Typical Moblize multi-application architecture is vendor-neutral and can aquire and transmit any relevant field data in standard WITSML,PRODML or other data formats.

Operators keep track of their businesses in myriad ways, from copious field notebooks and spreadsheets to sophisticated recording equipment. At best, the practice is time-consuming. At worst, it can be costly and full of gaps.

Recently, various digital systems have been introduced to help automate the process and enable its continuous operation 24/7. But most of these systems only address a specific segment of the business, such as well planning, exploration, drilling, completion, production or workover. While these systems work well individually, they have forced workflows into silos, blurring the big picture. But this is a picture operators need to effectively mind their store — the whole store.

A new, scalable, vendor-neutral system can help operators run their oilfield operations like a store by allowing myriad applications in various disciplines to seamlessly share data as well as obtain or pass relevant offset well information between any engineering application. At its heart is Kanak 3.0 from Moblize Inc. This is a suite of software that provides capabilities to acquire, aggregate, share and transmit all manner of critical data in real time. The software streamlines collaborative processes by providing access to all relevant data for decision-making. It can sit on any hardware platform running any operating system.

Minding the store

Houston independent Kelpetro Operating Co. manages widely scattered and diverse assets, from oil and gas wells to flow lines, production tanks and field processing facilities. Managing these assets from the company’s Houston headquarters presented five major challenges: personnel safety, equipment theft, downtime and data verification, as well as control of production and supply inventories. Silos of disparate applications severely affected operational efficiency and management effectiveness. Annual losses from these challenges were significant, and the company needed a way to “mind the store” without undue cost. Remote assets were equipped with controllable video cameras that enabled long range visual inspection so company personnel could observe activities of contractors, or monitor equipment movement in real time. After hours, motion sensors detected any unauthorized movement in the vicinity and triggered cameras that could capture criminal activity on tape.

In addition, a passive inventory control system used a combination of sensors and radio frequency identification devices (RFID) to track and locate movement of oilfield equipment, tools and production on or off the lease in real time. Downtime was addressed by continuous remote surveillance of all production inventories. The software suite enabled operating engineers to acquire and share relevant data among the client’s various current engineering applications, including programmable logic controllers (PLC), and present them all in a common, single web view. As a result, decision-making ability was enhanced dramatically and remedial action could be scheduled and mobilized in a businesslike way, avoiding costly crises and deferred production. Using systems that provide automatic alarms when operating data fall out of acceptable norms allowed Kelpetro’s people to focus on exceptions, rather than tedious monitoring of activities that are working properly. This reduces personnel costs and improves the vigilance and alertness of asset management teams.

The most costly challenge facing the operator was control of production inventories. At today’s market prices, even an incremental error in measurement of production volumes taken from a lease quickly cumulates into thousands of dollars off the bottom line. The new system provided critical visibility of production inventories and enabled verification of data as well as the ability to remotely check gauge calibrations. The complete system was installed in 10 days, and the company achieved 100% return on its investment within the first year.

Universal access and visibility

While Kelpetro’s specific needs focused on logistics, production inventories and safety, the software company’s engineers recognized that many companies need to measure and analyze a wide variety of other parameters from several workflows, like those involving reservoir and production data, equipment availability, equipment tracking and rig scheduling. For this reason, they have designed a software suite that enables operators to extract and share relevant data from any preferred vendor’s specialized application and present it using any preferred common viewer to the right people at the right time. The software accepts and uses data from virtually any legacy system or those of other vendors. Even if third party vendors’ equipment doesn’t output data in standardized protocols like WITSML or PRODML, the software platform can translate the data into industry-standard formats so it can be aggregated and viewed on a single screen using any visualization or interpretation application.

Data from multiple independent applications such as supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), geological/geophysical applications and logs, programmable logic controllers, remote terminal units and electronic flow meters can be monitored simultaneously and data delivered to any third party interpretation or visualization applications. Users can receive and work with data from multiple vendors as well as store and view it in a consistent format.

Real-time operations centers are not new. The difference addressed by the software company is in providing a collaboration tool — a vendor-neutral system that can make existing technologies work together as a single system within custom processes. The system provides universal visibility by connecting not only disparate applications that enable efficient reservoir management, but also applications and workflows like tracking, maintenance and scheduling. The platform also serves as a two-way translator for all relevant data and allows managers and engineers the flexibility to select any vendor tool and create customized workflows optimized for their own business. The company sets up to acquire, aggregate, store and forward data on any activity deemed of interest by the customer, regardless of what it is. If having access to field data is of value, the system exists to acquire and transmit it in a consistent language and format.

Characterized by very small form factors, the micro PCs that run the software suite are highly portable, have minimal moving parts, and are packaged to withstand typical oilfield environments. All have access ports so a display monitor can be hooked up to them directly in the field if desired to monitor trends or assist in trouble-shooting.

Anything that can be viewed, listened to or measured can be tracked and managed. Sampling frequency and surveillance detail can be adjusted to fit individual requirements and automatic analysis hardware or software tools can be inserted to convert raw data into timely, actionable information. The system is two-way, so command and control systems can be integrated to allow remedial action to be taken immediately from a remote site. The system allows users to run their field operations as they would run a store, using their own preferred technologies or those in which they have previously invested.