Production Optimization and Savings Achieved in Burgan Digital Oilfield Pilot Boosts Technology Expansion Initiatives
Authors: Desai S. F. , Al-Rabah A. A. , Al-Mahmeed F.. , Al Sabea S. H. 
Published: October 2017

Digital Oilfields worldwide have accomplished many value added benefits. This paper discusses the benefits realized after implementing DOF technology in Greater Burgan Field of Kuwait. It describes how oil production is being optimized and sustained consistently. It highlights the cost savings achieved and reduction in production losses based on numerous improvements in work processes. Inevitably the ease in production management has led KOC towards further expansion.

Burgan DOF technology comprises of digital instruments and infrastructure installed on wells and production facility. Well data such as pressures, temperature, water cut, flowing status and choke size is transmitted in real time to the field operations center for continuous monitoring along with key facility data. The intelligent operations system at the main collaboration center has automated workflows and smart alarm managers to instantly detect and calculate losses from wells or facility issues. Engineers can quickly analyze and make decisions for swift remedial actions using intelligent dashboards providing options for production increase from wells with extra potential.

Significant tangible and intangible DOF benefits are seen from the continuous efficient asset production management. Oil production is being sustained at target with minimum downtime due to highly advanced monitoring. Customized dashboards and intelligent alarms help in improved diagnostics such as changes in water cut, sudden stoppage of well flow, scaling and slugging indication in wells due to pressure fluctuations from header trips or breaching of facility constraints. Production optimization scenarios are run daily calculating facility and well potential. Smart automated workflows integrating real time data with well and network models calculate opportunities for restoring or adding production quickly through the recommended wellhead choke or facility header changes. Burgan DOF has made troubleshooting easy, enabled quick and effective decisions and facilitated implementation of corrective actions much faster. It has provided KOC substantial cost savings with respect to BOPD restored and great reduction in non-productive time. In 2015-2016 three million dollars worth of cost saving was realized through restoration of 60 MBOPD by digital monitoring alone. Production optimization workflows provided an additional increase of 9 MBOPD.

DOF technology has reduced frequency of well site visits and improved HSE measures due to presence of H2S detectors and remote controlled smart chokes. State-of-the-art collaboration center provides a highly effective collaborative work environment between the stakeholders Production Operations, Field Development and Well Surveillance enabling seamless communication for quick actions. DOF technology benefits are now well recognized by KOC leadership with concerted efforts ongoing to expand it all over the Greater Burgan field while North Kuwait and West Kuwait fields are also keenly engaged in planning switching to DOF with some pilots already completed.