Frank's International (Frank’s), a global oil services company that provides a broad and comprehensive range of highly engineered tubular running services, tubular fabrication, and specialty well construction and intervention solutions, has received the inaugural 2021 Most Valuable Partner (MVP) Award from a major operator in recognition of its work in Guyana.
This award recognises Frank's work in helping their customer meet important operational goals both safely and efficiently. Frank's Tubular Running Services, Cementing and Well Integrity teams developed a customised solution involving multiple casing technologies, which eliminated the need to alternate tools and accommodated different casing types.
The solution enabled faster run times and removed the need for personnel to enter the hazardous red zone. Frank's first-rate operational planning and execution led to a record-setting casing string run, with a total of five hours saved and zero rejected connections with a fully nationalised night crew.
Specifically, the MVP award recognises the following categories and achievements:
-Safety, Security, Health and Environment (SSHE) Excellence: recognised as strong leaders and contributors in pre-tour and rig-floor meetings
-Reliability: excellent Non-Productive Time (NPT) performance demonstrating 99.8% up time
-Adaptability and Proactivity: onshore personnel engaged early and effectively collaborated
-Truly Working as a Partner: offshore personnel consistently demonstrated commitment to supporting activities on the rig outside of their base work scope.
"Congratulations to our Tubular Running Services, Cementing, and Well Integrity teams, including local crew members in Guyana," said York McCauley, Frank’s Senior Operations Manager, Caribbean. "These talented and dedicated team members consistently demonstrate operational excellence both onshore and offshore. This award is a testament to their hard work and dedication to delivering superior value, safety, and efficiency to our partners. We appreciate their outstanding contributions to Frank's operations."
Michael Kearney, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, added, "Innovating to help our customers and going above and beyond is what distinguishes our talented team at Frank's. Thank you to our employees for living our core values of Safety, Integrity, Innovation, Diversity and Excellence every day."
A report published on Reportlinker.com, titled ‘Well Intervention Market by Service, Intervention, Application Well Region – global Forecast 2026’ has suggested that the global well intervention market is projected to reach US$9.3bn by 2026, up from US$7.6bn in 2021.
This growth represents a steady CAGR of 4.2% with the main driver being the growing need to maximise product potential of mature oil and gas fields. This increasing demand for offshore and subsea well intervention could off excellent opportunities for service companies offering such services.
Fast growth
The report continues by breaking down this market growth and suggests that the horizontal well segment, by well type, is projected to dominate the global well intervention market due to the increasing horizontal directional drilling activities to optimise production from wells. Such wells are expensive when compared to vertical wells, but they are often preferred due to their efficiency in increasing oil field production and their ability to access subsurface reservoirs that are not directly accessible from above.
The offshore segment
By application, the offshore segment is expected to be the fastest growing market from 2021-2026 as companies have been exploring offshore locations for oil and gas production owing to the fact that offshore locations have a large number of untapped reserves.
Despite fluctuating oil prices, the application of offshore well intervention services is expected to rise, attributed to the increasing deep and ultradeep water drilling and production activities and an increase in the number of maturing subsea wells.
North America dominates market
According to the report, North America represents the largest and the fastest-growing region in the well intervention market and is expected to dominate the global well intervention market between 2021 and 2026. The region has the largest shale reserves, which makes it a lucrative market for drilling activities and for oilfield service providers.
According to the US Energy Information Administration, in 2017, the region had 307.9 trillion cu/ft of shale reserves, out of which only 18.6 trillion cu/ft have been produced in the same year. Thus, the vast potential from the shale reservoirs has been attracting more drilling operations in the North American oil industry. Profitable drilling activities are likely to create enough opportunities for well intervention operations.
Halliburton Company, in their Q2 2021 results, have pointed to an increase in well intervention activities as partially responsible for their growth in revenue and suggested that a multi-year upcycle may be unfolding.
