Abstract Pigging Operation is high risk activity in-terms of process safety. Pigging can be safely initiated only when safe operating conditions are maintained at both ends of pipeline. Pigging involves human intervention and thus increasing personnel risk. Deploying smart, keyless system solutions on this fully manual operation for control and safety will definitely enhance safety level. NPCC presents their design and implementation experiences of smart keyless system for pigging on a recent offshore project. Pigging involves sequential steps and imposes safety risks due to possibility of manual errors; since, significant number of steps and checks involved. High pressure, flammable/toxic gas release may leads to Catastrophic Personal, Asset and Environmental damages. Traditionally, mechanical key interlocking mechanism or similar mechanical safety interlocks deployed, which has inherent deficiencies like mechanical failures, key loss, minimum intelligence/ operator guidance. Ultimate aim is to ensure no pressure/ toxic gas inside pig-trap when opened for inserting/removal of pig-tool. Implementing smart keyless system with safety interlocks overcomes the shortfall of existing system with reliability. Safe methodology ensured through Risk based Assessment. Pipeline pigging is required mainly to maintain pipeline efficiency, avoids potential flow-assurance issues and helps in corrosion control/integrity. The key design parameters are: MOV configuration: As the operation involves a number of MOVs (around 13 MOVs per Scrapper), a 2-wire digital loop was considered with hardwired permissive signal at suitable steps. Control System configuration: Entire operation is guided by Graphics in local field-mounted HMI involving sequential logic check as well as operator acknowledgement before proceeding to next predefined step. The position status of MOVs and Pressure conditions are used in the system logic for authorization to proceed to next step. Safety Interlock configuration: Safety critical checks implemented as hardwired permissive signals for MOV operation. Interlock prevents operation of MOVs, both from Local and Remote unless the safety conditions are met. Although Pigging is a safety critical sequential process, this smart, keyless, system based sequential Pigging not only resulted in significantly safer operation, provides operator guidance and eliminates error/ negligence. This smart keyless system successfully designed, implemented and tested (FAT, IFAT & SAT) and currently in operation with Client's satisfaction. Automatic logging of pigging operation and reporting are available. Smart keyless system based interlocks is the integral part of this novel solution and allows the high-risk pigging process to be performed safely with added convenience and security of an electronically integrated system. This paper intends to present a case study based on actual project, highlighting design challenges and experience gained during execution as well as providing HSE benefits to all stakeholders in the upstream hydrocarbon industry.

Abstract Pressure vessels used in the petrochemical industry inspected manually by people working inside the vessels, which is a very time consuming operation in a potentially hazardeous work environment. As per by Van Den Bos, Strand, Mallion et al (2016) "The PETROBOT project formed and funded by EU with the aim to bring together inspection methods and remote delivery to reduce risks and cost involved in inspection of pressure vessels and brought together the complete value chain, from robot and inspection technology providers to inspection service providers and end-users. In the PETROBOT project, robotic solutions developed for the internal inspection of pressure vessels (FAST platform, BIKE platform and Snake arm) and storage tanks (tank robot). Several aspects related to safe deployment and retrieval of the robots through side and top manway in horizontal and vertical vessels were tested. All the robots were able to enter in all types of vessels and demonstrated an acceptable level of operational readiness. The Robotic technology now sufficiently developed as a platform to perform the inspections using established techniques." ADNOC CEO has launched Oil & Gas 4.0 in the year 2019 and stated that Oil and Gas 4.0 means rethinking how our industry adopts and applies technology, connects with non-traditional partners, shows environmental leadership and most importantly attracts and retains talent. We as, ADNOC Gas Processing Technical Services Engineering division inspired by the ADNOC CEO's speech and adopted introduction of innovative technology in every sphere of technical field. We choose to explore the possiblitity of the introduction of drones, robotics and other technology that are increasing efficiency and productivity while protecting the environment in all stages of energy production. ADNOC Gas Processing has conducted Corrosion and Inspection forum in 2019 as a part of digitasation by inviting leaders in the NDT field to show cause the available latest technology. During the forum, we could explore several advanced NDT techniques including Drones, robotics, helmet mounted cameras and wireless UT thikness monitoing devices. With the advancement of technology, drones once predominantly used for patrolling highways and delivery of the foods were used extensively for visual inspection of elevated structures (stacks) and robotics are used to inspection pressure vessels and storage tanks with out necessity of man entry and thus avaiding the human exposure to the hazdous evironments.

