Author: Nils Magne Reilstad
This is the first blog post of our series where we will discuss how to turn data into value in drilling & wells. Keep tuned to learn more about WITSML, Odata, digitalization, and tools to help your business!
How can we ensure that this data does not stagnate as a commodity, archived in a database or a drawer, and instead maximize the value of it? Can these measurements be transformed into valuable insights and actionable information for better operational and production results through immediate, informed, collaborative decision-making?
Technology developments and a great appetite for digitalization are helping acceleration towards that goal, and we see great initiatives towards transforming well data into value. Yet, the industry has not earned the full potential of such solutions, as for example illustrated by a McKinsey analysis which reveals that the average offshore platform runs at only 77 percent of its maximum production potential.
THE IMPLICATIONS OF MAKING DECISIONS BASED ON INCONSISTENT OR DELAYED DATA
Decisions based on inconsistent, incomplete or delayed data can lead to safety incidents, performance issues, and reduced reservoir recovery.
A huge opportunity lies in front of the energy industry, to improve data management and turn data into insights. Working in the O&G industry for the last 15 years, I see that there is room for many operators to realize potential and fast-track results. Here are some of the bottlenecks:
- Data is locked in separate systems, resulting in internal silos. Access is controlled by service providers, and it is difficult to integrate data from multiple vendors into a single contextualized, real-time interface
- No technical capability to check quality of the data obtained
- Data is received in unstructured and diverse formats, which make it hard to subsequently use for benchmarking, analytics and optimization
Data
silos
poor data quality
lack of context
So, how can operators solve these challenges to maximize production and improve decision making?
So, how can operators solve these challenges to maximize production and improve decision making?
Good decisions start with good data
A quality data set should be complete, consistent and available in a timely manner:
- Complete: the key is the ability to aggregate streams from multiple service providers using a vendor-neutral software solution
- Consistent: data is stored and presented in a structured, standard way
- Timely: low-latency, high speed transfer is required for real-time collaboration
Built on WITSML foundations
WITSML is the industry reference for the transmission of data from rig-site to the offices of oilfield covering drilling, completion, intervention, and plug & andonment operations. It is used to share information among operators, service companies, drilling contractors, and government agencies. Of course, SiteCom is built on WITSML foundations enabling a seamless and efficient data integration. During aggregation, it converts non-WITSML data to WITSML, so that the database is fully WITSML-compliant and not tied to proprietary archiving and retention. SiteCom is also WITSML 2.0 and OSDU-compliant, and we will go through this more in our future blog post series.
It is not only about making decisions but making the right ones
Operations are a demanding, dynamic environment: several teams need to remain connected and monitor well conditions in the field, in the office, or in the airport. A quality data set also means that the right information is presented at the right time, for the right person.
Expanding possibilities with applications
Data should be put into the context of the operations objectives. By associating the well activity to the real-time measurements, we can support the user in what they are trying to achieve.
Our platform, SiteCom Discovery Portal (SDP) offers automated workflows and better processes, and helps energy professionals in reducing their admin work. SDP supports improved integration between planning and execution, through a series of applications tailored for offset well analysis, operational performance monitoring, and analysis and predictions for safe and excellent well delivery.
The benefits of having a single source of truth for well operations
Operators can boost the value of their data for improved real-time decisions and optimized resources recovery. They can do so by choosing a solution that offers a single source of truth; an industrial work surface populated with reliable data, where every user – managers, subsurface specialists, well site and office engineers, can collaborate to make the best decisions in real-time, and learn from previous experiences.
The advantages of an industrial work surface for well operations data include:
- Increased collaboration amongst departments and regions: everyone working from the same data and work surface
- Empowering your operational team with historical information that can be used in both planning and execution phases
- Optimized and increased CapEx and reduced OpEx
In this blog post we have talked about how throughout well operations, operators collect enormous amounts of complex data, and how they can ensure that these are transformed into actionable insights for better results. The solution is quality, contextualized well data.
Learn more about SiteCom
With more than 5.000 active users, we are proud to help our customers to run their well and drilling operations in a smarter, safer, and greener way. If you want to know more about it, then you should click here to find out more.
