This paper highlights the tremendous impact of real-time data transmission and visualization through the Aramcolink solution for monitoring geosteering operations in Saudi Aramco. It was very challenging to move from multiple real time data providers to a single solution, which can connect with different service providers by utilizing WITSML, which is industry real-time data transmission protocol. Nevertheless, Saudi Aramco has decided to explore this frontier to provide their operational geoscientists/engineers with a single system through which all should be able to simultaneously monitor several actively drilling wells with ease.Considering the drilling operation in Saudi Arabia, a system with advanced capabilities of data quality control (QC), rescaling, filtering, alerting, and chatting, was essentially required to assist operational geoscientists in optimizing production through geosteering a well by drilling through the sweet zone and achieve good net to gross value. The new solution ЉAramcolinkЉ is not only limited to these capabilities but distinguishes itself among other rival solutions by unmatched features such as data cross-plotting, on the fly azimuthal image dip calculation, built in petrophysical analysis and electrofacies computation, 2D and 3D well trajectory visualization, and others.Moreover, information is now provided on how using such an approach helped in enforcing Saudi Aramco's standard for real-time log naming, measurement unit, and scaling, thereby facilitating more automated operational workflows. The paper concludes by sharing lessons learned and recommendations for future improvements.

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One of the critical operations during the exploration phase is well testing required determining fluid type, flow rate, and the sustainability of the production. With the right planning, technology and implementation, well testing can ensure reservoir quality and production such as, permeability, initial reservoir pressure, hydraulic fracture parameters, near wellbore formation damage, geometry of the reservoir, and reserve quantities. Exploration Well Testing Operations require a complex integration of various services including surface well testing, artificial lift via coiled tubing, downhole data transmission and on-site operational activities. The increase in exploration activities involves various service companies’ proprietary data acquisition systems that introduce a challenge for decision makers due to segmented data and information. This calls for establishing an integrated unified viewer combining the operational data for engineers to enable real-time data supervision, technical support and decision making from the headquarters to well-site locations reducing operational risks and optimize required cost. This paper highlights the progress of the real time data transmission interface to support highly active exploration well testing operations in Saudi Aramco.

In the oil and gas drilling industry, cost savings has a key importance. Evaluating the operational efficiency of a rig on a daily basis has proven to be an economically rewarding pursuit, as it enables operators to identify and ensure that the majority of the operational time is spent drilling and making footage. It holds true that around 70% of the operational time on a rig is spent in unavoidable non-drilling activities. With respect to this, tripping in and out of hole are one of the inevitable operations that require a closer inspection in terms of its efficiency. This paper outlines the method used to evaluate tripping performance on a rig, and also outlines the benefits and findings of such analysis. The innovative method used to evaluate the tripping performance includes the tripping speeds, time spent while making connections, and also the tripping footage over a certain period. This system is capable of evaluating the same Key Performance Indicator (KPI) over the depth of the cased hole and open hole separately, while streaming real-time data that can be calculated with the respective KPI. That information can be used to determine the effective tripping performance in real time, correlating with the benchmark post-optimized KPIs. The complex procedure is explained in detail in the paper and highlights the process of collecting raw data and turning it into valuable KPIs. Directly identifying and reducing this Invisible Lost Time during the Tripping activity helps us to gain control over a previously intangible quantity of lost time. This translates to real world savings and meeting corporate bottom line requirements. Armed with the results for such analysis, Operators can persuade Rig Contractors to ensure best Drilling practices and ensure proper and on-time Well delivery. Evaluating the Tripping speed is also further enhanced by incorporating averaging analysis like the Effective, Gross and Global Tripping speeds calculation. In addition to this, a historical analysis is also done to identify the true connection time in Slip to Slip Analysis. Having this data over a few months of activity on the rig across many wells gives us a general trend in the performance of the Rig. This analysis directly tells you how much of the time spent tripping is actually being wasted as Invisible Lost Time.