The operation of downhole sand-face tools has relied upon depth measurements, downhole indicators that use applied tension or compression noted on the surface weight indicator, as well as hydraulic pressure in order to verify service-tool positions in relation to the sand-face assembly. This strategy has worked well in the past. However, with field developments with increasing well depths, higher-angled wells with increasingly complex geometry, and increasing intricacy in sand-face tool systems, the need for additional methods to aid tool operators in locating and communicating service-tool positions has become apparent. Also, modeling the effects of the pumped treatment on the tool system and work string in real time will assist in understanding when, and if, the tool system will move out of position.The introduction of multiple-zone one-trip sand-face completion systems developed for applications in the ultradeepwater Lower Tertiary play of the Gulf of Mexico has led to the development of a visualization tool that provides the tool operator with additional information to validate conventional tool-locating methods as well as providing a communication interface to communicate the tool information to others. This innovative visualization tool is a software program known as the "Real Time Visualization Service (RTVS)". The RTVS package provides detailed visualization of the entire sand-face assembly, including the service string, providing the tool operator and observers with another tool-location validation method along with an exceptional pre-job planning tool. The visualization software provides the capability to monitor operations at the rig site or remotely from a real-time monitoring site or home personal computer. OTC 23626anchoring the sand-face assembly. The service string is then released, and the tool positions are determined for squeeze, circulating, and reverse positions for each interval to be treated. Completion Planning ProcessThe completion planning for the RTVS service is a stepped process, similar to what is being done today, with the exception of more detail in each planning step. The planning process has three phases: Pre-Job Planning, Real Time Monitoring, and Post Job Analysis.Pre-Job Planning -Pre-job planning is a multi-faceted process. For the purpose of this paper the focus will be on the procedure generation, specifying the completion components, assembly and inspection of the equipment prior to shipping to the well site. Once the well completion is defined, a step-by-step completion procedure is created. A detailed completion schematic will normally accompany the completion procedure and is provided by the service provider. The completion schematic will list the specific completion equipment for the procedure and provides the proposed component depth, length, outside diameter, and inside diameter. During the assembly process, equipment dimensions are verified, equipment is drifted before and after makeup into completion assemblies, and completion assemblies are pressure tested. A sand-...

Summary Today's oilfield service environment has undergone significant change from that which existed ten years ago. Integrated services and turnkey operations are becoming the norm for the industry, and oilfield service companies are finding themselves linked with operators and contractors in long-term service contracts that would never have been considered in the 80's. While these new alliances may prove to be the catalyst for energizing economic growth in the oilfield they bring with them their own set of operational problems. For example, the integrated solutions approach requires that all parties have a thorough understanding of overall economic and operational project parameters as well as a defined area for which each must take responsibility. Obviously, therefore, to meet the demands of the integrated solutions concept, "the partners" must be able to properly assess all project needs so that the solution provided accomplishes the economic and operational goals for all involved. This means that each must have a detailed technical understanding of a wide variety of equipment, systems and available resources. This is the area in which a major drawback to the integrated solutions concept often occurs - it has been difficult to provide a fast, efficient method to keep users abreast of the continuing enhancements to a technology that already appears to be state-of-the-art! Additionally, development of unique systems often results from the combined efforts of integrated teams, and in order to ensure that the systems will provide the expected results, it is equally as important to be able to provide training for the personnel that are responsible for the day-to-day use and maintenance of the new systems. A unique simulator that can resolve the training needs that have surfaced as a result of the rapidly changing operational concepts in the oilfield environment has been developed and will be discussed in this paper. The concepts of the equipment simulator and capabilities of the global simulator methodology will be presented, and an actual case history will be used to describe in detail how the equipment simulator was used offshore on a recent well test job in the Gulf Coast area to introduce a new well test tool and to train a new design engineer. The information shown will conclude that the use of the simulator will provide unparalleled training support for oilfield equipment and system applications and facilitate efficient development of integrated solutions for oilfield projects. Introduction The simulator provides a unique change to the training methods traditionally used to assess available technology or provide instruction on its usage. Operationally, the simulator uses a multimedia type environment that is capable of submerging the operator into the simulation to provide the oilfield end user with the ability to understand and properly operate sophisticated equipment. These simulations allow complex technical information, specific to a given tool or piece of equipment, to be conveyed to operators, service personnel, trainers, and oil company personnel. While these tool and equipment simulations are valuable in their own right, of even greater benefit is the merging capability of the "global simulator," which allows dynamic assembly of the individual tool simulations into a single system. The resulting simulation offers the advantage of allowing the system user to "practice" the effects and/or dangers that can result from operational changes and will facilitate the assessment of possible choices in developmental applications. How New Simulator Impacts Training Classical training methods using developed courses, prepared and presented in training centers, have been the mainstay of good oilfield training for many years. These centers typically feature fully equipped shops and labs that include cutaway models and actual equipment for use in training. In spite of the fact that the oil industry has made substantial investments in training, the needs that traditional training methods have not been able to address continue to plague the industry. Part of the reason for this dilemma has been the lack of a global operational training solution that could overcome the inherent language problems and the need to have economical portability in the training systems.

