Intelligent Technology, Well Management Miracle - Fact or Fantasy

摘要

Despite the very substantial sums invested in its developmentrnduring recent years, and in spite of the fanfares heralding itsrnarrival, the uptake of “intelligent” or “smart” well technology,rnparticularly the so-called “high end” devices, has beenrnsluggish at best. If the claims made by the suppliers are to bernbelieved, it would appear that the main reasons for this poorrnuptake are risk aversion and/or lethargy amongst thernOperators.rnThis paper challenges these assertions, suggesting alternativernreasons why interest remains muted, but also proposesrnpotential solutions. Although risk aversion is almost certainlyrna contributory factor, the primary contention is that the marketrnwas never properly researched, or understood (value and costrndrivers), and thus the wrong technology may have beenrndeveloped and promoted. Why this might have happened isrnopen to conjecture; however ineffective customer engagementrnat the outset, resulting in a misalignment in terms of requiredrnfunctionality, incompatibility with new generation wellrndesigns or simply that the development of this technologyrnhappened too late, are all postulated as possible causes.rnWhatever the reasons, the ability to remotely monitor andrncontrol wells, and individual intervals, remains a key enablerrnfor the optimal, economic development of many assets.rnHowever, unless measures are taken by suppliers to fullyrnunderstand the market, and develop equipment with thernappropriate functionality, it is likely the technology willrnremain niche and have minimal long term industry impact. Onrna brighter note, it is believed that new generation concepts arernemerging that, if exploited coherently, have the capability ofrnunlocking the value that the first generation technology wasrnexpected to deliver.rnThe purpose of this paper is thus not to stifle technologicalrninnovation, but to challenge the value of the current intelligentrnwell toolbox, and promote potential alternatives that havernhigher value to both Vendor and Operator.