Barriers to the Implementation of Real-Time Drilling Operations Strategy

摘要

Many industry insiders and analysts believe that the creation of real-time operating centers to achieve drilling optimization isthe key to solving numerous challenges encountered by the industry. Even with a significant investment and the developmentof state-of-the-art facilities by major operators, however, the incorporation of real-time center operations in the field hasoccurred more slowly than anticipated. In 2009, the SPE Real-Time Optimization Technical Interest Group (RTO TIG) surveyed the drilling community, includingoil companies, operators, and consultants, to assess the progress of the industry toward drilling optimization through the use ofreal-time operating centers. This survey identifies barriers to real-time center use and adoption, and assesses the use of technicaland business tools at each stage of the real-time process, ranging from data collection to decision making and field action. This paper summarizes the results of the survey and analyzes its findings. The survey covers the entire value chain inoilfield drilling services, from preliminary modeling and planning to actual drilling. With data collected from more than 150respondents, the survey findings indicate that the industry perceives that few substantial obstacles remain in the adoption ofreal-time centers and that progress in real-time drilling optimization is being made. Although many respondents predict thatthe remaining barriers will eventually be overcome, the RTO TIG believes that by identifying and highlighting these barriers,and by exploring the most persistent barriers to adoption, we can illuminate methods by which the industry can achieve fastergains in real-time adoption and performance. The survey finds that many companies have acquired the technology necessary for real-time operations, yet have failed toachieve real-time performance in the implementation of this technology. This paper assesses implementation roadblocks byexamining the real-time process, including modeling and planning, data acquisition, analysis, decision, field action, andprocess improvement.