SPE ENGenious Symposium Spotlights the Role of Digital Tech in Industry

Abstract

Conference review The inaugural SPE ENGenious Symposium and Exhibition in Aberdeen brought together some of the brightest minds in digital technology and oil and gas to discuss the industry’s most transformative developments. Speakers examined the strategies and technologies that will shape the industry in a variety of areas, showing how they are being leveraged from the reservoir to the downstream market. Featuring more than 100 speakers, the symposium focused on key areas such as data analytics, automation, robotics, smart communications, and cybersecurity. Speakers came from a range of operators, service companies, and digital tech innovators, such as BP, Shell, SAAB, Saudi Aramco, Total, Schlumberger, and Baker Hughes, a GE company. Following are some highlights from the event. AI Aims To Predict Operational Behaviors, Alert of Potential Hazards Stephen Whitfield, Senior Staff Writer If you have ever asked a question of Siri on your iPhone, or Google Assistant on your Android, you have some experience with natural-language processing (NLP). If you have ever settled a billing dispute with an automated online assistant, you have some experience with NLP. It is a type of artificial intelligence (AI) that deals with the interactions between computers and human language, analyzing the thousands of words we use at any given time to help us draw insights and make decisions. BP and Baker Hughes To Use Big Analytics on All Gulf of Mexico Platforms Trent Jacobs, Digital Editor Today, BP’s upstream facilities have an uptime average of 96%. While admirable, the oil company thinks it can do better. To move the needle BP is in the midst of adopting a new analytics system developed in partnership with Baker Hughes that is fully operational on all four of its offshore platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. The companies call it a plant operations advisor, and it uses a combination of sensor analytics and digital twin technology to drive improvements in productivity and visibility into the state of each platform. Digital Transformations Require Robust Organizational Cultures Stephen Whitfield, Senior Staff Writer Operational efficiency is the goal for any oil and gas company, and, to that end, the industry has seen a greater focus on using technology to improve process work flows. But how does this affect the people working in these companies? A panel at the symposium looked at how pre-existing organizational structures can make or break the implementation of new technologies, as well as the people skills and competencies needed to execute a digital work flow transformation. Standardization and Cybersecurity Go Hand in Hand Stephen Whitfield, Senior Staff Writer As operators develop assets that rely on intelligent and automated systems, securing the data from those assets will be key to maintaining consistent production. A panel session looked at the role communications standards might play in cybersecurity protocols, as well as the key drivers for the digital oil field.