Abstract Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) operates in harsh environment with more than 320 million km-driven annually. Driver fatigue is one of the leading causes of Motor vehicle Incidents (MVI) within PDO operations. The objective of this research was to try and further understand how technology can support in the prevention of driver fatigue. A further objective was to explore driver beliefs related to fatigue as well as fatigue technology, which could help them in identifying fatigue in themselves and preventing further undesirable events. After the technology was applied, it was discovered that driver fatigue occurred at least once in every three journeys, whereas driver distraction occurred more than 4 times in a single journey. The initial survey showed an average level that drivers believed that the technology could prevent fatigue and further crashes. The experience conducting this research using technology greatly helped PDO HSE team to understand driver fatigue, and to develop preventative mechanisms to tackle driver fatigue. The first chapter contains a review of the literature related to both technology and fatigue, including theory and definitions to help the reader to understand them better. The second chapter discuss the research methodology, as well as the aim and research questions. It also includes a description of the technology, describing the system modules and their purposes. The third chapter discusses the main data and results along with lessons learned. Finally, the conclusion includes a discussion relating to the benefits of using technology to manage driver fatigue as well as recommendation for future enhancements.

Abstract Plant operators and maintenance personnel form majority of the workforce in ADNOC Gas Processing. Ensuring their safety and competency is crucial. Over the past few years, ADNOC Gas Processing (company) has observed that a great deal of resources are spent annually on conventional training methods that are inefficient in terms of time, cost, and knowledge retention. With the advent of many technologies, Virtual Reality is found to be gaining ground; however, there are no clear guidelines on how to properly assess and select a one-stop VR solution that is sustainable and fit for the future. This paper presents a review of VR solutions in the oil and gas industry through the development of multiple prototypes (proof of concepts) in collaboration with many solution providers. The objective was to: 1) Establish a learning experience and knowledge about VR main features, hardware, software and applications, 2) Evaluate the capabilities of various VR solutions in the context of field operator and maintenance training, 3) and develop guidelines or minimum functional design requirements for implementing VR. Although all VR solutions shared similarities, there were some key differentiators that are considered success factor when selecting a one-stop VR solution. Examples of such factors include the ability to seamlessly convert CAD format to VR environment with high graphic and visual effects. VR should also allow the interactivity of 3D objects to its finest details, and render spatial sounds. Moreover, it should have inbuilt or integrated learning management system to record competency assessments of the trainees, and so many more as explained throughout this paper. VR Field simulator is used in many applications and accrues several benefits such as reducing raining cost, improving people's competency, increasing efficiency as projects investment is recovered quickly, improving HSE as all types trainings can be delivered off-site, enhancing performance since it allows accurate off-site planning, and validates ergonomic design before commissioning

Abstract In drilling engineering, Key Performance Indexes (KPIs) are import aids for management optimization and technical improvement, such as drilling time, monthly footage, rate of penetration and non-productive time, etc. Almost all oil companies have deployed database systems to manage drilling information, where maybe millions of daily reports are incorporated. While in international oil companies, some shortcomings of conventional data management system are gradually shown: reliability decreasing of data analysis reports during transferring in different levels due to manual intervention, huge amount of unstructured data in losing risk, low automation of KPIs analysis, low tolerance of data processing procedure to poor quality data, various data standards of different fields, poor performance in KPIs visualization. To solve the above problems, an integrated and intelligent drilling KPIs analysis system based on modern data science techniques were developed and deployed in an international oil company. The system architecture was designed in 4 sections: unstructured data processing unit, database and management system, KPIs extraction engine and data visualization dashboard. Unstructured data processing unit was designed to convert reports form heterogeneous data sources to the main database, including Excel, pdf and isometric databases. A 5-layers data quality control procedure was designed to ensure the reliability of data for KPIs analysis. Specified extraction algorithms was designed considering several realities, such as reports or data missing, and data error. A distance-based model to evaluate the similarity of two wells by well properties was developed, providing an intelligent way for benchmark and knowledge sharing between wells. A drilling anomaly detection model was developed by deep learning and natural language processing to solve the problem of ununified coding system in different fields. A data visualization dashboard with high efficiency, reliability and flexibility was designed to provide information for different users. By deploying the system, tens of thousands of daily reports from heterogeneous data sources were automatically incorporated to the main database, and millions of dollars of manually processing cost were saved. The data analysis standard was unified by the system, making it possible for benchmarking and knowledge sharing in different oilfields. Thousands of wells’ information was activated by the system, and the outputs provide support for management optimization, technical improvement, drilling performance benchmarking and feasibility evaluation of new investment. The time for users to analysis the KPIs of a field was shorten form several weeks to almost zero and the data quality was validated and improved in real time by the feedback of KPIs analysis. A 7-layer convolutional neural network was trained based on 1700 wells’ data to detect anomaly in daily reports with accuracy of 85%. A new distance-based model was developed to evaluate the similarity of two wells.

