Real-Time Information to the Engineer’s Desktop - How Murphy E&P Improved Production Management

Abstract

Real Time is the new buzz in the upstream petroleum industry. So far, operators have been the main users of data measured at second or minute time increments to manage wells and keep them on production. Engineers usually see only a sub-set of the data - the daily production volumes and rates along with a few select- gauge pressure and temperature readings. The limited data means that they only see the result - the production volumes - and not the reason for a certain production parameter - e.g. choke size, pressures, temperatures. SCADA - Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition - is the system, which connects to the gauges, collects the measured data and stores it in a database. Operators on the platform have direct access to this data and use them to control the wells. If the engineers see this data at all, they usually get them through a web browser interface and in a format they cannot directly use for their analysis. One of the reasons for this is that many SCADA providers come from other industries where the needs are quite different and the network resources are much more substantial. This paper will introduce a new concept of integrating high frequency data up to the management level. Each level of the organization sees as much as they need or want to see of the high frequency data. The engineers have exactly the same view as the operators at the platform - at the same time. This might seem to be a problem at the first, but in the long term, it is an empowerment of the operators and brings engineers and operators closer together working as a team to manage the wells. The data also allowsmanagement to monitor the oil- and gas production leaving the platform to see if the target volumes are reached, or if a well is shut in. Murphy has implemented this system in all of their operated deepwater assets in the Gulf of Mexico. This paper will give insights on how drastically it transformed the way of doing their daily work, how it changed the way operators work together with engineers, and in addition, an outlook of further improvements to the system based on their experience so far. Note: All values in the figures at the end of the SPE paper are randomly generated and do not represent reality. Introduction Horizontal wells and 4D-seismic have been the last major technological advances in the upstream petroleum industry. Now, it appears, as the so-called intelligent field (also called Smart Field, e-field, i-field, etc.) will be the next major technological advance in the industry. But how is intelligent field defined? Phrases such as closed loop and self-controlled can be read in different publications. This is not what we will focus on in this paper, since a closed loop control still has a long way to go until it becomes reality. We will describe to the reader the basics for an intelligent field, starting with the following questions:What are the main problems in this domainWhat has to be done on the data management sideHow can high frequency data add value to the asset management process As the water depth of newly discovered reservoirs is getting deeper and deeper, the costs of drilling a well sharply increase. A deepwater well can typically cost USD $15MM to $50MM. The facility to support these wells may cost an additional $200–$1,000+MM. These costs have necessitated well performance monitoring to protect these investments. The wells and the platform are equipped with a variety of different sensors, measuring the performance of the wells and the platform's process train's with seconds to minute time increments.