Integrated operations (IO) – also known as smart fields, e-operations and e-fields – has proved its worth in making offshore operations more efficient. This way of working has taken fertile root in Norway where it has spread from drilling to production and maintenance operations. IO provides onshore support which – working with real-time data from offshore – can bring the appropriate expertise to bear to keep offshore operations running smoothly.
Various tasks previously performed offshore are now being undertaken onshore. Suppliers have an important role to play monitoring their own equipment and providing solutions when faults are detected or when early signs of a deviation from normal functioning appear.
IO is not technology driven. What is novel about it – and what takes time to learn – is the cooperative way of working between offshore and onshore and between operator and supplier. “The difficult part is the cultural change called for in our attitudes and working habits,” says Jens Abrahamsen, Vice President for Maintenance, Modifications and Operations (MMO) at Aker Kvaerner Elektro. The oil companies too see the “work processes” as the essence of IO. Statoil, for example, talks of “optimizing work processes.”
Real-time Cooperation
Staff involved in maintenance and modification activities at Aker Kvaerner Offshore Partner and Aker Kvaerner Elektro are coming to grips with the new work processes through the use of collaboration rooms in their Stavanger and Bergen offices. Each room is equipped with a smart board, a video screen and audio equipment allowing instant communication with colleagues on offshore platforms and others at other onshore locations, such as the operator’s offices.
Tasks such as modifying equipment can be collectively planned, explains Arne Bjørlo, Aker Kvaerner Offshore Partner’s Vice President for Methods, Technology and Quality. Equipped with a VisiWear™ portable and wireless video system set, including a hand-held video camera, a colleague on the platform can give personnel onshore a guided tour around the equipment to be worked on and the space constraints in which the work has to be done. At the same time, all those viewing from onshore can consult a drawing of the equipment displayed on the smart board. In the course of a meeting, decisions can be made which previously would have involvedonshore personnel traveling to the platform.
Instant access to the relevant onshore expertise provides better decision-making processes, Bjørlo says. The resulting modification operation is planned more efficiently and more safely and probably executed sooner.
Learning to use the facilities in the communications rooms takes time, and there is always a certain reluctance to give up the old, familiar ways. “When we really get used to having the rooms, we’ll be more efficient,” says Bjørlo. “We’re still going up the learning curve.”
Taking IO Downhole
For Aker Kvaerner Well Service, the main focus will be to implement IO to reduce the size of the offshore crew and the number of personnel needed to perform well service operations. This will partly be achieved by transferringsome of the work onshore, explains Morten Evensen, Manager for Technology Development. Real time data transmission is also a focus area to make the well logging data available to the customer as soon as possible. This is done to reduce the time for decision making and optimize production. Aker Kvaerner Well Service has already performed real time logging on Ekofisk from shore and run a downhole tractor on Statoil’s Heidrun field from the onshore operations base. The company will soon test a new type of wireline winch which is PC-controlled and can also be operated remotely from land. With some modifications, it will be possible for the logging engineer to operate the winch and the tractor from the logging PC onshore, Evensen says. Another advantage of this approach is that it opens the way to building an onshore team with a high level of expertise, undertaking operations on different platforms.
Breaking New Ground
IO can make its most powerful contribution when it is built into the design of a facility right from the start. Aker Kvaerner Operations is currently firming up the IO strategies for several new builds. IO is also seen as a potentially useful tool in the tail-end phase of a field’s production life. The nearer a field is to depletion, the harder it is to justify an investment in IO. Better reservoir control and management are typical areas where even older facilities can justify IO investments, as these can increase income and prolong the lifetime of the field. A number of important initiatives are now under way to develop technology for use in IO. Two, which are of special interest, involve Aker Kvaerner: a visualization and simulation tool for use in ConocoPhillip’s drilling operations; and Statoil’s ASTI project for developing IOrelated technology products.
With valuable IO experience under its belt, Aker Kvaerner is taking an increasingly proactive approach to IO. In the MMO sector, for example, where the group’s contract portfolio embraces most offshore installations in the Norwegian sector, decisions will shortly be made on which installations will be the focus for implementing new methods. “Our experience tells us there are many advantages to be gained from IO,” says Abrahamsen. “In cooperation with our customers, we are on the lookout for opportunities to extend this way of working to cover more of our operations. We are sure this is the path to greater efficiency.”
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