American Oil and Gas Reporter - June 2016 - 62

SpecialReport: Artificial Lift Technology
FIGURE 3B

FIGURE 3A

Detailed Application Scoping

Application Tool Set
Real-Time Data, Alarms & Control
Field Data Capture
Video Monitoring
Historical Data & Trending
Vehicle Tracking

Program Framework

Real-time surveillance of instrumentation and real-time alarming

Data Collection & Well Control
Infrastructure

Application Tool Set

Field data capture tool for input of commentary

Pad instrumentation and the operating philosophy drove application selection

Cameras at the well site to monitor status. Video management system used to record
and catalog the video stream while reducing the need for full-time human observation

Real-Time Data, Alarms &
Control

Video Monitoring

Historical Data & Trending

Process Standardization
People & Collaboration

Vehicle Tracking

Process data history is recorded in historian and tools provide ad-hoc displays
and trending; notifications enable notices of exception conditions

Track locations of all personnel in the field for the purpose of virtual accompaniment
and optimized dispatch

Stakeholder Engagement
Project engagement with a cross section of the operations team
was instrumental to the program's success. In addition to the increased level of automation and instrumentation on the well pads,
the IWPP impacted operational processes, roles, responsibilities,
and IT applications. Production and process engineers worked
closely with operations personnel to define key metrics and performance criteria to promote improved data analytics and reporting capabilities. Process engineers worked to create a tank commingling design and identify opportunities to reduce the level of
instrumentation.
The automation team was responsible for changes to production surveillance requirements in the supervisory control and data
acquisition tool, and for designing programmable logic controller
functionality at the pads. By engaging the end-users (operations
technicians) early in design phases, buy-in and innovation of these
activities were improved simultaneously.
The IT team assessed the requirements for designing and deploying high-speed telecommunications. Improved polling
rates and bandwidth were required to increase the availability
of near-real-time data. Increasing the number of process values
and data tags collected, and adding three live streaming
closed-caption television cameras per pad, further increased
bandwidth requirements.
The IT team also updated surveillance software applications,
whereby the video management software notified users of deviations from a predefined "normal" condition. The application tool
set was enhanced as updated screens and reports were developed
to analyze the richer set of information.
A separate design team was responsible for developing new
well pads, while the Karnes IWPP focused on retrofitting existing pads. As the program expanded to include additional production units, design team members incorporated the IWPP design
into new pads. The facilities team selected the surveillance center location, including evaluating various use cases and safety studies, and selecting vendors for constructing and implementing the
center. The HS&E team translated permitting requirements for
modifying well pads and the surveillance building.
Defining Project Scope
A series of design workshops with the project team and the
various stakeholders established the project scope and future operating philosophy. These early workshops also established guidelines for reporting requirements, design, and tools or technology used for each task.
All activities requiring daily site visits were to be automated.
The design needed to include remote shut-in and tank switching
to efficiently manage wells from the surveillance center. The goal
62 THE AMERICAN OIL & GAS REPORTER

* Real-time surveillance of
instrumentation
* Real-time alarming

* Monitor real-time site status
* Record and stream video

* Ad-hoc displays and trending
* Notifications

* Track personnel location
* Optimize routing and dispatch

of adding remote control capabilities was to reduce the likelihood
of shutdowns, improve reaction times, and reduce mileage.
The team determined that many human inspections could be
eliminated by installing three video cameras on each pad to observe flares continuously, and process trains, wellheads, etc., especially at high-priority locations. However, the large data volumes required video management software to high grade events
such as leaks or pad entries, and to notify technicians. Figures
3A and 3B show the application tool set selected and detailed application scoping.
Site surveys were performed for each well pad to determine
the level of automation and instrumentation. The automation team
compiled a list of required materials, labor, and associated cost,
leading to additional engagement with the eventual users in the
operations team. Based on this collaboration, several process values were identified that could remain inferred from other automatically collected data points, reducing project cost.
Following completion of these initial surveys, the project team
realized an opportunity to reduce costs by minimizing the amount
of instrumented process equipment. The initial production trains
were sized to handle 1,000 barrels of condensate a day, but rates
had fallen by the time the IWPP was installed. With lower forecasted production rates, the amount of processing and storage equipment could be reduced greatly, along with related instrumentation.
The project team determined that commingling liquids production from all wells downstream of the high-pressure separators into one production train was possible and cost effective. The
team planned to install oil and water meters on the liquid lines
of each high-pressure separator to meter the liquid production of
each well for operational allocation, essentially using the separators as individual test separators for each well.
Gas measurement was accomplished already through individual gas meters on the high-pressure gas outlet piping. On the initial pad, commingling production into one train allowed the equipment needed to be reduced by:
* 14 oil tanks;
* Two water tanks;
* Two low-pressure separators;
* Two heater-treaters;
* Two vapor recovery towers;
* Two fuel gas systems (scrubbers, filter and pots);
* Two recycle pumps;
* One flare stack; and
* Two flare knockout drums.
This same approach was adopted to install the IWPP solution
on all subsequent well pads.

American Oil and Gas Reporter - June 2016

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