For a brand new GOM or North Sea development, SCADA and real-time data capture will be plumbed-in and provide for sophisticated data mining and production control from the word go. But what about the ‘legacy’ oilfields with just pipes, pumps and tanks. No SCADA, no real-time here - but perhaps where improved monitoring and control may be the difference between the field’s commercial life and death. FieldDirect from IHS Energy is destined to fill just that role by providing a web-based data collection service.
handheld
Data can be captured using the key pad on a phone, from a PC interface, and using a the new "PumperPad", a customized handheld PC. Innovative marketing offers data capture tools, processing and storage of data and company wide access via the Internet for $10 per month per well. PumperPad is a Windows CE-based handheld personal computer which shows the surface facilities on-screen. A pumper selects a facility such as a tank, with the stylus and a spreadsheet of appropriate collection attributes like date, time, tank level and temperature is displayed. Data can be input by pointing at icons such as a tape measure, or by direct entry with handwriting recognition.
verification
But FieldDirect relies on PumperPad for more than just data entry. Logic at the handheld level helps prevent mistakes and provides the field worker with email, tools for production graphs, allocated production and a map interface as well as scaled down versions of Microsoft's Word, Excel and Internet Explorer. The PumperPad keeps field personnel in the loop as the recently captured data is sent back for verification.
Captured data is relayed via the Internet through a COM layer on a transaction server into a production and a summary SQL 7 database. This central database is maintained by IHS and is physically deployed on seven separate machines for security.reporting
FieldDirect also provides PC-based tools for the end-user for mapping, plots and reports. The service has been in development with oil company partners for two years. It was designed by engineers for operating and field personnel. Major selling points include: no upfront hardware/software investment, minimal setup effort, no additional IT support staff required and cost is based on the number of wells using the service. More from www.ihsenergy.com.
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