Implementation of an Optimized Solution using a Cloud-Based Production Data Management System for Production Operations

Abstract

Abstract Major oil and gas operators often face performance issues related to on-premises applications when dealing with huge amounts of data. A cloud-based digital solution was developed for an oil and gas company in Colombia to upgrade the production data management system (PDMS) by migrating from on-premises to a secure cloud-based environment, enhancing the performance of the solution and the remote access experience for end users. This implementation was carried out under a cloud-based infrastructure using a platform-as-a-service (PaaS) scheme, which includes middleware, database management systems, and backup services. The user access to the PDMS is through virtual desktop services, which enables load balancing of the users to avoid performance issues. The performance of the previous infrastructure was evaluated and considered when designing the new architecture, the database sizing, licensing, and integration with third-party applications. The data from the on-premises solution were analyzed and validated to guarantee correspondence with the cloud-based solution, and both solutions were run in parallel to verify consistency and reliability. The release of the cloud-based application was done in stages, with a stabilization period during which any issues could be detected and corrected. The PDMS solution was improved by faster data processing, reducing the execution time of calculation and allocation processes by 50%, while some heavy processes as data carry forward reached a 90% reduction. Enhancements included the generation of complex reports, such as hierarchy production allocation results, that did not run on the on-premises servers. As a result of this implementation, the application can be accessed from a personal computer as well as from a mobile phone, allowing the user access from any place or device, without security risks. The cloud-based solution reduced OPEX and increased flexibility due to lower maintenance costs for physical infrastructure and the cloud server's capacity based on demand.