Real-Time Production-A Virtual Dream or Reality? The Case of Remote Surveillanceof ESP and Multiphase Flowmeters

摘要

A number of real time enablements of productionengineering workflows shows various degrees of success anduptake upon implementation. It is possible to extract from thevarious types of challenges and difficulties a number ofguidelines to ensure that the real-time production workflowimplementations, deployments and utilizations have the largestchance of successes. A number of real time project haveresulted in surprising initial drop of production figures ratherthan being immediate successes is part of the explanation ofthe 30% drop of the implementations within a first couple ofyears of commissioning.With a larger number of implementations now availableworldwide, green field operations are designed from day onewith smart/digital capabilities. There is little discussion of theactual value of such massive data gathering capabilities, andits initial cost sunk into the overall project capital expenditure.The case implementation of smart/digital acquisition system inbrown fields is much more challenging. The tight operationalbudgets associated with such operations require clear businessand value case.The difference between opportunistic value and guaranteedvalue is a key element of the decision process and must beclearly identified. The paper offers a number ofrecommendations based on examples to establish thedifference between the various approaches.The issue of initial cost of implementation is a clearshowstopper to many of these implementations. They must bemanaged well and it is quite important that the total cost ofownership be well defined and funded initially. New webbased services such as the remote monitoring of ESP pumps ormultiphase flowmeters allows for low initial investments todemonstrate the true value of real time production workflows.The ability of experts to “see” and “act” on data put in thecorrect context is becoming more and more essential asequipment and measurements are becoming more and moresophisticated. Finally there starts to be a consensus on a newand essential job description of a breed of technicians andengineers who are willing and capable to attend tounscheduled notifications of events from remote productionequipment in due time. These “surveillance” engineers are thebasis of the success of the deployments of real time productionand interpretation workflows.