The company’s Completion and Production revenue in Q2 of 2021 was US$2bn, an increase of US$178mn, or 10%, when compared to Q1, while operating income was US$317mn, an increase of US$65mn, or 26%. These results were driven by increased activity across multiple product service lines in North America land, higher cementing activity in the Eastern Hemisphere and Latin America, increased completion tools sales in the Middle East, the North Sea, and Latin America, as well as higher well intervention services in regions such as the Middle East, Africa and North America.
Drilling and Evaluation revenue for Halliburton in Q2 of 2021 was US$1.7bn, an increase of US$78mn, when compared to Q1 of 2021, while operating income was US$175mn, an increase of US$4mn. These results were due to improved drilling-related services and wireline activity across all regions, along with increased testing services in the Eastern Hemisphere.
Jeff Miller, Chairman, President and CEO of Halliburton, said, “Halliburton’s Completion and Production division margin reached three-year highs, while our Drilling and Evaluation division margin outperformed expectations, setting both divisions up for robust margin growth this year.
“The positive activity momentum we see in North America and international markets today, combined with our expectations for future customer demand, gives us conviction for an unfolding multi-year upcycle.”
Coretrax, a global well integrity and production optimisation leader, has moved to new regional headquarters as the business gears up for further growth and has supplemented by strengthening its senior leadership team.
New facilities for a new era
The company has consolidated its European headquarters into a new facility at Badentoy industrial estate, Aberdeen, which boasts 70,000 sq ft of offices, warehouse and yard space to support increased business demand across the region.
In the Middle East, following a period of sustained growth, Coretrax has doubled the size of its headquarters in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), after moving into a new DMCC office space in the city and an operations hub in Abu Dhabi.
Expanding the leadership team
Coretrax has appointed Keith Bradford as the new EARC Regional Manager, to be located at the new facility in Aberdeen. Bradford has more than 25 years worth of experience in the industry and joins the company from Varel Energy Solutions where he was most recently Region Director. Prior to this, he held the role of General Manager with Downhole Products. He will be responsible for leading Coretrax’s expansion across Europe, Africa, Russia and Caspian.
In the Middle East, Murray Forbes has been appointed as Vice President of Sales and Marketing, also bringing more than 25 years’ experience in well operations, technical support and product development. Forbes held several senior positions at major oilfield service companies and was most recently global sales director at Welltec. He will work closely with Coretrax’s global senior leadership team to drive and enhance the company’s current technology offering.
Forbes is supported by Bob Murdoch who has been appointed as Eastern Hemisphere Expandables Operations Manager. Boasting more 30 years’ experience in technical operations, Murdoch joins the firm from Halliburton where he was operations manager – liner hangers. He will be responsible for leading Coretrax’s fast-growing, expandable technology range in the Middle East and Asia Pacific.
Emile Sevadjian has also been appointed as Vice President of Expandables Engineering, having joined from Halliburton.
Kenny Murray, Chief Executive Officer at Coretrax, commented, “Our new, larger offices in Aberdeen and Dubai are a significant milestone for the business as we gear up for further expansion in the next 12 months. Despite the challenges that the Covid-19 pandemic has presented, we are continuing to see increased demand for our technology and this is testament to the high-quality service our people consistently deliver.
“Our new senior appointments each bring substantial knowledge and experience to the business which will be vital as we implement our ambitious growth strategy. As the industry continues to focus on driving operational efficiencies and responsible oil recovery, we are ideally placed to support operations at all stages of the well lifecycle. We already have a healthy pipeline of work moving into the remainder of this year and I look forward to expanding our footprint across the oil and gas and renewable sectors in the coming months.”
The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) have announced an investment of US$763.7mn in integrated rigless services across six of its artificial islands in the Upper Zakum and Satah Al Razboot (SARB) fields to support its production capacity.
ADNOC Offshore has issued three contracts to Schlumberger, ADNOC Drilling, and Halliburton after a competitive tender process which will help see the company support its production capacity expansion to 5mnbpd by 2030.
