photo - the aspen IP21 on a mobile phone

Applications such as the Aspen IP.21 Mobile on the iPhone allow experts to see operating data and performance dashboards in real time from anywhere in the world. (Image courtesy of Aspen Technology Inc.)

Mature assets present their own challenges for safe and profitable operations. There have been many improvements in drilling and reservoir technology that have been instrumental in extending field life, but this in turn is creating the need to improve the performance of the production facilities themselves. There is often a perception that maximizing production from mature assets puts safety at risk, but in many instances the two objectives can be complementary.

Achieving success

  • To succeed in increasing longevity of mature assets, there are a few key considerations:
  • People and work processes;
  • Data and information; and
  • Effective use of technology.

The first task is to fully identify the correct work processes and associated tasks to safely manage the operations of the asset. Once this evaluation is complete, companies need to focus on what people and skills are required to fulfill these tasks and where those people need to be located – for example, at the asset, collaboration center, or headquarters. Once the human infrastructure is in place, operators can then consider the information infrastructure and applications required to turn the high volumes of data into information and, more importantly, into timely and effective actions.

Optimizing this balance of the human infrastructure can lead to significant cost savings by relocating certain tasks from hostile offshore or remote locations to more hospitable and safer environments. This not only can reduce costs but also increase safety and production. Rebalancing the operating personnel in this way can liberate space so maintenance activities can be increased, making for a safer and more productive asset.

Transport mileage – be it by helicopter or road transport – can be reduced to lower costs and increase safety. From an HR perspective, being located in a comfortable central technology suite close to family is more appealing from a long-term career point of view than protracted periods offshore. This also means that technical expertise can now serve multiple assets around the world rather than be locked to a single asset.

Data and information

To support these human capital infrastructures, the corresponding technology infrastructures and advanced applications need to complement the desired work practices.

Many companies have now implemented collaboration centers or technology centers that collate data from distributed assets. In these central collaboration centers, a wide range of multidisciplinary teams can review current and historic operating conditions in real time with the asset-based personnel and advise on the best course of action.

The original concept of these advanced collaboration centers was based on bringing domain experts into a central control center. Recent advances in mobile computing and network communication technologies are allowing this paradigm to evolve. Experts can now see operating data and performance dashboards in real time from anywhere in the world.

Workflow

There are many human workflows involved in the operation and maintenance of an asset. Recent events in the Gulf of Mexico show the need to validate that correct operating procedures are followed. Manufacturing execution systems (MESs), an essential element used widely in other highly regulated parts of the process industries, are equally applicable to workflow management in this environment. Such systems guide operators through various stages of a process while simultaneously providing an auditable record that the procedure has been completed appropriately.

Similarly, production planning and scheduling (P&S) tools used in downstream refining and chemicals industries to manage supply chain processes are now finding adoption in the upstream industry to manage the scheduling of operations and maintenance activities in assets and terminals. This ensures appropriate resources are available to conduct activities in a timely and safe manner and that target production is maintained to maximize profitability.

Advanced applications

Mature assets often are characterized by highly dynamic and unstable operating conditions. While the production process is straightforward, the control and operability challenges remain. Leading companies are actively pursuing advanced process control (APC) as a tool to deliver safer and more stable operations and achieve production targets.

APC technology is used in the downstream industries to maximize production and profitability. It manipulates multiple variables in the control system simultaneously to minimize variation on key target variables. This minimization of variability means the plant operates in a more stable manner in response to natural variations such as crude quality, feed rate, ambient temperature, and other factors. This makes the asset less likely to reach alarm or trip points and reduces wear and tear on major equipment items by reducing large swings in operating conditions. APC technologies have been used successfully in downstream assets such as refining, LNG, and gas processing for many years. The upstream and midstream sectors tended to ignore this technology, which was partly due to lack of skilled resources in these industries and partly the challenge in maintaining the application. Recent advances in this technology have made it more cost-effective, simpler, and faster to deploy by a wider pool of engineers, such as process engineers. At the same time, these applications can be sustained more easily through self-monitoring capabilities and remote maintenance. This is driving companies to adopt APC to increase profitability in existing assets.

Several AspenTech clients including BP and other super majors have seen production increases of 5% to 7%. These production optimization models are developed from the same process models used to design and provide engineering support for the asset. The challenge again has been the effort to sustain and maintain the application. Recent advances in areas such as search capabilities, visualization, and integration with common applications such as Excel are making these complex models easier to use by nonexperts. These high-value applications are easier to integrate into workflows in a robust way and enable companies to capture and propagate knowledge about the operational constraints of a given asset.

Mature asset optimization

As regulatory hurdles and the challenges associated with finding and producing from new reservoirs grow, operators are reevaluating how they can increase their return on existing assets through greater use of innovative IT solutions to gain a competitive advantage. By leveraging engineering models in operations, APC, MES, and P&S tools, production companies are finding new ways to achieve tremendous benefits in cost savings, profitability gains, and safety and environmental improvements for mature assets that have many years of life in them yet.