Implementing i-field-Integrated Solutions for Reservoir Management: A San Joaquin Valley Case Study

Abstract

Summary To achieve more-efficient business processes by exploiting data and knowledge management, real-time systems, and advanced analytical tools, most major integrated and service companies have developed, or are in the process of developing, intelligent programs also known as "Digital Oil Field of the Future" (CERA 2002). The i-field™ program represents Chevron's efforts to integrate people, processes, technology, and information to achieve its vision of upstream transformation. Ultimately, this vision translates to higher-quality decision making and changes the method in which assets are operated. A new multiyear i-field™ program, Integrated Reservoir Management (i-RM), was initiated in the San Joaquin Valley (SJV) to enable efficient reservoir management (RM) and quality decision making for heavy-oil assests operating under steamflood enhanced-oil-recovery (EOR) technologies. The paper describes the journey undertaken by the project team to build a proprietary steamflood-integrated RM tool that answers the basic never-ending engineering requirements: instant access to clean data, single source of information for everyone, and seamless data-tools linkage. The ultimate benefit is not only increased time spent by engineers and earth scientists to analyze data, but also consistent project design workflows and decision-making processes across fields. In addition to the previously described documented benefits, the manuscript includes the operator's experience with project framing, development, deployment, and user acceptance.