The WITSML data standard has matured to the point where multivendor solutions are a reality, allowing operators to select best-in-class technology for the various aspects of their real-time data acquisition, aggregation, surveillance, analysis and optimization processes.
Using the WITSML standard as the basis for interoperability enables a combination of multi-vendor technologies to provide a comprehensive solution for real-time data acquisition, management, analysis and integration of geological interpretation to anticipate future geological or drilling events and thus reduce drilling risk, according to Energistics, which sponsors the WITSML data standard.
As an example, the company highlighted a sample interoperability case that includes data acquisition (PetroDAQ), management (Perfomix) and wellsite geology interpretation and integration (HRH Geology) in relation to a drilling operation.
The planned well trajectory, synthetic logs and offset wells are loaded into Gravitas from other subsurface tools.
As drilling data arrives via WITSML, Winlog for Gravitas plots planned-versus-actual charts to show deviation from the prognosis and thereby tracks in near real-time the anticipated key drilling events against actual results. This provides early warning for intervention, the company said.
As drilling progresses, data relating to rig instrumentation and downhole measurements from different contractors are aggregated on the wellsite Rig Aggregator, which performs data processing and streams data to the PetroSocial drilling data hub using minimal bandwidth.
The drilling data hub is a web-based, real-time, operations-management gateway and collaboration portal that provides a single, global window to E&P information and prebuilt applications for remote surveillance, drilling activity monitoring, alerting, reporting, real-time collaboration and knowledge management, the company continued.
Third-party tools for engineering, visualization, geo-steering, geological interpretation or drilling optimization can load and consume data from the Gateway in a plug-and-play environment with the use of industry standard WITSML and web services.
As real-time data is gathered from the drilling data hub to Gravitas, the wellsite geologist uses it to guide his analysis and interpretation of the lithology and logging-while-drilling (LWD) data, explained Energistics.
The drilling data is coupled with the interpreted lithology and lithology descriptions on a Winlog wellsite log to produce a meaningful picture of the subsurface environment.
The interpreted lithology and descriptions are then sent using WITSML to the drilling hub for display and onward transmission to other systems, including those in real-time centers. Thus, the rich data produced by the wellsite geologist may be seen in right?time to provide the full picture of the wellbore, the company noted.
Wellsite and operations geologists use the intuitive EZ-Correlate tools to compare a drilling well against offset or drilled wells both at the wellsite and in the office.
There is no requirement to re-key data into other systems since everything that is needed to better understand the subsurface during operations is within the Gravitas system. Meanwhile, the drilling well updates as new data is available from the WITSML feed, the company emphasized.
Curve ghosting allows any curve from a well to be selected and dragged across to another well for direct comparison of peaks.
When a match is made, the peaks may be aligned directly adjacent to each other, allowing the user to easily compare features of the wells and hence anticipate future geological or drilling events.
Flattening of wells can also be achieved by clicking on a formation top or marker, which results in alignment of the wells against that top or marker, Energistics stated.
Editor’s Note: This article was presented in the show daily at SPE Intelligent Energy International 2012, May 27-29, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
