ITF, the technology facilitator primarily for the UK’s oil and gas industry, is working with Tullow Oil to launch a joint industry project that will build a comprehensive, global wells and completions reliability database.
The raison d’etre is that information sharing on a global basis could transform the industry’s ability to manage well stock more efficiently and improve safety. To date more than 10 operating companies have shown interest in joining the project.
While there are already a number of wells databases in existence, these tend to be quite specific in their subject matter, focusing on, for example, electric submersible pumps, progressing cavity pumps or subsea wells.
Although such databases are considered very useful in relation to these well types, their application is inherently limited.
The aim of the proposed project, is not only to broaden the range of well types for which data is available, but also to substantially increase the total number of wells, and the amount of data that is collected in order to provide users with a comprehensive, global database that will be applicable to a much wider range of production environments than is currently the case.
This in turn will allow wells to be constructed using factual reliability information, thereby allowing accurate assumptions to be made with respect to aspects such as: mean time to failure for completion components; prediction of workover or intervention requirements; flow assurance, scaling, corrosion and tendency for hydrate formation.
The initiative is the idea of Simon Sparke, group head of well integrity for Tullow Oil.
“The aim is to construct a comprehensive database consisting of a broad range of well types and the associated construction components such as tubulars, completion components, wellhead and Christmas tree items,” said Sparke.
“Over time this will develop into a vast library of wells and their associated parts, so that a range of interrogations can be carried out to identify which components provide the most reliable operating efficiencies and under what operating circumstances.
“Many companies currently use well construction historians with data that is loaded as the well is drilled.
“Tullow has commissioned the development of software that will allow this well construction data to be easily, and largely automatically, collected, transmitted and loaded into other databases. I expect this concept will be used in the new database to allow simple but rugged data transfer with limited need for manual input.”
Sparke added that he hopes that existing databases can be knitted together into the new package to provide a significantly more powerful tool. Discussions are already under way with the data librarians and the reaction has been “quite positive”.
If successfully launched, this project not only promises to make a positive impact on well reliability and integrity throughout the industry, but would also be very much in the spirit of the recent EU Directive on Safety of Offshore Oil and Gas Operations, which aims to ensure that best safety practices are implemented across all active offshore regions in Europe as well as promoting high safety standards by European companies operating outside EU regulated waters.
Will Davies, senior technology analyst and member engagement leader at ITF, said there has already been a “healthy level of interest” in this project.
However, he warned that the key to its success is in maximising the amount of data collected in order to build up an accurate and representative picture of the performance of well components in the range of operating conditions encountered by users. In other words, the value of the database will increase with the number of active participants.
For more information about the project we suggest you contact him on: w.davies@itfenergy.com; or Sparke on simon.sparke@tullowoil.com
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