Integrated modeling of production

Experience of large international oil and gas companies has proven that application of this new approach allows more effective decision making, taking into account all aspects of company’s production activity, within shortest possible time.

Integrated Modeling project, introduced at “LUKOIL Uzbekistan Operating Company” LLC, is aimed at achievement of optimum result in selection of geological and technical activities, operation activity and enhancement of effectiveness of assets in general.

Integrated model allows quite accurate description and forecasting of performance, covering not only development and geology aspects, but limitations of surface infrastructure, including pipelines, field facilities and economic conditions.

The main principle of the project is maximum automation of decision making, based on updated information, quite often received on-line. At the same time possible solutions are modeled and examined, cost-effectiveness and technological expediency of the solutions are assessed.

The integrated model itself consists of a number of models: models of geological horizons, well, gathering system, field facilities, economical model, etc. At that each model exchanges information and influences other models, which allows taking into account all aspects of production and selection of a really optimum variant.

At present at LUOC there is formed a huge base for project implementation, geological and hydrodynamic models of geological horizon have already been developed and are successfully operated in Eclipse software complex, they are continuously upgraded and automated.

Model of wells and gathering system has been developed in Pipesim software, at that effective measures for improvement of production and gathering system have already been selected and put into practice. Models of geological horizon, wells and gathering system have been integrated for Khauzak Shady field.

And it is only beginning – the project team is planning to develop models of wells and gathering systems at Gissar field, integrate them with geological horizon model, develop models of field facilities and integrate them with economic model in the nearest future.

Conclusions about effectiveness of the project may be made even now based on the results of cooperation of Oil and Gas Production Department and Geologic-hydrodynamic Modeling and Geological Information Databases Monitoring Department. A number of geological and technical activities at the wells of Khauzak-Shady field, which proved highly effective, have been recommended and put into practice.

Besides normative base is being established for arrangement of a system of decision making, based on clear detailed definition of business processes of the third and fourth levels. Establishment of such unified system will allow distribution of powers of structural subdivisions of the company within the production process and maximum automation of decision making and production management procedure.

It is important to understand that integrated modeling allows automation of everyday operations, performed by the engineer, and reduction of decision making time, at the same time ensuring thorough study of the problem. At the same time engineer, who selects solution of this or that problem, adjusts and improves the models and chooses optimum measures, is still a key element.

Integrated Modeling project is closely connected with other Life-Lield projects and should be implemented together with it. For instance, APCS project allows receipt and transmission in real time with help of telemetry system of information in the model, recording and control of all systems, warning about deviations. And well survey project serves as ground and base for visualization of data and reflection of modeling results, being a sort of database for Life-field project. We will tell about these two projects in more detail next time.

Serious tasks are set to Integrated Modeling project – optimum placement of wells, optimization of gathering system and development, search for limitations in production facilities, their removal and selection of optimum geological and technical activities. Experience of world oil and gas leading companies shows effectiveness of the tool integrated modeling.