Digital Energy; From Reservoir to Cash Register - the Convergence of the Oilfield & IT
Authors: Schroeder Art  J. , David Archer David J. 
Published: October 2008

This set of speaker notes introduces the subject, which is the topic of a panel discussion for the 2003 Offshore Technology Conference. Participants include;Dr. Grahaeme Henderson; Chief Information Officer of Shell E & PDr. Keith Millheim; Manager, Operations, Technology & Planning - AnadarkoMr. Charles Cosad; Manager of Digital Solutions - SchlumbergerMr. John Willis; Vice-President, Real-Time Field - HalliburtonMr. Steve Comstock; Vice-President, Upstream Technical Computing - ExxonMobil

Introduction

End to end connectivity and integration, where data and information associated with an asset -from down-hole in the reservoir to the sales meter and on through to the financial reporting systems are linked together in a fashion that allows complete, real-time, and automated optimization has been envisioned for years. The combination of the billions of dollars invested in infrastructure and technology to prepare for Y2K issue, the billions more spent in new IT systems grown out of the mergers of many of the world's largest energy companies, and the dramatic drops in hardware costs and system capability - you would think we'd be there. While best practice examples of how to cost-effectively turn data into information you can use to make accurate, timely decisions are starting to emerge -there is still a gap between this vision of the future and the realities of today. The panel members will present some of these best practices and address issues such as;data verification and quality control,data integration, management and access,standardization and commonality of systemsreal-time, remote field monitoring and controlworkflow processes and decision analysis and Support Delivering light, heat and mobility to the world's six billion people in a cost effective, safe and environmentally friendly manner is the challenge - and digital energy solutions will be a huge part of the answer.

Key Points from Dr. Henderson

The emerging picture of integrated digital solutions has far reaching opportunities to the EP industry. With a reliable and secure global infrastructure, applications and data can be accessed remotely on hardware sitting in centralized locations, production can be optimized remotely, experts can be deployed and accessed independent of the physical location, and staff productivity gains and cost efficiency realized using real time collaboration. Through real examples including Smart Fields, Production Dashboards, Remote Applications and Data, Knowledge Gateways, Visualization Centers, and Collaboration Networks, the exciting future world will unfold.

Infrastructure

Shell EP has made significant progress to develop a global high capacity, fast, reliable and cost effective IT network. A standard 'locked down' desktop environment has been implemented, allowing access from all locations worldwide to both desktop and sophisticated technical applications. Bandwidth has been increased by an average of 20 times in 2002, with almost all sites now linked by fiber with multiple routes providing resilience. Further extensions to bandwidth are linked to business requirements, following an in-depth review of future applications.

Global standards for infrastructure and application development are in place, together with the early phases of optimisation of the portfolio.