Intelligent Field Centers (IFCs): Integrating People, Processes and Technologies to Optimally Manage Giant Fields

Abstract

As part of the implementation of its strategic goals, Saudi Aramco effectively leverages intelligent field (I-Field) processes and technologies. The I-Field initiative (development architecture) includes four levels: Surveillance, Integration, Optimization and Innovation, with a vision for full implementation and coverage of all producing fields within the medium term. The accomplishment of this ambitious goal requires a well coordinated approach company-wide to truly benefit and extract value from the I-Field approach and practices.The value proposition of the I-Field program includes increasing production potential, recovery factor and efficiency with the most safe and environmentally sound practices. One facet of achieving this corporate objective is through enhanced reservoir management strategies and integrated multidisciplinary collaborations. One of the contributing initial elements is the creation of Intelligent Field Centers (IFCs) that will enable and facilitate collaborative decision making around reservoir management processes and tasks.The first established IFCs had emphasis on reservoir management tasks with a longer vision and a wider objective of optimizing the company's assets and operations in achieving its expanding goals. This first group of IFCs is foreseen as nuclei for a growing contemporary practice in managing the company's assets.In order to come up with the optimum design of these centers and to ensure that they meet the objectives set out by the company, a rigorous, multistage methodology was utilized that started by a comprehensive assessment study. The results of this assessment revealed several high priority workflows being performed by the reservoir management groups, which, once implemented in the IFCs, should deliver improvements in efficiency and, therefore, impacting production and ultimately increasing recoverable reserves.The assessment and design results showed critical cross-functional and I-Field requirements, such as collaboration, change management, integration, interoperability and openness, automation and knowledge capture. This paper will detail the methodology followed in assessing the requirements and designing the use of the IFCs.

Integrated Operations: Value and Approach in the Oil Industry

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Intelligent Field Infrastructure Adoption: Approach and Best Practices

“…The final specific instrumentation selection is based on updated users' requirements, latest technology feature functionalities. As discussed in (Barghouty et al 2010 andAbdulKarim, et al 2010), the plan essential objective is reliably collecting, delivering, and presenting the end user's required performance data and provide intervention capabilities, Fig.1.…”

Overview of Saudi Aramco's Intelligent Field Program

“…• Eight high priority key reservoir management workflows were selected (Barghouty et al 2010) for automation in the area of Reservoir Performance and Technical Planning (Table 1). • The development and implementation of two Intelligent Field Centers (IFCs) dedicated for real-time reservoir management.…”