces can be
categorized (depending on their business operations) as meeting rooms, sit-
uation rooms, real-time operation centers (RTOC), and CWE (which is
typically considered the most advanced). The visualization requirements
for monitors and screens to display in real time, and multiple sources of
raw and processed data were presented in Chapter 1.
For the KwIDF project, Kuwait Oil Company had two large collabora-
tion rooms (Al-Jasmi et al., 2013). The paper has a schematic diagram of the
extensive center in Ahmadi, which has two large collaboration areas and a
strategy team room, which can be opened or divided by motorized retract-
able walls. Each area has multiple large flat panel touch-enabled screens for
displaying real-time data from multiple data sources, for example, artificial
lift, production allocation, pressures, temperatures, flow rates, power units,
etc. Multiple desks have networked, motorized adjustable displays. KwIDF
for the North Kuwait asset is intended to monitor, diagnose, and operate
from these centers and be staffed by multidiscipline teams (Al-Jasmi et al.,
2013). As a somewhat different approach, Shell established fit-for-purpose
centers throughout the company as summarized in Table 8.3 (Van den
Berg et al., 2014; Van den Berg et al., 2015a,b). Van den Berg et al.
(2015a,b) describe the fit-for-purpose centers summarized in Table 8.3
and illustrated in Fig. 8.4.
Goodwin et al. (2010) have reported that BP’s advanced collaborative
environment (ACE) programs required significant expenditure but provide
significant benefits (Section 8.2.2). ACEs were established around the world
for BP assets and included onshore operations support centers for offshore
operations, including centers for the Gulf of Mexico, UK North sea sector,
Trinidad and Tobago, and Azerbaijan. A common thread was that the cen-
ters had the communication, videoconferencing, and collaborative work
areas so that multidiscipline teams could make decisions in real time on a
variety of producing operations.
From reading descriptions of the KOC’s KwIDF, BP, and Shell collab-
orative centers, one might conclude that implementing a CWE means large
expenditures, even in millions of dollars for dedicated large centers.
However, in our experiences working with small and mid-sized indepen-
dent operators and the fact that equipment costs continue to decrease, a
CWE can be designed at a relatively low cost, depending on the objective