Abstract Oil and gas exploration is facing an ever-increasing demand for cost-efficient drilling operations. Improvement of the rate of penetration (ROP) of the drill bit is key in solving the aforementioned challenge. The objective of this study is to develop a more accurate and effective predictive and optimization model for ROP that utilizes a hybrid artificial intelligence model based on an improved genetic algorithm (IGA) and artificial neural network (ANN) for further optimization of drilling processes. Real field drilling datasets such as the bit type, bit drilling time, rotation per minute, weight on bit, torque, formation type, rock properties, hydraulics, and drilling mud properties are collected and input to train, validate and test the developed IGA-ANN model for ROP prediction and optimization. We apply a Savitzky-Golay (SG) smoothing filter to reduce the noise from the raw datasets. We apply IGA to find the optimal structures, parameters, and types of input of the ANN. By using supplementary population, multi-type crossover and mutation and adaptive dynamics probability adjustments, the developed model, IGA-ANN, avoid the limited optimization and local convergence problems in the classical Genetic Algorithm (GA). Using the developed prediction model, we obtain the optimal operational parameter within a region considering drilling equipment capability and wear to maximize ROP. From numerical results, we find that the optimal structures and parameters of the ANN can be obtained efficiently by the developed method. For comparison, we compare IGA-ANN with the classical wrapper algorithm for parameter selection. The results indicate that IGA-ANN is more stable and accurate than the wrapper algorithm. We compare the true ROP and predicted ROP from the developed IGA-ANN model using accuracy indicators such as root mean square error, mean absolute error, and regression coefficient (R 2 ). For comparison, the accuracy of the classical regression model is presented. We find that IGA-ANN yielded more accurate test results (R 2 = 0.97). We compare the results of IGA-ANN trained using SG smoothing filter processed data and raw data. The test results show that the noise reduction approach used is very efficient in increasing the accuracy of IGA-ANN. Using the developed model, we optimize the choice of drilling operational parameters within a region considering drilling equipment capability and wear. We find that the optimization can increase average ROP significantly. We develop an efficient and robust algorithm, IGA-ANN, for ROP prediction and optimization. Compared with the classical wrapper algorithm and multiple regression model, the IGA-ANN can efficiently optimize the structures, parameters and types of inputs of ANN to achieve higher ROP prediction accuracy. By utilizing the developed model, we can efficiently maximize ROP and minimize the drilling operation cost.

Abstract Rigless well commissioning is an important stage of well completion to deliver a new drilled or worked-over wells (oil producer or water/gas injector) ready for production or injection. Rigless well commissioning employs firstly slick wireline intervention for well accessibility verification, down hole safety valve operability, bottom hole pressure and fluid gradient survey that assists to design the flow to clean commissioning program. Secondly, it employs coiled tubing (CT) and flow to clean (FTC) packages to cleanup the well and if necessary to perform matrix acidizing to improve well productivity or injectivity. This paper highlights operational constraints of well commissioning and its effective approach from job design, execution and evaluation that have been performed over 250 wells in the span of 5 years operations. The commissioned wells are drilled in the carbonate formation with surface clustered operation in Onshore and Offshore Artificial Islands. It also describes HSE challenges that have been faced in safe handling of return fluid, management of volatile recovered crude oil, simultaneous operations (SIMOPS) with Drilling Rig, Project and Construction (P&C) activities and hydrocarbon flaring in the environmentally sensitive area. The implemented approach and methodology of well commissioning has evolved significantly to address operational challenges and reducing well commissioning cost by 60%. It proves improvement of operating efficiency of CT and FTC packages based on downhole pressure survey, smart well commissioning, eliminating high risk clean-up operation for injector well, cluster based well commissioning, in-situ return fluid management and arrangement of vertical flare stack in the constraint offshore artificial island. The overall outcomes have achieved technical objective with optimized cost and minimum risk, enhancing rigless package utilization and implementing sustainable and effective field rigless commissioning.

