Real-Time Asset Management: From Vision to Engagement - An Operator's Experience
Authors: Denney Dennis 
Published: February 2015

This article, written by Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper SPE 96390, “Real-Time Asset Management: From Vision to Engagement—An Operator’s Experience,” by T. Unneland, SPE, Chevron Intl. E&P, and M. Hauser, SPE, Chevron Energy Technology Co., prepared for the 2005 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Dallas, 9–12 October.

Several oil and gas operators are working to develop their vision for an oil field of the future, testing new technologies, setting up programs, and participating in industry events. The vision is an integrated approach allowing more real-time control of asset management. Names used to describe this trend include smart field, digital oil field, next-generation oil field, field of the future, e-field, instrumented field, and intelligent energy. However, there is still uncertainty as to what must be done and what value it will bring to the industry.

Introduction

The vision of a digital oil field is that of real-time monitoring, analysis, and control for optimum field management. The vision moves a step nearer reality when the hardware and the gathered data are connected to field-performance models, in which the information is continually analyzed and reactions optimized in line with a given strategy (e.g., maximize oil production). However, the emerging shift from episodic to continuous data use in the upstream oil and gas industry is a significant challenge.

Chevron has pursued opportunities that could significantly shift the mode of managing upstream assets. A new effort, i-field, was launched in 2002 to achieve wide-spread integration of processes and associated technologies across all related assets. The vision is to transform how the company operates, with real-time instrumentation delivering real-time information, allowing real-time implementation of decisions, with processes coordinated to bring innovative solutions to the assets’ needs—hence, i-field. The key aspect is integration.

Asset-Management Challenges

With the development of new downhole and surface sensors, our ability to measure is ahead of our ability to use the data. Many assets are inundated with data that are hardly used for surveillance, analysis, or optimization, and reservoir-management elements may not be systematically integrated (i.e., the data are not merged and managed consistently). Often, the tools used most frequently for surveillance and analysis are widely available spreadsheet programs that were never designed to accommodate continuous data. Other challenges include facilities management that frequently is separate from management of the subsurface work processes, and there usually is no direct link between real-time data and numerical or geological models. Consequently, many professionals spend 60 to 80% of their time finding and preparing data instead of focusing on improving the quality of the decisions.

Concept—What Is an i-Field?

The objective of i-field is continuous optimization of the production of hydrocarbons from the reservoir to the sales point. New technologies, processes, and ways of working must be integrated and delivered across the asset base. Improved decision making will in turn improve upstream operational excellence, reliability, and efficiency.