Optimization of Deepwater Drilling With Real-Time Operations

Hamed, Walid; Waheed, Syed Arshad; Oraby, Moustafa; Bassem, Ahmed; Gamal, Medhat; Nafie, Sherif

doi:10.2523/108291-ms

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Shell has been at the forefront of the development of RTOCs in the 21st century and has a documented history of implementing continuous remote real-time monitoring on a global scale , Hamed et al, 2007. Additionally, Shell's large presence in deepwater, particularly the Gulf of Mexico, has positioned the company to apply many new methods and technologies for improved deepwater drilling performance (Greenwood et al, 2005, Hamed et al, 2007.…”

Section: Industry Experience With Remote Data Monitoring Centersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improved Regulatory Oversight Using Real-Time Data Monitoring Technologies in the Wake of Macondo

Carter

Oort

Barendrecht

2014

Day 1 Wed, September 10, 2014

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As shown by the Macondo blowout, an uncontrolled deepwater well control event can result in loss of life, damage to the environment, and significant damage to company and industry reputation. Consistent adherence to safety regulations is a recurring issue in deepwater well construction. The two federal entities responsible for offshore U.S. safety regulation are the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). The regulatory authority of these two bodies spans well planning, drilling, completions, emergency evacuation, environmental response, etc. The wide range of rules these agencies are responsible for cannot be comprehensively verified with the current infrequency of on-site inspections. Offshore regulation and operational safety could be greatly improved through continuous remote real-time data monitoring. Many government agencies have adopted monitoring regimes dependent on real-time data for improved oversight (e.g. NASA Mission Control, USGS Earthquake Early Warning System, USCG Vessel Traffic Services, etc.). Appropriately, real-time data monitoring was either re-developed or introduced in the wake of catastrophic events within those sectors (e.g. Challenger, tsunamis, Exxon Valdez, etc.). Over recent decades, oil and gas operators have developed Real-Time Operations Centers (RTOCs) for continuous, pro-active operations oversight and remote interaction with on-site personnel. Commonly seen as collaborative hubs, RTOCs provide a central conduit for shared knowledge, experience, and improved decision-making, thus optimizing performance, reducing operational risk, and improving safety. In particular, RTOC's have been useful in identifying and mitigating potential well construction incidents that could have resulted in significant non-productive time and trouble cost. In this paper, a comprehensive set of recommendations is made to BSEE and USCG to expand and improve their regulatory oversight activities through remote real-time data monitoring and application of emerging real-time technologies that aid in data acquisition and performance optimization for improved safety. Data sets and tools necessary for regulators to effectively monitor and regulate deepwater operations (Gulf of Mexico, Arctic, etc.) on a continuous basis are identified. Data from actual GOM field cases are used to support the recommendations. In addition, the case is made for the regulator to build a collaborative foundation with deepwater operators, academia and other stakeholders, through the employment of state-of-the-art knowledge management tools and techniques. This will allow the regulator to do "more with less", in order to address the fast pace of activity expansion and technology adoption in deepwater well construction, while maximizing corporate knowledge and retention. Knowledge management provides a connection that can foster a truly collaborative relationship between regulators, industry, and non-governmental organizations with a common goal of safety assurance and without confusing lines of authority or responsibility. This solves several key issues for regulators with respect to having access to experience and technical know-how, by leveraging industry experts who would not normally have been inaccessible. On implementation of the proposed real-time and knowledge management technologies and workflows, a phased approach is advocated to be carried out under the auspices of the Center for Offshore Safety (COS) and/or the Offshore Energy Safety Institute (OESI). Academia can play an important role, particularly in early phases of the program, as a neutral playing ground where tools, techniques and workflows can be tried and tested before wider adoption takes place.

