Realizing Value from Implementingi-field™ in a Deepwater Greenfield, Offshore Nigeria

Abstract

Digital oil field (DOF) in the upstream industry has gained momentum in the last few years and has transformed from being solely a vision to actual projects that have measurable value. The ultimate goal in DOF projects is an integrated approach towards decision making and control of asset management in relevant time. This paper describes the successful methodology adopted for implementing i-field™ in Agbami-namely, identification, prioritization, and implementation of relevant workflows.The Agbami field, located in deepwater offshore Nigeria, is a subsea development that incorporates crestal gas and peripheral water injection. It is located in ~1,500 m of water depth and consists of a 38 well-development program to be implemented in three phases. The well completion incorporates intelligent well completions (IWC)-downhole flow meters, pressure and temperature gauges, and interval control valves. These downhole accessories are managed using electric and hydraulic controls/instrumentation with subsurface, subsea, and topsides data acquired and transmitted to a central-data historian on the FPSO in relevant time. The implementation of a robust architecture for a data and information management system involving acquisition, processing, storage, and replication (from offshore to onshore) is conceived to be the foundation upon which asset management workflows are implemented.The expected benefits from implementing i-field™ in Agbami include reduction in lost production opportunity (LPO) through proactive asset management, better long-term reservoir management through timeline management of injection and productionrate balancing, increased efficiency and reliability through guided workflows, improved ultimate recovery, and better overall performance from standardization of base business work processes. The real value of implementing i-field™ initiatives in Agbami is not only justified by the return on investment but also by providing a benchmark for capturing the value by other assets. Based on field experience, this paper discusses the approach towards value realization of the i-field™ system, including changemanagement strategy for end-user acceptance. Critical success factors and lessons learned during deployment are also presented. SPE 127691The Agbami i-field™ opportunity was to design and implement by first oil, an integrated, multi-disciplinary series of work processes, tools, and technologies that will enable the asset team to make better and timely decisions, thereby sustaining the production plateau and enhancing the value of the Agbami asset. This goal was achieved in July 2008, when Agbami achieved first oil and several priority workflows were implemented to support start-up and ramp-up phases 1 . Subsequently, several other workflows were implemented to enable and support well-reliability monitoring, reservoir management, and production optimization work processes.This paper is a sequel to the earlier work 1 describing the i-field™ initiatives in Agbami. In addition to the vision and methodology adopted for...