Advanced Automation Drives ESG and Optimization Strategies

Abstract

Abstract Occidental's state-of-the-art oil production facilities involve goals to maximize production while minimizing the impact on our planet in terms of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG). At Occidental ("Oxy"), we are committed to "Zero In™", to be focused on achieving results in ways that are consistent with our core values at Oxy, to ‘Lead with Passion’, ‘Outperform Expectations’, ‘Deliver Results Responsibly’, ‘Unleash Opportunities’ and ‘Commit to Good’, while fulfilling the energy demand of our global society. We are currently implementing advanced techniques involving wellhead electrification and predictive control schemes to reduce emissions and maximize production. The nature of the oil production profile is nonlinear, with complex interactions between the characteristics of the reservoir, the fluid dynamics inherent to the process equipment, various artificial lift methods, and the often-constrained midstream and pipeline takeaway capacities. The improved infrastructure and control system capabilities in recent times facilitate addressing the issues such as non-routine emissions, production downtimes, and overwhelming control rooms. Several innovative concepts such as wellhead electrification, tankless facilities, and pipeline regional volume control (RVC) were engineered to manage the dynamics and correlation to proactively eliminate the vulnerabilities. The facilities’ engineering basis of design and the ongoing well-test data were used to define the priority of the tasks recommended by the optimization algorithms. International Society of Automation (ISA) 18.2 alarm management principles were incorporated to draw attention to the abnormal situations requiring intervention while minimizing operator distractions. This paper will discuss the control system concepts, recent technology trends, and conclude with the business benefits in terms of safety, uptime, and ESG.