The scope of the contracts includes coiled tubing services with thru-tubing downhole tools, stimulation services, including equipment and chemicals/fluid systems, surface well testing services, wireline, and production logging services and tools, saturation monitoring, and well integrity.
Ahmad Saqer Al-Suwaidi, CEO of ADNOC Offshore, commented, “These contracts are an important contributor to ADNOC Offshore’s plans to build our production capacity to over 2 million barrels a day in the coming years to support the ADNOC Group’s smart growth strategy. The award follows a highly competitive bid process, which included a rigorous assessment of how much of the contract value would support the growth and diversification of the UAE’s economy through ADNOC’s In-Country Value Program.”
The six artificial islands covered by the awards are Asseifiya, Ettouk, Al Ghallan, and Umm Al Anbar in the Upper Zakum field and Al Qatia and Bu Sikeen in the SARB field.
Halliburton’s joy in the Middle East continues
ADNOC’s announcement came within days of Halliburton revealing it has also secured a contract to provide production chemicals and associated services for a large IOC in Oman. Halliburton will supply a full suite of customised products along with specialised services to support the in-field chemical treatments across the seven-year contract.
Miguel Gonzalez, vice president of Halliburton Multi-Chem, said, “We are excited to provide our production chemical expertise and management services to help our customer maximise their asset value in Oman. This collaboration aims to improve operational efficiencies and reliability by applying tailored solutions and close alignment between parties.”
Halliburton will manufacture key raw materials for the contract’s portfolio at the new Halliburton Saudi Chemical Reaction Plant. Opening at the end of 2021, the facility increases Halliburton’s capabilities to support Oman and the region.
The plant will have capabilities to manufacture a broad slate of chemicals for stimulation, production, midstream, and downstream engineered treatment programmes.
Following an initial agreement between the two companies in 2018, Equinor and Ardyne, a specialist downhole technology and services company for reducing rig time on well abandonment, slot recovery, workover, exploration and P&A operations have agreed a second joint industry project (JIP) to develop a unique well decommissioning technology to reduce the economic and environmental impacts of slot recovery and well decommissioning operations.
The UK£1mn project has been jointly funded by Equinor and Ardyne. Ardyne will manage all engineering, project management and onsite rig qualification testing before deployment for field trials.
TITAN RS
TITAN RS, which will be ready for commercialisation in 12 months, combines Ardyne’s field proven bottom hole assembly (BHA) systems with the new resonance tool to aid casing recovery by using resonance to reduce the pulling force required to free stuck casing. Successful trial wells have been completed recovering casing encased in settled solids.
The system uses the novel and highly effective application of resonance or vibration technology to allow longer sections to be pulled more quickly from settled material in the well. Ardyne has proved resonance to be highly effective in loosening settled material surrounding the casing, with an approximate 30% reduction in pull force required. The vibrations remain isolated downhole and are not transferred to the rig floor.
Compared to conventional rig systems, TITAN RS can provide up to 40% time efficiency savings for well abandonment, decommissioning and brownfield slot recovery projects through fewer runs and time downhole, with a resultant reduction in carbon emissions due to less rig time. The additional functionality means well clean up can be achieved as part of the recovery process without the need for additional trips in the well.
Ardyne has calculated that, when considering a single well scenario, an average rig time saving of more than 78 hours can be achieved. This would equal 136 tonnes of CO2 avoided, 156.8 MW hours of electricity and 13,807 gallons of diesel.
Alan Fairweather, CEO of Ardyne, commented, “The process is proven. The ability to cut days off existing processes through the innovative use of resonance is compelling at a time when the industry is seeking to maximise efficiencies at every opportunity. The environmental benefits of reduced carbon emissions through less time required on site are clear.”
“Equinor has already identified wells offshore Norway for the commercial deployment of TITAN RS next year. We look forward to providing them with a unique and industry-leading method to reduce operational costs and carbon emissions.”
