Effective Utilization of Smart Oil Fields Infrastructure towards Optimal Production and Real Time Reservoir Surveillance

chokes and inflow control valves (ICV). Lately, the concept of intelligent field has been embraced by more and more operators with expectations for higher recovery from the reservoir. In addition, installation of permanent downhole monitoring systems (PDHMS) in both free flowing and ESP equipped wells provides continuous monitoring of reservoir parameters as an indispensable tool for reservoir surveillance. Their installation eliminates well intervention data acquisition operations and reduces non-productive shut-in time during rig-ups which enables significant improvement of reservoir surveillance in real-time and focused utilization of resources in material or human capital and assets. Saudi Aramco is tackling existing problems through the utilization of technologies from smart multilateral/MRC wells and mega-cell reservoir simulation to the implementation of fully integrated intelligent fields and geo-steering on real-time mode, all offering a wide-range of interdisciplinary domains for development and progression. This paper will discuss the integration of smart sensory and control devices within the company’s fields, deployed towards finding the optimal production strategy whether naturally or artificially lifted, meeting the designated targets and providing the much-needed flexibility in its operations. The latter is of particular importance in fields which are located in remote, offshore, or near populated areas where safety considerations dedicate less human intervention. In addition, effective methodologies of data mining and computational modeling are necessary to attain these goals. Such methodologies are effectively placed to ensure the best utilization of integrated operations, as well as obtain accurate and useful data flow paths. In a nutshell, the implementation of technological advancements results in a positive impact in field performance on a real time fashion, extending the producing life of wells, harmonizing sweep efficiency and ultimately maximizing oil recovery from the fields.