Digital Lighthouse: A Scalable Model for Digital Transformation in Oil & Gas

Abstract

Energy companies are latecomers to digitization with respect to other business, but new technologies like Big Data, Cloud infrastructure and Artificial Intelligence offer great opportunities. Here we present an integrated approach to the digitalization of an O&G plant aiming to offer operator safety enhancement, production optimization and reduction of the environmental impact to maximize the asset value. This has been accomplished by complex and continuous work powered by the people who are the engine and the real target of the digital transformation process. In the key study hereby presented, an all-round effort has been made to empower the operator's everyday work with digital and innovative tools supporting reservoir, maintenance, production and HSE workflow. Starting from a number of various legacy systems, a single integrated dashboard was built: The Integrated Operation Centre (IOC). IOC is now available on PC and smartphones to all site personnel both at the operational and managerial level. New innovative systems were developed and deployed into IOC to capitalize on the data acquired during years of plant activities. Machine learning and advanced analytics solutions provide new daily insight on how to efficiently schedule maintenance operations and avoid off-specs and downtime on critical equipment, while complex production optimizers help technicians react to unexpected situations and maximize production. Via IoT (Internet of Things) and portable devices, new tools and workflows were deployed onsite to ease the work and enhance the safety of workers with focus on usage of PPE and providing rapid information to locate workers during emergency situations. People from both site and company headquarters ensured the success of the digital transformation by working together in an Agile Method during the development phase and by coaching in the roll-out phase. New professional roles, like data scientist and big data engineers, joined effort with experienced operators to ensure the success of this journey. This cooperation was at the basis of a comprehensive change management effort, which ensured a smooth and constant change in the way the personnel thinks, acts and reacts. This, we believe, is at the very heart of any fundamental transformation, being it digital or not.