Abstract Zohr project includes the production of sour gas from the reservoir by a combination of offshore processing facilities in Egypt and pipeline systems to transport the gas from the field, to Onshore Processing Facility. Accelerated startup phase the main production line is based on 26inch pipeline where pipes are LSAW carbon steel pipe for sour service in material grade ×52. The automatic welding procedures for sour service lines have been developed on ceramic-coated steel shoes (copper shoes is not allowed) to achieve the target data to start of production. Scope of this document is to correlate evidence in the form of photographic, visual and NDT reports to be present, in order to determine whether ceramic debris from damaged shoes would adhere to the root & course detrimental effect to the internal root bead. Girth welds are performed with STT automatic welds with ceramic shoes. All girth welds are in the as-welded condition (no PWHT). Installation contractor confirmed that it is the first time that this type of shoes is used for a project. So, no field experience is available. During welder qualification onboard vessels required for pipeline girth welding, it was discovered that ceramic shoes could experience some damage when used in an unlimited manner and it could be a risk of inclusion to the root surface during production welding. The test campaign is designed to verify the corrosion resistance regards to SSC phenomena of girth welds in presence of ceramic debris due to ceramic shoes degradation. Company requested more testing for welding qualification including mechanical and corrosion testing which is performed with ceramic debris on the weld root. Start of alternative solution immediately by weld qualification without any shoes, following the common procedure for welding of carbon steel pipeline in sour service. This activity shall be carried out in parallel to the above test plan for ceramic shoes to have an alternative plan. Pre-production welding testing has been agreed with the contractor to get more stringent requirement for the number of ceramic shoes used during welding. A certain number have been agreed to dispose the ceramic shoes after each 40 welds in order to be sure it will not affect welding process. The approach of use of ceramic shoes during offshore girth welding is beneficial to speed up the laying activities during installation campaign and to meet the mechanical requirements for sour service. Maximum number of welds allowable for each individual shoe shall not exceed 40 welds by using ceramic shoes to avoid any contamination on root of weld bead has been demonstrated. Mechanical and Corrosion testing have been done on weld metal with debris and were acceptable.

Abstract The proposal of this paper is to share the knowledge learned in this new procedure and techniques implemented in HP/HT Unconventional wells, created by the Unconventional (UC) Drilling Department at Abu Dhabi which involve around ten different services, where each has a high importance and contribution for the collective success of the well at the moment to frac and hence the feasibility of the project. In order to assure the integrity and accessibility of the Frac String during Plug and Perf hydraulic fracturing operations of one of the toughest rock in Unconventional business worldwide, one procedure has been developed for running operations best practices. Pressure testing the Frac String (FS) during running in hole in stages while in vertical section to sure safe and successful Wireline setting and retrieving nipples plug with more than 30% solids in the system (high mud weight) to guarantee no leak in the string prior reaching total depth (TD). Hanging and testing cross over (XO), assuring compatibility with the wellhead connections. Cementing up to18.7 ppg. Flexible and expandable slurries, cement inside previous casing and apply pressure on surface to avoid gas percolation during the cement setting period. Cleaning out with Coiled tubing (CT) to ensure no obstruction and using different completion fluids for future accessibility. And finally, Pressure testing the Frac string up to 14ksi all are new practices and proven mitigation measures for all assessed risks for hydraulic fracturing operations. This paper is about sharing this new procedure in Abu Dhabi for having a cemented FS in UC wells High Pressure / High Temperature (HP/HT) with 100% integrity and internal accessibility to run plugs, perforations, logs and be able to apply high surface pressure to frac the tight reservoir in the planned zone, creating the desired permeability for future production.

Abstract One of the major challenges of oil and gas mega projects is the claims management process. This paper will discuss how claims, which arise during the lifecycle of a project, can be managed by both the contractor and by the procuring entity. This is particularly relevant to the industry with the recent Covid-19 events and its impacts. This paper will evaluate and discuss key risks in the implementation of a project – including project cost escalations as well as time overruns and delays to completion of the project or its milestones – and the management of claims in relation thereto. This paper will also discuss how risks may be allocated where a project may be derailed. Secondary impacts will also be considered such as a compromise on quality and potential defects. Lastly, this paper will cover how formal disputes, which arise when claims cannot be adequately resolved, may be brought about and the best position the procuring entity and the contractor can put themselves in for such proceedings. This paper shall conclude that an optimised "life cycle" approach to procurement is essential. From the beginning of the project, companies should carefully consider how risks are allocated, and from a practical perspective, what the most material risks are that are either likely to occur or could have a significant impact on the project, to ensure in particular that management of those potential risks and impact are adequately addressed in the project documents. During the life of the project there mustbe efficient contract management, it is crucial for the project management team to proactively manage claims in real time to avoid disputes. Lastly, it is key that the company is prepared for formal dispute resolution proceedings by reviewing its position regularly and keeping options open. This paper draws on our legal expertise based on our vast experience in the field. Based on this experience, this paper applies that knowledge to what is critical in the management of claims throughout the lifecycle of the project. This will assist companies to allocate risk accordingly, mitigate and manage claims and prepare for potential formal disputes.

