From Reservoir Through Process, from Today to Tomorrow - The Integrated Asset Model

Abstract

Abstract Simulation technology from reservoir through process facility has advanced so much, that field development strategies can be developed within a new systematic workflow, using existing applications from many E&P departments. Detailed production data from many sources can be used within simulation models to give a good representation of future field wide behavior. In this paper a fictional case study of a reservoir that has been producing for some 12 years will be examined. The wells are all producing into a sub-sea manifold and then tied back via a 60km flow line and riser system. The reservoir is in severe decline with field production well below the original design capacity of the production system and surface facilities. Hence, further development options are being investigated for this asset. A new, nearby, reservoir has been discovered. A reservoir simulation model has been constructed for the new discovery. This second reservoir is a gas condensate system, much smaller than the existing reservoir and located 90 kms to the east. The current development plan shows six wells drilled and brought into production over an 18 month period. Reservoir 2 is a marginal development, the viability of producing this reservoir will depend on quantification of the reservoir uncertainty and finding a cost effective development strategy with existing processing facilities. The Business Development Team has suggested a number of possible options for developing this new reservoir; Option 1 involves tying in the new reservoir to the existing sub-sea infrastructure. Option 2 is to install a complete new flow line from the sub-sea template of the new reservoir and run this directly to the existing platform. But how do these options effect reservoir management and surface facilities performance? Evaluation is achieved by constructing an integrated asset model of the entire field, allowing the reservoir through facilities interaction to be evaluated in detail. Introduction Everybody wants one, but nobody has one. The Integrated Asset Model (IAM) has been the pursuit of many Oil & Gas companies in the last decade. Finally, the industry shows signs of achieving the prize of the IAM under the banner of the "Digital Oil Field". From reservoir to facility and from today to the end of field life, the IAM promises multi-discipline answers. This paper is intended to serve as a road map for the development and adoption of the IAM into the culture of Oil & Gas Operating Companies. Years from now, new graduates to the industry will have IAM training as part of their Oil & Gas company inductions and they will use the technology to solve many pains from production optimization, operations surveillance & asset planning to uncertainty analysis and fiscal determinations. However, existing work flows and applications will have to change. The questions are by how much, by when, at what cost, and with what benefit? Multiple vendors must collaborate to create cross-discipline compatibility and Oil & Gas companies will need to pilot, evaluate and recommend changes to the resulting IAM technology, which will evolve through a number of rounds of deployment. Collaboration that has never been seen before in the Oil & Gas industry will need to be established if suggested improvements such as $30mn per year per asset for optimization and over $90mn per year in improved Net Present Value (NPV) from planning solutions can be routinely exploited within the average asset. What is needed is a road map for the adoption and development of these IAMs, along with a statement and agreement of the principles that govern the IAM.