Real-Time Operations Support for Geographically Dispersed Operations
Authors: Kucs Richard , Lehnert Wolfgang , Thorogood John , Spoerker Hermann , Whatson Neal 
Published: August 2016

This paper addresses the problem faced by an operator working on a much smaller scale needing to provide a few geographically dispersed rigs with the benefits of real-time support technologies through high-quality communications and a clearly defined work flow involving collaborative working between the rig, operations office, and the head office in Europe. We describe how the real-time systems were implemented for a number of global drilling operations without installing a real-time operation center. A case study of implementation in one area is presented.

This approach enabled the decision makers in the field to access the experience of and support from the rest of the organization. The global real-time collaboration environment allowed the specialists to direct their attention, as required, to operations most in need of support at any particular time. By not installing a real-time operations center, the organization saved resources and encouraged the local teams to use the analysis tools themselves to manage their operational performance.

The head-office organization provided technical and administrative support. It facilitated the design of the work flows and set common standards for the information-technology and communications architecture. The work flows were essential to create a structure for using the software tools within a local drilling team and to make sure that problems were detected as early as possible. The work flows aimed to strike a balance between not allowing early-warning signals to be overlooked while giving the operations team the freedom to responsibly manage the operation on the rig. Through the way that the system and the work flows were used on a daily basis, the rig personnel gained confidence that the system was set up purely to support them and for their benefit. The design and the implementation of these work flows used state of the art real-time drilling-data analysis and drilling-support tools.

The setup of the infrastructure and software worked surprisingly well because of permanent communication between all stakeholders in the organization. The fully operational status was reached without the need for any capital expenditure, and the operating costs are low because of nearly no additional personnel requirements for the operator. The organizational changes to increase collaboration and support in the dispersed organization are harder to implement. Especially the development of an up-to-date skill map of the drilling-skill pool is a challenge. The methodology defining how and when to escalate a support request upward in the operator's organization was proved to work satisfactorily. When operational problems were encountered, by acting as a knowledge broker, the central organization drew from its worldwide skill pool to organize problem-specific multidisciplinary support for problem-solving, peer review, and functional sign-off for program changes. These “on-call” teams ensured that the knowledge of the organization was leveraged and experience shared. It enabled the head-office organization to provide resources to assist in following up that the analysis of positive and negative events will be performed properly and result in lessons learned and updated best practice.