The rapid expansion of oilfield technology, while providing the oilfield with state-of-the art equipment that can keep pace with the ever expanding operational needs of the industry, has found itself faced with a new set of problems. These concern the fact that the experience of the end user as well as the system designer cannot keep abreast of the rapid equipment advancements. Efficiency, therefore, in using the new equipment and procedures suffers, which reduces the effectiveness of the new technologies. This paper will discuss a "global simulator" that has the capability to open the door to object-based interactive assembly and operation of oilfield equipment. Using the simulator, an operator can assemble strings of tools/equipment, and then, literally operate that specific arrangement of tools or equipment in an electronic environment that can be designed with the same parameters as the wellbore in which the equipment will be used. This is all done from an interface that gives active visual feedback about the tools/equipment status. When a global simulation is run, the evaluation section for each piece of equipment communicates with the global simulator. Thus, it has the capability to 1) illustrate the functionality of complete systems, 2) trouble shoot, 3) train personnel, and 4) enhance equipment design in a simple analytical method that overcomes language barriers. The new simulator effectively allows different pieces of equipment to work together and sets new standards for interactive visualization and analysis of oilfield equipment and systems. The global simulator derives its unique capability to allow accurate predetermination of equipment/system capabilities when subjected to specific wellbore environments by drawing upon the expert knowledge embedded in the files of individual tools or equipment that have been stored in simulator evaluation sections. Simulation History Simulators have been used to expand the understanding of processes and systems in numerous industries for many years. There are various forms and levels of simulation, depending upon the application. Mathematical simulators typically have a data-set input that generates a data-set output. This type of simulation is used predominantly in the scientific and engineering community. Finite element analysis and reservoir analysis are examples of mathematical simulations. Physical simulators, on the other hand, are generally the concepts developed for use in the training of operators for efficient use of equipment and systems. The most well known example of a physical simulator is the program that flight trainers have used for years to train pilots. Because of recent enhancements to computer technology, increased performance capabilities have been noted in programming for the personal computer (PC). As a result, physical simulation has now become available for PC use in the Agames@ format, and thus, the proliferation of flight simulator games. It is of interest to note here that a flight simulator game on the personal computer, although not of the same caliber as the fully submerging physical simulations that are used to train pilots, still offers an effective method for teaching flight skills. What has been added recently to the simulator equation is the development of multi-media authoring systems for the personal computer. These programming tools have tilted the economic scales in favor of generating simulations for a broad scope of applications. Although all industries have needed the capabilities of physical simulators, they simply have not been able to afford either the time or money to produce them. This has now changed. With the advent of good multimedia authoring systems and today's more powerful personal computers, the industrial markets are now able to produce physical simulations of equipment and systems that could not have been cost justified just a few years ago. P. 797^

Oilfield technology has experienced such rapid advancement during the last decade that end users often find themselves lacking in the ability to understand and properly use the newly designed equipment; thus, they are unable to take full advantage of the benefits that the enhanced systems offer. This paper will discuss the development of a new simulator that solves this problem by providing the oilfield end user with on-line ability to understand and properly operate newly designed equipment. The simulator uses a very natural graphical user interface to convey complex technical information, and its usage enables a broader range of developers to produce quality simulations that would previously have been limited to development by the expert programmer. In addition to a discussion of the development of equipment simulator methodology, the many uses of the technology that have been identified to date will also be presented. These include:–Conveying complex technical information–Reducing personnel training times–Designing well tests–Reviewing design processes to verify design parameters–Verifying customer requirements–Allowing operators to "practice" the well test before it is applied The use of the equipment simulator promotes better understanding of