THE SCIENCE OF NLG — OIL & GAS CASE STUDY

An oil and gas super major using the Arria NLG Engine
could increase oil production dramatically

A typical deepwater oil platform is a highly complex, integrated, industrial production facility operating 24/7/365. Its production capabilities depend on a number of large scale rotating machines such as turbines, compressors, pumps, generators and engines. An oil platform operates in one of the most challenging production environments in the world. The production output as well as the safety of the oil platform both depend on the reliable performance of its rotating equipment. When equipment begins to perform outside acceptable operating envelopes, embedded sensors detect the issue and cause alerts to be generated. In addition to rotating equipment, alerts cover a wide range of sources including wells, facilities, and sub-surface equipment. These alerts are monitored by automated systems and highly skilled engineers.

An Example of the Current Monitoring Situation in Complex, Multi-Asset, Surveillance Centres

1. Automated systems monitor data streams and raise alerts.
2. Expert analysts assess whether alerts are valid and need to be further investigated.
3. For valid alerts, the experts write a situational analysis summation which includes context and background.
4. Subject matter experts then further analyse the situation, and create a service recommendation for the equipment.

The problem is that while current monitoring systems generate alerts and notifications, they cannot articulate what has gone wrong. So expert engineers with decades of experience are required to analyse the alerts. But there is such a vast array of equipment generating so many thousands of alerts, it is impossible for human experts to analyse them all. Some control centre operators have likened this data overload experience to “drinking from a fire hose.” Further, the level of expertise required is so high, there is an acute shortage of human experts available to accurately analyse all of the alerts. As a result, alerts are missed and production suffers.

We Believe the Arria NLG Engine Can Effectively Solve This Problem

The Arria NLG Engine effectively becomes the expert. It instantly, automatically, continuously, accurately and effortlessly:

• Reviews every alert even in the absence of the expert.
• Performs analysis that determines what the alerts mean.
• Provides a plain English report identifying which alerts need the expert’s attention and provides the situational awareness that allows the engineer to immediately formulate an action plan to correct the cause of the alerts.

The Arria NLG Engine determines and reports the problem and solution faster than the engineer ever could. It saves each engineer hours of analysis and report writing per day. It works around the clock—never sleeping.¹

The Benefits of Surveillance

One of the most common sources of production downtime on an oil and gas platform is in the category of rotating equipment. The ability to implement continuous surveillance on such equipment is a key determinant in improving production uptime. The impact of surveillance on rotating and other equipment on oil and gas production platforms for international operating companies can be understood at a general level by considering three production metrics:²