The aim of an ongoing implementation of a global production management system is to support an operator in its continuous efforts to improve its affiliates' oil and gas field operations. The main objective of production operations is the maximization of the project returns, which involves the optimization of well production rates, increased of reservoir recovery, and the reduction of the associated expenses. This objective can only be achieved through the effective use of accurate information about the production system's performance (including its reservoirs, wells, and surface and process facilities).
Due to the massive amount of information generated daily in oil and gas fields, specialized software tools are essential for data gathering, cleansing, and storing and for meaningful dissemination, consumption, and analysis of the data to aid decision making.
Aware of this critical need, starting in 2008, Eni launched an ambitious program to implement a production data management system (PDMS) that allows specialists to properly perform well and hydrocarbon production accounting, run specific workflows to correctly analyze the information, and effectively support the operations in several key affiliates around the world.
The interconnected system has proved to be very valuable for strategic planning and informed decision making, considering the size and the remoteness of the operations and the need to assure that operations in the assets are carried out in the most efficient way possible.
The current scope of the PDMS global program includes completed implementations for 12 affiliates and the monitoring of more than 4,000 wells. This paper describes the program's objectives, the achieved benefits, and the vision on the way forward. The paper also addresses some of the main problems encountered during the execution and enumerates the main lessons learned.