equipment used for servicing and operation of the rig and well. With overall goals depending upon reductions in costs of drilling and completing wells, a better understanding of equipment helps ensure safer, more efficient operating conditions, which in turn, increases the probability for realization of economic goals. Introduction Achievement in oilfield technology has escalated in the last decade, driven primarily by the continuous decline of the economic climate and the resulting push for manufacturers and operators to seek greater operational efficiency. Often, however, this growth has placed a sizeable burden on an end user who may not have acquired the ability to use the new technology in the safest and most effective manner. When this situation occurs, the economic gains made possible by the new methods are lost, and especially important in the oilfield, safety can be compromised. Technology in the oilfield is not the only area in which advances have occurred. Computer software capabilities have also escalated. P. 259

In recent years, economic pressure has driven the oil and gas industry to downsize its work force and seek more efficient solutions for providing operational needs. In many cases, this redirection of efforts has required highly technical methods to meet the newly driven functional parameters. These actions, while necessary, have brought with them new problems in terms of operational experience and training. For example, in today's industry, the average worker, who generally has less experience than his predecessor, is asked to understand and safely use an expanded scope of equipment that has become significantly more complex. A unique simulator that helps to resolve many of the operational and training problems that have surfaced in today's workplace has been developed and will be discussed in this paper. The simulator uses a multi-media type environment that is capable of submerging the operator into the simulation to provide the oilfield end user with the ability to understand and properly operate sophisticated equipment. These simulations allow engineers to effectively convey complex technical information, specific to a given tool or piece of equipment, to operators, trainers, and oil company personnel. While these tool and equipment simulations are valuable in their own right, of even greater benefit is the merging capability of the "global simulator," which allows dynamic assembly of the individual tool simulations into a system. The resulting simulation offers the operators the safety advantage of "practicing" the effects and/or dangers that can result from changes in operations before a system is actually used. This paper will discuss the concepts of the equipment simulator and global simulator methodology, and an actual case history will be used to describe in detail how the equipment simulator was used throughout the development, testing, training and operation of a new generation well test tool. The information shown will conclude that the use of the simulator will provide unparalleled development and training support for future oilfield equipment and training applications. Introduction Simulation History. Simulators have been used to expand the understanding of processes and systems in numerous industries for many years. There are various forms and levels of simulation, depending on the application. Mathematical simulators typically have a data-set input that generates a data-set output. This type of simulation is used predominantly in the scientific and engineering community. Finite element analysis and reservoir analysis are examples of mathematical simulations. Physical simulators, on the other hand, are generally the concepts developed for use in the training of operators for efficient use of equipment and systems. The most well known example of a physical simulator is the program that flight trainers have used for years to train pilots. Because of recent enhancements to computer technology, increased performance capabilities have been noted in programming for the personal computer (PC). As a result, physical simulation has now become available for PC use in the "games" format, and thus, the proliferation of flight simulator games. It is of interest to note here that a flight simulator game on the personal computer, although not of the same caliber as the fully submerging physical simulations that are used to train pilots, still offers an effective method for teaching flight skills. What has been added recently to the simulator equation is the development of multi-media authoring systems for the personal computer. These programming tools have tilted the economic scales in favor of generating simulations for a broad scope of applications. Although all industries have needed the capabilities of physical simulators, they simply have not been able to afford either the time or money to produce them. This has now changed. With the advent of good multi-media authoring systems and today's more powerful personal computers, the industrial markets are now able to produce physical simulations of equipment and systems that could not have been cost justified just a few years ago. P. 413