Model centric production management systems—opportunity and challenges*
Michael Scanlon A , Vikram Sharma B and Georg Zangl CA Schlumberger 7th floor Wisma Rohas Perkasa, 8 Jalan Perak, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Email: scanlon1@slb.com
B Schlumberger Level 5, 256 St Georges Tce Perth WA 6000 Australia. Email: vsharma4@slb.com
C Schlumberger Level 5, 256 St Georges Tce Perth WA 6000 Australia. Email: GZangl@slb.com
The APPEA Journal 50(2) 690-690 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ09054
Published: 2010
Abstract
While modelling technology is routinely used in oil and gas to control and optimise process facilities and downstream plants, the upstream sector has been slow to adopt model-based control systems, or the models are very coarse and mono-dimensional, reducing confidence in their predictive capability.
Further, the models are discipline specific, and the interdependence between the subsurface and the surface is poorly evaluated. This is particularly relevant to coal seam gas developments, where well productivity planning and management needs to be considered in the context of the complete production value chain, and the dependencies between the gathering system and the processing plants considered in optimising the contract nominations.
A key breakthrough technology will be a model-based control system that can assimilate all the available data, put the data into context, represent the full value chain, assess the relative impact of the components of the production train, and then assess the decision alternatives in the context of deliverability, processing cost, HSE and market opportunity in sufficient time to have an impact.
Advances in data acquisition, transmission and storage, coupled with advances in computational efficiency and software engineering, mean that integrated modelling systems are realisable today. Collaboration between technology providers has delivered software tools that offer a unified perspective across the subsurface, surface gathering systems and facility worlds.
The presentation will explore the technology capability, the application opportunity and organisational requirement to fully realise the potential of integrated asset models.
Keywords: integrated asset modelling, production management, coal seam gas, real-time, operational data, evaluate asset performance, production KPI, visualisation, performance optimisation, advanced completion, automation, increase production, reduce operation cost, production-monitoring, decision making, decision process, data integration, model integration, data access, production workflows
Michael Scanlon is Chief Reservoir Engineer for Schlumberger Information Solutions in the Middle East and Asia region. He has extensive operational petroleum engineering and upstream commercial experience gained on numerous projects in his 29-year industry career, including 13 years with Schlumberger, encompassing: applied petroleum engineering; specialist reservoir engineering consultancy; field operations; new ventures and commercial business development; and, technology and operations management. Prior to joining Schlumberger, Mr Scanlon held a number of management and technical roles with INTERA and Exploration Consultants Ltd (ECL). This followed employment with Hamilton Brothers Oil and Gas UK Ltd as a senior reservoir engineer, with responsibilities for reservoir management and field development planning. Mr. Scanlon started his professional career with Texaco UK Ltd in 1980, where he was assigned to reservoir, drilling, new venture and offshore production operations groups. |
Vikram Sharma holds a MSc degree in petroleum engineering for Institute Francaise du Petrole, France. He joined Schlumberger in 2004 and since then has held several positions in Indonesia, the United Kingdom and Australia. He has worked extensively on gas field simulations and has also been involved in the development, testing and deployment of Schlumberger simulation suite of software. His area of expertise is black oil and compositional reservoir simulation, pipeline modelling and integrated asset modelling. Vikram is presently working as lead reservoir engineer, responsible for simulation software business development for Australia. |
Georg Zangl holds a MSc degree in petroleum engineering from the Mining University in Leoben, Austria. With more than 18 years of experience, he has worked on special-purpose numerical and semi-analytical reservoir simulators, statistical and mathematical approaches to optimise production and on the architecture, design and implementation of digital oilfields. The results of his work in the field of data mining and production optimisation have been published in several international conferences and printed media. Georg was the founder and technical director of Decision-Team, which has been acquired by Schlumberger in 2004. Since then, he has been the technical manager of Schlumberger Information Solutions in Austria. Just recently Georg moved to Schlumberger Australia, where he holds the position of the production engineering manager. |
