Turning fast talk into fast results

摘要

The digital oil field concept has come a long way in a short time, with results in terms of increased production now backing up all the early talk. The implementation of intelligent energy or "smart" digital oil field technologies has been a hot topic for the upstream industry. It's come a long way in a relatively short time (about 10 years), with a lot of talk and behind-the-scenes development early on and not much proof. As a result, it is still viewed by some as an item to be filed in the "IT folder," with its impact on day-to-day operations negligible. As the approach is more firmly embedded in companies around the world, the results in terms of rising production levels are starting to speak for themselves. In the early days of implementation it was hard to quantify the benefits, but BP is one company that, via its Field of the Future program, is reaping the rewards. While chatting with BP's Steve Roberts, vice president of the flagship technology program, at the SPE Intelligent Energy International event in Utrecht, the Netherlands, Roberts made it clear the company is seeing quantifiable production optimization benefits from implementing intelligent energy solutions.