Technology Focus: Deepwater Fields (May 2023)

Abstract

The dearth of investments, burgeoning stringent environmental regulations, and the looming energy transition all can be serious hindrances to the oil and gas industry. While several questions are being asked about the steadfastness of alternatives to competently meet the growing demand for energy, our industry is mature enough not to trivialize the challenging future. Industry key players and associated organizations have to steer away from flawed assumptions in order to develop realistic, trustworthy, and value-creating strategies to safeguard the business imperative of sustainability. Considering the admirable perpetual transformation of the deepwater sector and the crucial impetus for change in the industry, the yearning for aggrandized and augmented innovative advancements is needed more now than ever. Such betterments are essential for these developments to increase the success of finding new discoveries, enhance the operability of their fields, and demonstrate the valorization of their assets to sustain their viability. It is a journey that requires cultural organizational transformation rather than attentive changes in order to focus on abating the effects of emerging challenges while emulating the past success of being a hub for adapting sophisticated engineering solutions. As the deepwater sector embraces the dramatic cutting-edge technical transformation with a digital deluge—artificial intelligence, machine learning, the Internet of things, and automation of operations and remote management—the operators of this sector have an uncontested opportunity to properly adopt and adapt to rigorous operational excellence management systems (OEMS) to balance the investments with the targeted benefits. Effective OEMS can significantly aid identification of bottlenecks; assess the existing processes, procedures, and protocols; and introduce the right solutions for improvement. They are of great benefit for operators to precisely and informatively prioritize in a timely manner areas of pioneering technical advancements needed to assure agility and resilience. It is time for our industry, and the deepwater section in particular, to heed Vince Lombardi’s quote: “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.” Recommended additional reading at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org. SPE 207376 A Novel Approach to First-in-the-World Retrieval of Open-Water Vertical Tree by William Sin Yoong Liew, Petronas, et al. OTC 31920 Reducing Wellbore Cooling Risks for Operational Success in Highly Depleted Sands in a Deepwater Reservoir by Jessica Avila, Chevron, et al. OTC 31223 Triple Managed-Pressure-Drilling Technique for Drilling and Intelligent Completion Deployment on an Abandoned Deepwater Well by André Alonso Fernandes, Petrobras, et al.