Pål V. Hemmingsen, Task Leader Low-cost P&A Equinor, added, “The benefits of TITAN RS match our ambitions to shape the future of energy. We have been impressed with Ardyne’s unique application of resonance as a force for good in reducing project time and carbon output associated with P&A and slot recovery operations. We look forward to full commercialisation of the system from this latest JIP with the company.”
The UK Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) has published a new cost estimate for offshore oil and gas decommissioning in the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS), suggesting that the total cost of decommissioning has reduced, spelling good news for both the industry and the Exchequer.
The report showed that the total cost of decommissioning UKCS offshore oil and gas infrastructure has reduced to UK£46bn, which is a projected saving of nearly UK£14bn. This marks steady progress towards the US£39bn by end-2022 target called for in the 2017 report.
Behind the decline
The UK£2bn reduction in the 2021 estimate is the result of continuous improvement and reductions in well decommissioning costs, driven by reductions in subsea P&A costs, cost estimating uncertainty and associated cost risk.
Expenditure in 2020 was impacted by Covid-19 and the low commodity price, contributing to a continuation of a plateau in the rate of cost reduction reported last year. While short-term forecasts show a recovery from this slowdown, commercial transformation remains key to meeting the cost reduction target.
There are positive signs that operators are embracing lessons learned from across the industry as well as embedding a culture of continuous improvement and setting ambitious best in class performance targets. This is helping drive the downward cost trajectory and, more will be needed to meet the target. At the same time however there remain some real inconsistencies in cost performance, reducing the overall improvement of the basin.
The majority of decommissioning cost is forecast to be incurred over the coming two decades, and the window of opportunity to identify and embed the necessary changes to drive the next step change in cost efficient decommissioning is immediate.
Achieving the cost reduction target
The OGA’s updated Decommissioning Strategy sets out the commercial transformation and strategic objectives required to deliver cost efficiency and achieve the UKCS cost reduction target of greater than 35%.
The 2021 Estimate notes that there are a number of opportunities to bring about further cost reductions, but it also highlights risks to continuing to bring down costs.
An average annual cost reduction of 6% has been delivered over the past four years. If this average is maintained, the 35% target remains achievable by end-2022.
Equinor Energy has opted to add additional well intervention work to the previously agreed work scope for the low-emission jack-up rig Maersk Intrepid at the Martin Linge field offshore Norway.
Maersk Intrepid is an ultra-harsh environment CJ70 jack-up rig, designed for year-round operations in the North Sea and featuring hybrid, low-emission upgrades. It was delivered in 2014 and is currently operating at Martin Linge for Equinor. The rig was initially contracted by Equinor for both drilling and accommodation activities and its scope in the region has been continually extended as the field has been developed.
Of the latest contract extension, the firm value is approximately US$10.5mn, including integrated services but excluding potential performance bonuses. The added well intervention scope has a firm duration of 31 days, which means that the rig is now contracted until February 2022.
The contract extension is entered under the Master Framework Agreement between Equinor and Maersk Drilling, in which the parties have committed to collaborate on technology advancements and further initiatives to limit greenhouse gas emissions. The contract with Equinor Energy AS contains a performance bonus scheme based on rewarding reduced CO2 and NOx emissions.
At the virtual Offshore Well Intervention Asia Pacific Conference, an expert panel discussed how a growing emphasis on collaboration is complementing the shift to integrated services which is unlocking value for both operators and service providers.
Commenting on the rise in integrated services, Scott Deacon, Subsea Intervention Lead, Baker Hughes, opened the session by stating, “This is a growing area in the light well intervention space and it is also growing in the plug and abandonment (P&A) space as well. To have integrated solutions allows us to collaborate and support each other and brings cost effective and efficient solutions for operators.”
Chin Siang Tan, Senior Services Manager at Baker Hughes, added, “When we go into discussions with operators, they are much more open to the idea of us putting things together in a customised package and it is a very wide range of offers we are talking about now. Not just hardware but things like digital, software, remote surveillance etc are really striking interest in the conversation with operators now.”
