Digital Energy Journal- Schlumberger’s digital technology news

Wednesday, February 1, 2023

Schlumberger made a number of big announcements related to its digital offerings in September 2022. Here is a summary

Schlumberger has commercially released its 'Enterprise Data Solution' for subsurface data.
It runs on Microsoft's Energy Data Services cloud service and is 'in alignment' with the OSDU standard.

Oil and gas companies can use the system to integrate subsurface data , technologies and workflows from different providers.

PETRONAS and Chevron have already signed up to be an 'early adopter' of the technology.
PETRONAS used the system to integrate 12 corporate data stores onto a single platform.

Schlumberger announced a strategic partnership with Norwegian digital technology company Cognite in September 2022, where Schlumberger will integrate its Enterprise Data Solution (largely for subsurface data) with Cognite's Data Fusion software (largely for production data). The two companies will work together to develop applications and solutions.

By using both products integrated together, customers will be able to integrate data from reservoirs, well and facilities in a single platform. Then they will be able to use analytics tools on the data, to find ways to improve production and reduce costs. They will be able to improve flow assurance, better simulate process operations, and perhaps use the integration as a foundation for their own AI tools.

'Operational data in the production domain is a vastly underutilized customer asset due to its complexity and lack of contextualization at scale,' said Rajeev Sonthalia, president, Digital & Integration, Schlumberger. By connecting Schlumberger software with Cognite Data Fusion, customers will be able to get 'better and faster insights'.

Oil and gas operator Wintershall will use Schlumberger's DELFI Data Ecosystem on the OSDU platform running on Microsoft Azure. It has signed a one year contract. It has selected Schlumberger as its 'preferred partner' for its subsurface data transformation program,

'Signing with Schlumberger as a strategic partner marks the kick-start of Wintershall Dea's OSDU-enabled data-driven future,' said Hugo Dijkgraaf, chief technology officer, Wintershall DEA.

'With the deployment of the OSDU Data Platform, Wintershall DEA aims to analyse data more efficiently, search and discover data more rapidly, and take advantage of new cloud-based applications and emerging digital innovations,' said Kathrin Dufour, senior vice president, Digitalization & Technology, Wintershall DEA.

Schlumberger has launched a new cloud based software tool called ProcessOps, for improving performance and uptime of process equipment and facilities. The software can be used to make digital twins of a facility, based on physics based models, supported with AI analysis.

With this, customers should be able to find ways to maximize throughput for the asset, and reduce CO2 emissions. They can also use the software to set up automated workflows to make reports, and try out different scenarios.

As an example of how it can be used, Schlumberger cited a client in the Middle East who used the software to identify a damaged component on an electrostatic treater, which cost one dollar to replace. If it had not been replaced, the whole treater could have been damaged, leading to downtime of the whole facility.

Schlumberger has launched a system called 'Neuro Autonomous Solutions', to reduce the amount of data communication required between the surface and downhole, when steering a drillbit. It connects sensors and technology downhole with a surface advisory system.

It is difficult communicating data down a well which is being drilled, because there is no cable and radio communications are not possible; data is normally communicated using pulses sent through the drilling fluid, and only very limited data communications are possible.

By having more of the digital technology actually downhole, it is possible to reduce the data communication which is required with the surface, and so get more value out of the limited data bandwidth available. This can help reduce risk, improve precision, and so increase efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions.

The system has already been deployed on over 50 rigs in 10 countries and used on 131 wells, including in North America, South America, Middle East and East Asia.

Schlumberger mentioned one Middle East operator who used the system to drill a well from 22 degrees to 90 degrees (horizontal) inclination, with a curved section 2,500 feet long. The operator was able to reduce data sent downhole by 33 per cent, compared to similar wells nearby drilled in manual mode. At the same time the rate of penetration was increased by 13 per cent compared to the neighbouring wells.

Schlumberger announced a collaboration with Aramco to develop a digital platform to 'provide sustainability solutions for hard-to-abate industrial sectors' such as oil and gas, chemicals, utilities, cement and steel.

The platform can be used to measure, collect, report and verify emissions, evaluate different decarbonisation pathways, and manage offsets and credits.

'Aramco and Schlumberger are hoping to draw on our long history of collaboration and partnership to deliver a digital sustainability ecosystem that enables global organizations to manage their carbon emissions and realize ambitious sustainability goals,' said Olivier Le Peuch, chief executive officer, Schlumberger.

Schlumberger has launched a 'Digital Platform Partner Program', for independent software vendors (ISVs) to build and sell software through Schlumberger's platform.

This means that Schlumberger's customers can more easily access a wide range of digital solutions.

Nine software companies were already offering their products through the platform at the time of launch. This includes Resoptima, which provides its ResX software for reservoir modelling; RoQC which provides its LogQA software to identify sub standard log data and fix it using machine learning; and Tachyus, which provides the Aqueon App for decision making in waterflood development..

Schlumberger has joined the Aiming for Zero Methane Emissions Initiative, developed by the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative.

Signatories to the initiative include producers, refiners and marketers of oil, natural gas and other fossil fuels, excluding coal. They commit to achieving 'near zero' methane emissions from operations by 2030. This includes 'pursuing all reasonable means' to avoid methane venting and flaring, and to repair detected leaks.

Schlumberger will participate as a 'supporter' of the initiative rather than a signatory itself. It will work with the signatories to provide consultancy and technology solutions for detection and abatement of emissions.

'By joining the initiative, Schlumberger's management sends a strong statement that they share the ambition to eliminate methane leaks from the oil and gas industry,' said Bjørn Otto Sverdrup, chairman of OGCI's executive committee.