More intelligent data use boosts value creation on Johan Sverdrup

Based on input from Equinor:

The licensees on Johan Sverdrup have invested heavily in data collection. That includes installing permanent acquisition systems in wells, on the seabed and on the platforms. These data are needed to meet the ambition of a recovery factor for the field exceeding 70 per cent.

Another important measure for enhancing value creation is a dedicated data acquisition well. The information it yields will provide valuable reservoir insight and make an important contribution to improved oil recovery (IOR) measures.

In addition to conventional data acquisition and well instrumentation, distributed fibreoptic measurements throughout the well path have been introduced on Johan Sverdrup to improve reservoir understanding. Data traditionally acquired through campaigns because of the massive quantities involved can now be used live as part of day-to-day production optimisation and well monitoring.

Permanent reservoir monitoring (PRM) based on seismic data has been chosen for the field. Combined with fibreoptic cabling in the wells, this can enhance reservoir understanding and form the basis for an optimised drainage strategy and improved recovery. Current digitalisation projects aim to enhance the efficiency of data flow and storage as well as the use of information from PRM/fibreoptics. Digitalised solutions have also been adopted to achieve easier access to data across specialist tools and different databases.

Physical processes in the Johan Sverdrup reservoir are described through predictive numerical models. These are constantly adapted to commercial requirements and updated continuously with new data and improved understanding. Established technologies, such as fast model update (FMU) with a high level of automation, allow uncertainty about the sub-surface to be continuously updated.

Models will increasingly operate at the overlapping interface between the data-driven and the physics-based. Over Johan Sverdrup’s producing life, big changes and improvements will occur in the way sub-surface models are defined and how they utilise an exponentially growing quantity of data.
A digital twin has been developed as a copy of the Johan Sverdrup facilities – platforms and subsea templates. This makes it easier to locate equipment.

Combining information from the physical world with virtual data (augmented reality) allows the 3D model to be compared with the as-built facilities on the field. The technology has already proved useful for identifying incorrectly installed or missing equipment in the construction phase.

Better understanding of equipment condition in the facilities can reduce the CO₂ footprint by optimising operation of these devices. At the same time, it is possible to transfer a number of inspection tasks from sea to land and thereby achieve a safety gain.

Implementing automated production optimisation provides for increased and more stable output and a lower workload for operators in the central control room.

Much work is also being done to improve data sharing between the field’s licensees and the government. Having access to the same data and seeing the same picture is a big advantage for the operator and its partners – Lundin, Petoro, Aker BP and Total – in taking faster and better decisions.