In recent years, big data technologies have paved the way for digital transformation in oil and gas industry. Multi-domain measurements are collected by advanced sensor systems and processed using data-driven approaches, allowing to derive constitutive relations between the operational status of the asset and the measured variables. In addition, historical pressure measurements can be exploited for advanced pipeline monitoring. This paper presents a methodology, applied to a case history, where legacy data are repurposed and employed both to track pump health and to enhance the digital conversion. The dataset consists of past pressure signals collected by Eni for several years at the pumping terminal of a crude oil transportation pipeline, which has a length of 100 km and 16" diameter pipes, located in Italy. Pressure transients' variance, kurtosis and variation range, computed on appropriate window lengths, are fed to an unsupervised clustering procedure based on a Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM), which automatically identifies four clusters. An expert analysis of the labeled data reveals that each cluster corresponds to a well-defined and different pump operational mode, namely: standby (pumps off), transition (pumps switching on/off), normal (line flowing) and anomalous. The latter mode is connected to a high value in the pressure transients' variance and kurtosis: during such regime, pump maintenance logs report a failure and replacement of a system part. Interestingly, the anomalous condition starts to show up several days before the actual part replacement. The proposed case history reveals the potentiality of: adding value to legacy data, as they can be reprocessed, tagged and used as supervised examples in the training phase of new data-driven procedures; comparing, merging and complementing monitoring strategies of assets at different digitalization stages; aiding the development of predictive maintenance strategies.

ADNOC Offshore started-up full field gas-lift activation for the first time in 2020. This major step will unlock field's potential by increasing reservoir withdrawal and increasing wells life by mitigating water production / breakthrough. This paper details the successful application of gas-lift from design during appraisal phase and early production stage to full field implementation. Fit for purpose design was implemented through multi-disciplinary studies and work. A strong change management in operating philosophy was requested to take onboard all stakeholders: Field development, Field Operation, Wells operation, Drilling and completion. Following appraisal and early production phases on a green field, wells design was optimized to ensure proper activation in most of the producers (two over three reservoirs developed). Due to full field development phasing, the first 30% of the wells completion were designed based on early production phase data. Before full field commissioning started, in well gas-lift valves were designed and installed, integrating all the dynamic information gathered during natural flow production. Valves change out was performed with the highest HSE standards, and taking into account full field development timing in order to reduce downtime and therefor maximize production. As gas-lift is new in the operating company, a strong change management was required: operating with gas-lift by field operation team, Completion design, Drilling and Gas-lift Production with SIMOPS. Gas Lift implementation will ensure the future oil production of the field as water injection and production will increase. Gas-lift practice implementation led to modifying the operating company's rules in multiple and deep aspects: – Improve field team competencies in handling high pressure gas-lift system, – Increase completion and wells operation complexity, – Implement new SIMOPS rules. As a first achievement, one well under reservoir integrity issue (low productivity due to reservoir collapse) was re-activated and production of existing wells was increased of several thousands baril. Further increase in production is expected in the following months as implementation is deployed to all required wells.

