Page 40 - Intelligent Digital Oil And Gas Fields

Introduction to Digital Oil and Gas Field Systems 21

1.6.2 How DOF Systems Address Challenges and Add Value
The best-in-class DOF projects deliver hard and soft cost-benefit analysis
for DOF implementation against key performance metrics. For example,
reducing operational costs by a certain percentage, decreasing downtime
by a certain percentage, increasing staff efficiencies, managing by exception,
optimizing production rates by a certain percentage (artificial lift), and
optimizing facility operations. There are tangible and nontangible metrics,
which can used to evaluate the DOF investment and performance:
With tangible metrics or key performance indicators, the DOF seeks to
maximize:
1. Reduce risks and minimize exposure of operators and professionals
assisting in a workplace injury. The ultimate objective is achieving the
“zero accident” performance. This is invaluable.
2. Increase production uptime or uplift.
a. Monitor reservoir decline rate or water-flooding process. While
DOF will not increase the well production over its maximum
production potential, the asset team can monitor in real time if
the oil decline rate diverges from the expected engineering calcula-
tion (plan). Moreover, with downhole equipment, DOF can detect
on time water breakthrough to control well production.
b. Detect real-time production and rate deviation from plan. In fields
with more than 50 wells and using artificial lift, operators need to go
up and above to visit locally all the wells in a day. Probably, one-third
total wells are shutting down or producing under expected value.
There is not time for operators to realize which wells have trouble-
shooting. With DOF, the operator can visualize that the troubled
wells are in trouble and react with the remedy plan.
c. Determine opportunities to increase production. Real-time data
integrated with reservoir, production, and geological models can
reveal information that are hidden by simple monitoring of
production data.
3. Increase work process efficiency.
a. Data can be sent in real time to the operation center. Troubleshoot-
ing can be anticipated that is proactive by analyzing the signal
behavior.
b. Data are stored in a structured and organized manner in operations
database using a standard industrial process, whereas in the manual
process the data are saved on personal backup units.