“The scope of these integrated services is not just defined by operators but as a service contractor we have a responsibility to integrate and support not just within ourselves but outside our capabilities. Working with key subcontractors well help provide a bigger range of coverage and exercise the flexibility to customise solutions and provide the best project value for operators.”
Ankesh Nagar, lead engineer Petroleum Engineering & Surface facility North East India, Cair Oil & Gas, said, “Looking at a decade of our discrete services we realised there were some slippages on key contracts and projects which was ultimately due to some discrete contracts unable to deliver in the right spirit of the project. We as a group thought that when we moved into integrated solutions for both OPEX and CAPEX we would be able to take care of that aspect and improve on delivery. This is exactly what we saw when we took this step from 2015 onwards. Now we have multiple, regional, integrated service contracts for drilling as well as drilling and testing integrated services. We have found that even if you have projects over large areas you can still manage the delivery of them with leaner teams and achieve objectives of your business plans.”
Muhamad Zaki Amir Hussein, Well Intervention Specialist, Petronas MPM, noted that while it can be more messy for smaller providers to merge with others in order to offer these integrated services, generally the advantages far outweigh the associated challenges. He said, “For services providers this can align and focus your resources rather than having separate businesses developed for different service lines and having to manage separate contracts and performance levels. Having a single contract is more efficient and gives them more room to work in terms of economic of scale.”
Collaboration
The growing popularity of integrated services, combined with the Covid-19 restricted climate, has put a much greater emphasis on collaboration, with most service providers and operators now considering this a far greater part of their business model.
Deacon said, “Collaboration has been highlighted as the way forward and I think it is key for industry especially through the times we have just had. Service providers need to work together, operators need to work together. By looking outside of the business you can utilise other solutions which may be the best solution for the operator.”
Commenting on how his company has expanded this aspect, Nagar said, “We do an annual workshop with not only the service companies who have done work with us but also discrete and more niche services present as well. Then, when we project a need for a solution, there is already a good networking platform for these niche companies to showcase their potential so they can ultimately become part of the integrated service solution. Since our objective is to get a good quality output it is important to ensure there is good collaboration not just between us but also on their end as well. At the end of the day good communication and good collaboration equals good delivery of projects.”
Zaki added, “I agree there are great opportunities for smaller service providers with standalone solutions to learn through collaboration. There is great potential for syndication, experience and resource sharing across these service providers via collaboration for integrated solutions. As for collaboration among operators, there are more opportunities for this especially for bigger packages like workover and subsea work where mobilisation costs are high.”
“Bigger mobilisation and higher spread rates with subsea and workover packages require more economic of scale. Hence we try to find synergies and encourage collaboration across operators for this in the form of joint tenders or farming into an existing, awarded contract.”
To view the full session, follow the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mPcYhTsBfE
At the Offshore Well Intervention Asia Pacific Conference attention turned to Indonesia as representatives from Pertamina Hulu Mahakam, Harbour Energy and TGT Diagnostics discussed the market trends in the region and what best practices and new technologies are being considered to optimise campaigns.
Sakti Dwitama, Head of Wells Studies at Pertamina Hulu Mahakam, stated that in Mahakam the well intervention business was very heavy. Across the more than 2,000 producing wells the company maintains around 5,000 operations are carried out each year with around thirty units (be that coil tubing, E-line, slickline, etc) being used on a daily basis. Yet this market is not without its challenges. Most obviously, as all panellists agreed, was the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic which has caused immense logistical issues for mobilising teams to safely perform well intervention operations. As Hubert Menard, Asia Pacific Business Manager at TGT Diagnostics, added, this has been problematic for operators and service companies alike and has required some real forward thinking in terms of resource management to accommodate for quarantining etc.