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Section: Industry Experience With Remote Data Monitoring Centersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improved Regulatory Oversight Using Real-Time Data Monitoring Technologies in the Wake of Macondo

Carter

Oort

Barendrecht

2014

Day 1 Wed, September 10, 2014

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“…A case history showing the use of the hub/satellite architecture to support Shell-Egypt's deep-water drilling operations in north East Mediterranean was published by Hamed et al (2007). The first phase of drilling in this area had been impacted by borehole stability problems so for the subsequent phase a 24/7 real-time support center was established in Cairo, connected back to the RTOC hub in New-Orleans for access to additional expertise and services in well planning and analysis.…”

Section: Shellmentioning

confidence: 99%

Real-Time Drilling Operations Centers: A History of Functionality and Organizational Purpose—The Second Generation

Booth¹

2010

All Days

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Two phases in the evolution of drilling operations centers are identified based upon published information. The first was examined in detail in an earlier paper. The second is examined here by way of a review of several operators' strategies over time and in different areas of operation. The first generation of centers was short lived, failing to survive the reductions in oil price and drilling activities of the late 80s. The second generation had the benefit of significant evolution of information technology in the intervening years and is part of a broader trend toward integrated operations and collaborative work processes. Common trends are identified from the case histories presented. These include a discussion of foundational capability, data and architecture standards, higher level work processes and organizational change management.

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How to Accelerate Drilling Learning Curves

Oort

Griffith

Schneider

2011

SPE/IADC Drilling Conference and Exhibition

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Given the current economic climate and continued volatility in oil and natural gas prices, extracting maximum benefit from drilling performance optimization is key to the economical exploitation of many resource plays around the world. Shell Upstream Americas is employing a highly effective performance improvement team to help drive performance optimization and the delivery of top quartile performance on its wells in North America and beyond. Central to this group is a dedicated team of optimization engineers that deliver drilling efficiency optimization techniques, the innovative use of real-time optimization centers, and value-adding root-cause failure investigations to various land and offshore well delivery teams in a fit-for-purpose way. Using the optimization approaches taken, it has been possible to help accelerate well delivery times and associated learning curves by as much as a factor of three, often in a minimum amount of time. A main conclusion is therefore that this approach is a highly effective way to bring performance optimization focus to field operations. This paper highlights the modus operandi of these optimization engineers, the techniques and tools they employ, and the remarkable results achieved. The workflow and organizational structure was applied to well delivery optimization with projects ranging from shale gas drilling in the Continental US and Canada as well as hard rock drilling in the Middle East. IntroductionA perception may exist in the oil and gas industry, and among its many stakeholders, that large multi-national oil and gas companies struggle to compete with smaller national or independent companies due to their size and associated overhead, bureaucracy, adherence to global standards, etc. (Sneider 1993, Morel 2002. Direct costs for multi-national companies may indeed in some cases be higher due to differences in well construction standards and the associated assurance risks that are deemed acceptable, and a higher need for on-site supervision particularly in the area of occupational safety. A high-level generalization about "slow and expensive" multi-nationals, however, often fails to recognize some key strengths that larger multi-national companies can bring to the table to make them more competitive. These include the ability to develop (or, with partners, co-develop) important performance improvement technologies and having the in-house resources to mature those technologies and quickly capitalize on them in the field. Any higher upfront costs may then be offset by superior well delivery performance, and in particular by improvements in well delivery time. This theme is explored in the present paper, where we show how technologies for drilling efficiency were successfully deployed in the onshore gas plays of the United States and Canada, thereby accelerating learning curves and making well delivery operations in these areas highly competitive. Moreover, the learnings from these operations were quickly carried over to other areas, most notably hard rock drilling operations ...

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Optimization of Deepwater Drilling With Real-Time Operations

Cited by 3 publications

References 1 publication

Improved Regulatory Oversight Using Real-Time Data Monitoring Technologies in the Wake of Macondo

Improved Regulatory Oversight Using Real-Time Data Monitoring Technologies in the Wake of Macondo

Real-Time Drilling Operations Centers: A History of Functionality and Organizational Purpose—The Second Generation

How to Accelerate Drilling Learning Curves

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