Digital Tool Allows Simultaneous Operation and Facilities Optimization in Limited-Budget Projects

Abstract

Abstract This paper presents an example of how small oil fields can approach digital transformation aiming higher digital maturity and becoming a "smart asset". The asset targeted to integrate the well performance and the available capacity of the existing processing facilities, and with that allocate resources to actionable optimization opportunities. The optimization is driven by allocating the facilities volume (in oil) to those wells with higher oil output. The methodology uses the classic well by well production optimization approach (find the highest incremental oil with the lowest investment), the novelty is to rank the wells based on the main bottlenecks of the processing facilities. In this way the ranking of the wells is dictated by the overall production system analysis from the pore to the export pipeline. Once a constraint is identified a baseline is set and a target status is defined. The gap between current and target states is overcame by robust data structure that enables business and artificial intelligence workflows for well and facility smart analytics. The enhanced workflow allows surface facilities surveillance in a relative high frequency, this in combination with the well monitoring improve optimization decision dramatically. As a result, this strategy has allowed the asset to reduce 900 man-hours a year, reduce operative production losses by 40%, lessen artificial lift failure events rate by 40%, increase production in the order of 5% (in a 9K BOPD asset), bringing the project to outstanding production levels. Furthermore, this solution has indirectly helped to reduce CO2 emissions in at least 20 Tons per year, reducing the carbon footprint in a sensitive environmental area in the amazon forest.