Distributed Manufacturing System in a Multi-Agent Approach: An Application for Oil Field Management

摘要

Multi-agent systems have been successfully used to represent distributed manufacturing systems. Each part or characteristic of the system can be represented by an agent which acts independently and in a cooperative way. Information exchange between agents and combined individual rules for each agent can lead to the emergence of a better integrated operation. Better decisions from a holistic viewpoint can be achieved when manufacturing asset management is supported by a multi-agent approach. A model to manage distributed manufacturing is proposed and applied to onshore oil fields. The distributed characteristics of oil field units, such as wells, collecting stations, compressing stations, supplies, and mean that they have to cooperate to reach production targets. The integrated management model carries out a cost analysis and helps to identify unprofitable assets and to support decision making processes as well. Agents help to reduce the load of information for the operator, giving him/her more time to focus on situations that require greater attention. Successful applications in which the proposed multi-agent model could help oil field surveillance and support decision-making process are presented.