The other major challenge has been the economic situation in Indonesia where the low oil price (although it is returning) and poor exchange rates has required some frugal planning from operators. The Indonesian government, in order to boost the economy and wean the country off of its reliance on exported oil has targeted the production of 700,000 barrels of oil per day for this year 2021 (up from the current production figure close to 700,000) to push on to 1,000,000 by 2030. This will be a tough task and the panellists discussed the role of well intervention within this.
Sakti said, “In a way I see this as an opportunity for well intervention. In Mahakam there has been a steep decline in production, especially gas, and so there will be an increase in well intervention activities in order to achieve the national objective. We also want to get more efficient and to optimise this and we are seeing more and more rig activities getting taken over by rigless vessels.”
“However, this decline in production will not be stabilised if we only rely on existing wells. So while we do intervention to maintain a smooth baseline we need to balance it with the development of new wells. Last year we drilled about 300 new wells across the nation, to achieve the national target this year we are aiming to drill about 600. This will be maintained throughout the next few years so that we aim to be drilling around 1,000 wells per year.”
Athur Simatupang, Well Service Engineer at Harbour Energy agreed with this sentiment. At Harbour Energy, he noted, the main goal is to maintain gas production and by utilising intervention methods such as acidisation, perforation etc they hope to increase and maintain the gas production from their fields and help the government reach its target. He also noted intervention strategies were of more importance due to the increasing costs associated with drilling new wells. Companies in Indonesia are having to look to deeper waters to explore and develop new reservoirs which is much more challenging and requires more expensive equipment. While his company is looking to drill new wells in order to increase production, well intervention is being used to sustain and maintain it.
Data Management
In order to stay on top of which wells require production enhancement, precise and effective data acquisition and data management is key. As Menard noted, “The digital transformation is something that every operator and service provider needs to go through even though each has different objectives and initiatives relating to this.”
Sakti noted that in his company an in-house digitalisation platform (in use since 2007) captures all the historical data acquired from assets and allows them to get a better understanding of their wells in order to optimise and more efficiently manage their operations. Athur added that one of the most important uses of this data for his company was to allow them to manage, coordinate and plan the activities of all departments more effectively, so they could identify shared targets and strategies. In an age where making the most of resources is paramount, ensuring all departments are working together in this way can achieve substantial cost savings for the company.
In order to acquire this data, the panellists noted a growing trend of moving away from E-line operations, with many companies instead relying on other methods such as slickline. While doing so does not allow for real time data to be acquired, it has major benefits in regards to mobilisation and potential cost savings.
Menard noted that E-line has a much bigger footprint and unless urgent real-time data acquisition was required, in his companies experience it is often much more fruitful to use other methods such as slickline which requires much less equipment and is much lighter. Because of these advantages to ease of mobilisation, it can be a much better option especially for smaller platforms. Additionally slickline is often needed anyway to perform jobs such as removing safety valves etc and bringing in E-line would most add another logistical problem if another crew was required.
New technology
After touching upon digitalisation the panellists moved onto other new technology trends that are shaping the well intervention industry. Sakti bridged the gap to data by noting that the advancements of AI combined with big data will push companies to be much more efficient and could optimise campaigns through things such as predictive analytics. There are also new solutions emerging in the realm of sand control, a “common enemy” in Indonesia, which would allow operators to move away from traditional methods such as gravel packs which are becoming less economically suitable –especially for marginal wells.
All the panellists stressed their companies were not afraid to utilise new technology and insisted that their doors were open for new viable ideas which could optimise their operations. Sakti said, “In Mahakam we are open to trying out new technologies and there are plenty of new products and techniques being implemented and trialled on our wells. The first step is to get to know each other, then we can have a tech day or forum to see what you have in your toolbox. From there we can discuss how to move forward in more detail, perhaps offer a scenario and understand how this technology will help and what benefit we can gain.”
Athur added, “Every year we do a new tech presentation for all out contractors but, not waiting for that, our door is always open and you may contact us directly. Of course in the Indonesian market everything is about low price but we are happy to have a discussion to see if we can insert the product into our applications.”