Loss circulation is encountered frequently while drilling fractured carbonate reservoirs in specific field. The field practice was attempting to cure losses and if incurable, drill blind to total depth (TD) followed by run and cementing of the liner. The interval from loss zone to liner top was covered by the cement squeezed from liner top. The require time to try to cure the lost circulation zone plus squeezing cement job was approximately 15 days. Several optimization initiatives were implemented to reduce this time to less than seven days. There were at least eight round trips carried out in different ways by different operators to complete the operation of attempting to cure the losses and a liner top squeeze. The engineering team evaluated this for potential optimization, first to identify whether or not losses need to be attempted to be cured to save the time lost on unsuccessful attempts. Second, to analyze the lessons learnt and build on that optimization strategy to reduce the number of trips Lastly to rework the cement slurry design to reduce the number of attempts to squeeze liner top. As such a detailed strategy was formulated regarding when and how to cure losses followed by an optimized procedure for liner top squeeze which saves three round trips. Further, the liner top squeeze operations previously took multiple attempts of squeeze before a successful pressure test was achieved. Based on the lessons learnt, the slurry design was optimized from several aspects including, slurry density, rheology, thickening time and the pumping and displacement procedure was created which helped to reduce the number attempts from six to only one. Another optimization implemented was enabling the loggers perform pressure pass for cement evaluation by the utilization of tractor instead of conventional (Tough Logging Conditions) TLC which not only saved time but also depicted better the condition of cement behind liner. Finally, a robust risk assessment encompassing all possible contingencies for expected issues was incorporated. The optimized liner top squeeze strategy has been implemented at five wells with 100% success, reducing the overall operation time from more than two weeks to less than one week while improving cement quality behind liner to ensure zonal isolation as per requirements. This paper provides details of how the cement slurry, operations sequence and tools selection were enhanced well by well based on continuous improvement. Since cementing liners across loss circulation intervals exists in most of the carbonate reservoirs worldwide, this paper will help to achieve better zonal isolation in losses environment with lower cost and lesser time.

Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) operates in harsh environment with more than 320 million km-driven annually. Driver fatigue is one of the leading causes of Motor vehicle Incidents (MVI) within PDO operations. The objective of this research was to try and further understand how technology can support in the prevention of driver fatigue. A further objective was to explore driver beliefs related to fatigue as well as fatigue technology, which could help them in identifying fatigue in themselves and preventing further undesirable events. After the technology was applied, it was discovered that driver fatigue occurred at least once in every three journeys, whereas driver distraction occurred more than 4 times in a single journey. The initial survey showed an average level that drivers believed that the technology could prevent fatigue and further crashes. The experience conducting this research using technology greatly helped PDO HSE team to understand driver fatigue, and to develop preventative mechanisms to tackle driver fatigue. The first chapter contains a review of the literature related to both technology and fatigue, including theory and definitions to help the reader to understand them better. The second chapter discuss the research methodology, as well as the aim and research questions. It also includes a description of the technology, describing the system modules and their purposes. The third chapter discusses the main data and results along with lessons learned. Finally, the conclusion includes a discussion relating to the benefits of using technology to manage driver fatigue as well as recommendation for future enhancements.

In drilling engineering, Key Performance Indexes (KPIs) are import aids for management optimization and technical improvement, such as drilling time, monthly footage, rate of penetration and non-productive time, etc. Almost all oil companies have deployed database systems to manage drilling information, where maybe millions of daily reports are incorporated. While in international oil companies, some shortcomings of conventional data management system are gradually shown: reliability decreasing of data analysis reports during transferring in different levels due to manual intervention, huge amount of unstructured data in losing risk, low automation of KPIs analysis, low tolerance of data processing procedure to poor quality data, various data standards of different fields, poor performance in KPIs visualization. To solve the above problems, an integrated and intelligent drilling KPIs analysis system based on modern data science techniques were developed and deployed in an international oil company. The system architecture was designed in 4 sections: unstructured data processing unit, database and management system, KPIs extraction engine and data visualization dashboard. Unstructured data processing unit was designed to convert reports form heterogeneous data sources to the main database, including Excel, pdf and isometric databases. A 5-layers data quality control procedure was designed to ensure the reliability of data for KPIs analysis. Specified extraction algorithms was designed considering several realities, such as reports or data missing, and data error. A distance-based model to evaluate the similarity of two wells by well properties was developed, providing an intelligent way for benchmark and knowledge sharing between wells. A drilling anomaly detection model was developed by deep learning and natural language processing to solve the problem of ununified coding system in different fields. A data visualization dashboard with high efficiency, reliability and flexibility was designed to provide information for different users. By deploying the system, tens of thousands of daily reports from heterogeneous data sources were automatically incorporated to the main database, and millions of dollars of manually processing cost were saved. The data analysis standard was unified by the system, making it possible for benchmarking and knowledge sharing in different oilfields. Thousands of wells’ information was activated by the system, and the outputs provide support for management optimization, technical improvement, drilling performance benchmarking and feasibility evaluation of new investment. The time for users to analysis the KPIs of a field was shorten form several weeks to almost zero and the data quality was validated and improved in real time by the feedback of KPIs analysis. A 7-layer convolutional neural network was trained based on 1700 wells’ data to detect anomaly in daily reports with accuracy of 85%. A new distance-based model was developed to evaluate the similarity of two wells.

