Print this pageAAPG GEO 2010 Middle East
Geoscience Conference & Exhibition
Innovative Geoscience Solutions – Meeting Hydrocarbon Demand in Changing Times
March 7-10, 2010 – Manama, Bahrain
Remote Control: Well Control - Production and Drilling
(1) Moblize, Houston, TX.
As processor speeds double and triple machines are becoming smarter to guide human actions vs. the other way. The key to enable machine dictating human actions resides in ability of humans to ensure machines have all the necessary data no matter where it resides in corporate systems to guide its actions. Moblize has come up with a mechanism where each machine with a CPU can be exposed as a web service not only talk directly to data residing in corporate databases but also to machines in its vicinity for most up to date information. On this basis, we can today enable unmanned platforms in production to control chokes. How does it work? Based on input the machines receive from nearby disparate flow meters on accumulates volumes/flow rates (on a wireless or wired network) and data from corporate database (historical), the machine can present human with a holistic picture. For example, imagine an event flow rate is high but storage is an issue, so we should turn the choke by say 1/64th of an inch in close position to reduce flow rate. The human can then review the result and according to the over secure web connection manually change the choke positions from Integrated Operations Center with a click of button vs. a personnel going on a boat to the physical platform and doing the same, which creates concerns on safety and increases costs. So essentially, we have a two way mechanism where our software can take machine language and output it as web service or take web service and input it as machine language. It also provides humans the ability to write small snippets of code which can be houses anywhere on a network and depending on variety of sensor inputs like pressure/temp/flow rates automate the control of choke without human intervention if desired.
Drilling: The same concept is being exploited in the drilling arena, where clients can virtually use our software to control top drives, flow rate of mud, steer drill, and many new concepts we are trying to pilot and test. Our software has a proprietary mechanism to talk in machine language to the top drives, in this case, and expose them as an internet service and render them as a smart service. The user based on variety of inputs from the top drive and other relevant sources (data sources) could control the top drive or other machines from integrated center remotely.