Meeting energy production targets is a constant battle for global oil & gas producers. Today, the International Digital Oilfield Conference kicked off in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The conference organizers highlighted ways producers are addressing this challenge:
Emerson’s Jeff Dymond is at the conference and presented at the kickoff session, Remote Operations, Reliable Operations, Optimizing Operations and Safe Operations. His presentation, Intelligent Field and Integrated Operations explored how technology and expertise were coming together to bring the right experts at the right time to operate more efficiently.Fast and easy access to reliable information is critical to enable engineers and management to make the right decisions in real time to meet both operational and longer-term strategic objectives.
IOCs [international oil companies] and NOCs [national oil companies] are continuing to employ Digital Oil Field (DOF) policies in their green and brown field business planning as its purpose is to increase production and operational efficiency while reducing costs which have been demonstrated across several DOF activities in this region.
Jeff highlighted key business drivers for IOCs and NOCs which include improving capital project costs, adopting best practices and simplification in company standards, improving the velocity of project deployment, optimizing procurement, reducing emissions cost effectively, meeting local content requirements, and maintaining organizational skills and expertise.
Known by many names including Field of the Future, Smart Field, Digital Oil Field, this strategy is about leveraging existing and emerging technologies to do allow oil companies to manage their operations more efficiently and effectively.
The information from intelligent instrumentation, final control elements, and control systems supports predictive maintenance practices, abnormal situation prevention, and real-time data communications. Advancing communications technologies support remote operation, collaboration centers, and reductions in logistical support.Some of the technologies driving integrated operations or iOps include sensor technologies, bus-based intelligent devices, simpler, human-centered design (HCD)-based user interfaces, real-time predictive analytics, high-bandwidth and wireless communication networks, and social networks. Combined this predictive intelligence can provide early warning and time to respond to avoid unplanned downtime and equipment failure.
Jeff shared some examples including valve condition monitoring where valves were instrumented with smart valve positioners and connected with the site’s asset management software. Through fiber-based real-time communications and integration between the asset management software and SAP to issue reports and work orders, a team of remote experts located in a collaboration center could diagnose and offer solutions to valves requesting assistance.
The processes developed for the technology and team of experts included remote predictive methods and routines to enable reporting via the SAP enterprise resource planning system.
Jeff shared a couple pf other examples that I hope to highlight in future posts. Until then, you can connect and interact with other oil & gas automation professionals in the Oil & Gas track of the Emerson Exchange 365 community.