Plant operators and maintenance personnel form majority of the workforce in ADNOC Gas Processing. Ensuring their safety and competency is crucial. Over the past few years, ADNOC Gas Processing (company) has observed that a great deal of resources are spent annually on conventional training methods that are inefficient in terms of time, cost, and knowledge retention. With the advent of many technologies, Virtual Reality is found to be gaining ground; however, there are no clear guidelines on how to properly assess and select a one-stop VR solution that is sustainable and fit for the future. This paper presents a review of VR solutions in the oil and gas industry through the development of multiple prototypes (proof of concepts) in collaboration with many solution providers. The objective was to: 1) Establish a learning experience and knowledge about VR main features, hardware, software and applications, 2) Evaluate the capabilities of various VR solutions in the context of field operator and maintenance training, 3) and develop guidelines or minimum functional design requirements for implementing VR. Although all VR solutions shared similarities, there were some key differentiators that are considered success factor when selecting a one-stop VR solution. Examples of such factors include the ability to seamlessly convert CAD format to VR environment with high graphic and visual effects. VR should also allow the interactivity of 3D objects to its finest details, and render spatial sounds. Moreover, it should have inbuilt or integrated learning management system to record competency assessments of the trainees, and so many more as explained throughout this paper. VR Field simulator is used in many applications and accrues several benefits such as reducing raining cost, improving people's competency, increasing efficiency as projects investment is recovered quickly, improving HSE as all types trainings can be delivered off-site, enhancing performance since it allows accurate off-site planning, and validates ergonomic design before commissioning

The production wells in tight glutenite reservoirs have great potential for refracturing, because most of fracturing fluid and proppant flow into the first-class layer with lower initiation pressure during initial stimulation with multi-layer simultaneous fracturing treatment. However, layer segmentation during refracturing can be a challenge, especially in vertical wells. Using only mechanical segmentation tools is of high risk and sometimes ineffective. This paper presents a new refracturing technology for vertical wells employing diverting agents. The segmentation tools are rarely needed in the new refracturing technology. The implementation procedures are as follows: First, reservoir characteristics, remaining oil distribution and water content are evaluated to identify the target layers of refracturing. Second, through the classification of predicted initiation pressure, number of temporary plugging and diverting fracturing are determined. The dosage of chemical diverting agents is designed. Finally, refracturing treatment are performed with an injection procedure of "fracturing fluid and proppants (dredging existing fractures) + granular plugging agents (blocking existing fracture entrances) + fracturing fluid and proppants (creating new fractures) + powdery plugging agents (blocking new fracture tips) + fracturing fluid and proppants (creating complex fracture networks)". The refracturing treatment was performed in Well B1401 located at Junggar Basin in China using the method presented in this paper. The fracturing construction curve of Well B1401 shows that obvious pressure increase was observed when the diverting agents was added, and the initiation pressure or propagation pressure of subsequent fracture was monitored higher than that of previous fracture. It is suggested that proper agents or combinations can effectively plug the opened fractures and generate high enough pressure in the fractures to initiate branch fractures. The production log data indicate that five new layers begin to produce oil after refracturing operation, and the daily oil production of Well B1401 remarkably increased from 1.5 t/d to 9.8 t/d in the field test, which verifies the validity of the tool-free refracturing of vertical wells employing diverting agents. This study provides a new refracturing technology for vertical wells in tight glutenite oil reservoir employing diverting agents is presented. The segmentation tools are rarely needed in the new refracturing technology. It has been applied to hundreds of low-yielding oil wells in tight glutenite reservoirs of Junggar Basin, China. The average annual oil production per well has increased by 950t. It also provides guidelines to the engineers with respect to refracturing design and commercial viability. In addition, this technology is not only suitable for vertical wells, but also for horizontal wells.

