American Oil and Gas Reporter - August 2017 - 25

Online Data Access
Speeds Decision Making
For Better Results
It's the time of year when many regional, as well as national,
oil and gas organizations begin holding their annual conventions.
I always get a little excited about fall because it represents a
sort of annual reunion of friends and colleagues from around
the oil field. I also enjoy how these annual events serve as great
time to learn about what has been going on in the industry,
what sorts of new technologies have been developed during the
previous year, and what new products are being introduced that
could change the industry forever.
One of the many events I get to participate in this year is the
Eastern Kansas Oil & Gas Association's annual meeting. As
part of the meeting, for the past several years the Petroleum
Technology Transfer Council has conducted its "Eastern Kansas
Oil Field Essentials" workshop. This annual tradition helps
regional operators learn more about the innovations and best
practices occurring in the region, and features real-world case
studies from the area.
As I began preparing for this year's event, I came across a
paper put together for the 1989 Society of Petroleum Engineers
Annual Technology Conference and Exhibition, held in San
Antonio. The paper titled simply, "Production Technology
(SPE 19724)" is an aggregation of 10 smaller papers.
The authors state in the opening lines, "The production technology section is designed to allow the discussion of and dissemination of information about technical innovations and solutions in production engineering that are of immediate practical
use, but do not warrant a full-scale paper." They then proceed
to cover a range of short, but very well composed topics aimed
at solutions applicable at that time.
One solution in this paper in particular caught my eye. It
was called, "A Pumper Laptop/PC Based System for Automation
of Production Accounting and Reporting," by K.W Baldwin
from Arthur Andersen & Co., D. Fagerstone and G. Dixon
from Mesa Limited Partnership, and J. Brockman from Vericomp
Inc.
In their section, the authors illustrated the issues associated
with collecting and using data from operated wells. They wrote,
"Collecting data on operated wells always has been a cumbersome
manual task. Although this task has become vital, it continues
to be performed in the same way. Field personnel collect the
data daily, foremen review it, and staff personnel input it into a
computer. An integrated system that marries laptop, micro and
mainframe technology can help companies realize true gains in
efficiency."
Collecting and analyzing data well by well is as important
today as it was almost 30 years ago. For some operators, the
recommendations outlined in this paper still are applicable, and
are being used today, although the physical technology has improved.
One key challenge for operators today is having instant
access to data to help make individual well decisions and adjustments more efficiently. Some operators have begun outfitting
their pumpers with laptops with Internet access so they can

"Collecting and analyzing good data can
make the difference between a good well

and a great one.

input data into online spreadsheets that can be accessed by
folks in the main office. Because everyone is accessing the
same spreadsheet, this strategy can be an inexpensive but
effective solution for accessing data.
There is, of course, no shortage of for-pay solutions that also
assist in streamlining this process. Products such as WELLKEEPER, FieldDIRECT and Greasebook all offer well monitoring
services and instant access to information and data.
PetroBase, out of Wichita, Ks., and its product, PetroBase
Pro, combine multiple data types in one application, regardless
of source. This can include accounting detail, production values,
and operation histories of wells. According to PetroBase, commonly analyzed data include wellbore diagrams, lifting costs,
lease profitability, production plots, down reports, rendition
generation, regulatory reporting, failure analysis, chemical cost
comparisons, and decline curve analysis.
Asked about the use of data in the field, PetroBase creator
Kyle Stephenson says, "For us it's about helping operators do
more with less. With all the data under one roof, we are helping
our clients find new efficiencies and save money."
Whatever one's approach to tracking and monitoring wells,
collecting and analyzing good data can make the difference between a good well and a great one. The efficiency gained from
exploring online access to production and monitoring information
can help save money and speed decision-making from the
home office, which can impact the productive life of each well.
Anyone who would like to hear from actual operators using
these solutions should join us at EKOGA's annual meeting for
the Eastern Kansas Oil Field Essentials workshop, which
includes an operator discussion on digital oil field tools.
r

JEREMY VISCOMI is the MidContinent regional lead for
the Petroleum Technology
Transfer Council. He has more
than a decade of experience
in developing and organizing
technical conferences and special events, primarily in the
oil and gas industry.
AUGUST 2017 25

American Oil and Gas Reporter - August 2017

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