An Automated "Smart Flow" for Tracking and Assigning Operational Accountabilities in Real Time

Abstract

Intelligent digital oilfield (iDOF) operations include the transfer, monitoring, visualization, analysis, and interpretation of real-time data. Enabling this process requires a significant investment to upgrade surface, subsurface, and well instrumentation and also the installation of a sophisticated infrastructure for data transmission and visualization. Once upgraded, the system then has the capability to transfer massive quantities of data, converting it into real information at the right time.The transformation of raw data into information is achieved through intelligent, automated work processes, which are referred to here as "smart flows," which assist engineers in their daily well surveillance activities, helping make them more productive and improve decision making. A major oil and gas operator in the Middle East has invested in such an infrastructure and is developing a set of smart flows for key activities and workflows for its production operations, with the ultimate goal of improved asset performance.To actively report and follow-up on field tasks and actions (thereby minimizing non-productive time and the cost of lost opportunities), this solution includes a high-performance collaborative action-tracking smart flow to monitor field issues and results. This smart flow reports, and distributes actions to solve field operation anomalies, to implement engineering decisions, to manage generated alarms and alerts, and to create and track assignments. The smart flow enables an automated process that logs every alarm, advisory, and field action performed and has been customized for the operational environment of the operator with rules for ticket routing and assignments.This smart flow is integrated with other smart flows in the solution and provides a complete view of all tickets submitted, including both in-process and resolved, providing operational accountabilities across different groups within the company. This helps establish clear ownership of tasks and activities to foster a sense of responsibility and provide accountability.This paper provides details of the action-tracking smart flow in the integrated environment in which different groups within the company can effectively use the system, thus helping to optimize the company's field operation support activities.