Zohr project includes the production of sour gas from the reservoir by a combination of offshore processing facilities in Egypt and pipeline systems to transport the gas from the field, to Onshore Processing Facility. Accelerated startup phase the main production line is based on 26inch pipeline where pipes are LSAW carbon steel pipe for sour service in material grade ×52. The automatic welding procedures for sour service lines have been developed on ceramic-coated steel shoes (copper shoes is not allowed) to achieve the target data to start of production. Scope of this document is to correlate evidence in the form of photographic, visual and NDT reports to be present, in order to determine whether ceramic debris from damaged shoes would adhere to the root & course detrimental effect to the internal root bead. Girth welds are performed with STT automatic welds with ceramic shoes. All girth welds are in the as-welded condition (no PWHT). Installation contractor confirmed that it is the first time that this type of shoes is used for a project. So, no field experience is available. During welder qualification onboard vessels required for pipeline girth welding, it was discovered that ceramic shoes could experience some damage when used in an unlimited manner and it could be a risk of inclusion to the root surface during production welding. The test campaign is designed to verify the corrosion resistance regards to SSC phenomena of girth welds in presence of ceramic debris due to ceramic shoes degradation. Company requested more testing for welding qualification including mechanical and corrosion testing which is performed with ceramic debris on the weld root. Start of alternative solution immediately by weld qualification without any shoes, following the common procedure for welding of carbon steel pipeline in sour service. This activity shall be carried out in parallel to the above test plan for ceramic shoes to have an alternative plan. Pre-production welding testing has been agreed with the contractor to get more stringent requirement for the number of ceramic shoes used during welding. A certain number have been agreed to dispose the ceramic shoes after each 40 welds in order to be sure it will not affect welding process. The approach of use of ceramic shoes during offshore girth welding is beneficial to speed up the laying activities during installation campaign and to meet the mechanical requirements for sour service. Maximum number of welds allowable for each individual shoe shall not exceed 40 welds by using ceramic shoes to avoid any contamination on root of weld bead has been demonstrated. Mechanical and Corrosion testing have been done on weld metal with debris and were acceptable.

The proposal of this paper is to share the knowledge learned in this new procedure and techniques implemented in HP/HT Unconventional wells, created by the Unconventional (UC) Drilling Department at Abu Dhabi which involve around ten different services, where each has a high importance and contribution for the collective success of the well at the moment to frac and hence the feasibility of the project. In order to assure the integrity and accessibility of the Frac String during Plug and Perf hydraulic fracturing operations of one of the toughest rock in Unconventional business worldwide, one procedure has been developed for running operations best practices. Pressure testing the Frac String (FS) during running in hole in stages while in vertical section to sure safe and successful Wireline setting and retrieving nipples plug with more than 30% solids in the system (high mud weight) to guarantee no leak in the string prior reaching total depth (TD). Hanging and testing cross over (XO), assuring compatibility with the wellhead connections. Cementing up to18.7 ppg. Flexible and expandable slurries, cement inside previous casing and apply pressure on surface to avoid gas percolation during the cement setting period. Cleaning out with Coiled tubing (CT) to ensure no obstruction and using different completion fluids for future accessibility. And finally, Pressure testing the Frac string up to 14ksi all are new practices and proven mitigation measures for all assessed risks for hydraulic fracturing operations. This paper is about sharing this new procedure in Abu Dhabi for having a cemented FS in UC wells High Pressure / High Temperature (HP/HT) with 100% integrity and internal accessibility to run plugs, perforations, logs and be able to apply high surface pressure to frac the tight reservoir in the planned zone, creating the desired permeability for future production.

One of the major challenges of oil and gas mega projects is the claims management process. This paper will discuss how claims, which arise during the lifecycle of a project, can be managed by both the contractor and by the procuring entity. This is particularly relevant to the industry with the recent Covid-19 events and its impacts. This paper will evaluate and discuss key risks in the implementation of a project – including project cost escalations as well as time overruns and delays to completion of the project or its milestones – and the management of claims in relation thereto. This paper will also discuss how risks may be allocated where a project may be derailed. Secondary impacts will also be considered such as a compromise on quality and potential defects. Lastly, this paper will cover how formal disputes, which arise when claims cannot be adequately resolved, may be brought about and the best position the procuring entity and the contractor can put themselves in for such proceedings. This paper shall conclude that an optimised "life cycle" approach to procurement is essential. From the beginning of the project, companies should carefully consider how risks are allocated, and from a practical perspective, what the most material risks are that are either likely to occur or could have a significant impact on the project, to ensure in particular that management of those potential risks and impact are adequately addressed in the project documents. During the life of the project there mustbe efficient contract management, it is crucial for the project management team to proactively manage claims in real time to avoid disputes. Lastly, it is key that the company is prepared for formal dispute resolution proceedings by reviewing its position regularly and keeping options open. This paper draws on our legal expertise based on our vast experience in the field. Based on this experience, this paper applies that knowledge to what is critical in the management of claims throughout the lifecycle of the project. This will assist companies to allocate risk accordingly, mitigate and manage claims and prepare for potential formal disputes.