To listen to the full session, follow the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpZeA629gtU
ICON Engineering, an oilfield service company, and IK-Group, a supplier of specialist products and services for subsea and topside pipe and pipelines, have formed a strategic alliance to offer operators repair, decommissioning intervention services to the Australian offshore market.
The innovative provision of often bespoke solutions to offshore engineering problems was a common factor that led to the alliance. This partnership will combine IK-Group’s 30 year experience working in emergency repairs for offshore subsea equipment as well as ICON’s expertise installing and servicing offshore platforms, for which the company received an engineering award from the British Government.
IK-Group COO, Adrian Gamman, said, “With ICON’s local presence and IK’s track record, we believe this agreement will suit the Australian market very well. ICON’s head office is located in Perth WA, which will enable ICON to provide IK-Group’s solutions to the local market with a much quicker response time and a better understanding of the local market.”
“Specifically, this will be hugely beneficial to the end client when working on fast track deployment of emergency repairs that are synonymous with IK-Group. These are exciting times, and we are looking forward to growing this relationship in the years to come,” Gamman added.
David Field, ICON Managing Director, commented, "ICON and IK-Group have very similar innovative cultures. Our respective, and complimentary, product and services lines have all evolved from solving technically challenging and real problems, often when there simply isn't a solution anywhere.”
“At our respective Company's cores are very capable technical and management teams, experienced with execution in the field, and the proven ability to respond quickly.
“With Covid-19 restricting travel it makes a lot of sense for the two companies to collaborate by sharing our service offerings on either side of the planet. Nothing beats face to face meetings with Clients; the collaboration means there is a way to meet face to face to understand the problem and develop solutions using our combined technical horsepower.”
A/S Norske Shell has utilised Kongsberg Digital’s digital twin solution Kognitwin Energy to create a virtual representation of their Ormen Lange deepwater gas field which was released to users last month.
Feeding into the onshore digital twin developed at Nyhamna gas processing facility, the two will be combined to become the first ever fully integrated reservoir to market digital twin.
In October 2019, Norske Shell collaborated with Kongsberg Digital to operationalise an ‘asset of the future’ through a partnership development of the Nyhamna Dynamic Digital Twin, using Kongsberg Digital’s Kognitwin Energy solution. By the end of the year the solution was operational and since January 2020 the Nyhamna Dynamic Digital Twin has been evolving continuously through monthly product releases, focusing on safe, effective and integrated work processes and the optimisation of production and energy use. With Nyhamna having paved the way, the decision was made to expand the collaboration with another digital twin of the related Ormen Lange deepwater gas field, which feeds gas to Nyhamna.
Ormen Lange
Hege Skryseth, President of Kongsberg Digital and EVP Kongsberg, said, “With Ormen Lange, we are very proud to have been awarded the contract for the development of a second digital twin for Norske Shell. This is a direct result of our successful collaboration around the Nyhamna dynamic digital twin. We would particularly like to highlight a strong core product, Kognitwin Energy, rapid deployments, and fast time to value as unique differentiators in this ongoing project. Now, we are eager to help Norske Shell realise the full potential of their assets through integration of these two digital twins.”
The first version of the Ormen Lange digital twin comprises primarily data integrations and visualisation of subsea 3D models including production and MEG pipelines, well surface locations and well-bore paths, seabed bathymetry data detailed around the production templates, built documentation and drawings, real time data from DCS and PI and much more. For disciplines and teams across the initial Ormen Lange user base the twin provides unified data for everyone to access across the same work surface.
Rolf Einar Sæter, Digitalisation Manager in Norske Shell, commented, “Digital twins are technology for people. The partnership model, combining Kongsberg Digital’s digital capabilities with our own employee’s expertise in the operations and maintenance domain, has been very effective in delivering use cases that let our teams to collaborate better and become more effective. This in turn enable us to save costs and optimise production whilst improving safety and environmental impact.”
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