Onshore Solutions

Solution Summary

Based on decades of experience in this industry, the engineers and technicians of eP have developed integrated optimization solutions comprised of the "best of breed" products.

eP is currently featuring the following solutions. Click on the links below for information on each solution.

Electric Submersible Pumping (ESP)
Gas Lift
Plunger Lift
Progressing Cavity Pumping (PCP)
Rod Pumping

Executive Summary

• Increased Production.
• Reduced Operating Costs and Well Failures.
• Individual Well Management.
• Efficiency in Field Operations.
• Efficiency in Computer Operations and Automation.

By providing real-time solutions, manual entry capabilities, production operations solutions, and enterprise information management systems, eProduction Solutions allows the user to significantly optimize field production.

eP's solutions are designed to complete a cycle of activity to optimize field production operations. The cycle includes a design phase where the user can create the most efficient design for the pump based on the conditions of the well and information from past operations. Once the design is in place, the well must be monitored to assure the design continues to be correct and to identify changes in the well and machinery that indicate analysis is necessary. If an exception is identified during the monitoring stage, then analysis must take place. Eventually, analysis may indicate that a new artificial lift system needs to be installed and the design phase starts the cycle again. The cycle is illustrated below.

eProduction Solutions is much more than a SCADA system. It is an integrated suite of tools that provides the information and advanced analysis needed to operate an oil field optimally. Some of the benefits of the integrated suite approach are:

1. Single System: The different modules of the suite are integrated to provide seamless functionality for the complete field requirements. Field personnel do not have to maintain separate systems for the various components of the field. Since the systems that make up the solution are all from the same company, maintenance and support issues are greatly simplified.
2. Advanced functionality: The tight integration of the modules results in very powerful functionality. For example, the well testing software automatically uses the rod pumping software to collect and archive a surface and downhole card each time a well is put into test. The stored surface and downhole cards enable field personnel to analyze the well performance during the test or later, if needed. If a well is down, it is skipped from the well test sequence.
3. Simplifies data management: Since the modules are integrated into one solution, it significantly simplifies data management functions. For example, the Production module automatically uses the well test data and data from the rest of the modules to perform daily shrinkage analysis and individual well production allocations.

There is no requirement for building data migration schemes from one application to another.

By using eP's software, existing systems can be incorporated into the new solution. The software is able to gather data and control wells and facilities over one radio frequency although it is using several different communication protocols.

Typical eProduction Solutions Installation

Software Model

The above diagram depicts a typical eP field installation. The software resides on a central NT server and polls various types of wells and facilities. Using a client server system makes available all the needed data from the field devices and manually entered information to the users. Using existing LAN and WAN technology allows the software to be used throughout the entire enterprise. Consequently, operators of the field can control well and facility activity, analyze production, and predict future results and failures using the various modules.

Alarms

When response is needed, the alarm notification and management system springs into action. Alarms can be called out to radios, pagers, networked computers, and answering services. It interfaces to a variety of speaker-synthesis call-out systems. The system can be set up where the field can reduce or eliminate answering services and reduce or eliminate 24-hour duty.

Increased Production

The software provides the ability to lower down time for the wells and compressors. By operating with less down time, the production amounts are increased. Also, by using advanced analysis capabilities, the wells can be optimized by resetting parameters on the controllers and redesigned to provide a higher producing well.

Cost Reduction

Fields are able to reduce installation and on going maintenance costs with the software's easy configuration setup and update screens. The time saved with the eP's solution allows better use of field personnel to do proactive maintenance based on the analysis done with the software rather than reactive maintenance. Costs can be reduced in many ways. Operators can reduce production costs by:

• Optimizing pumping unit and motor size.
• Reducing the frequency of manual fluid levels.
• Reducing chemical costs by optimizing field and well chemical treatment plans.
• Making chemical treatments less frequent without loss of effectiveness.
• Reducing personnel windshield time.
• Reducing computing hardware costs.

Hardware

eP specializes in the design, manufacturing, installation, and service of remote terminal unit (RTU) and rod pump controller (RPC) products. For general purpose monitoring and control functions, our EXS-1000 and 6500 are available. Special purpose RTUs have been designed to monitor and control rod pumps, ESPs, electronic flow measurement, plunger lift, PCP, and gas lift systems. eP has the staffing, resources and experience to provide quality and cost effective solutions on a "turnkey" basis for your automation requirements.

eP's control systems are based on 30 years of hydraulic and pneumatic control systems experience throughout the world. These systems include wellhead, process, pipeline, and ESD control, as well as self-contained hydraulic power units (HPUs) and injection systems.

Downhole Sensors/Gauges

Our downhole sensors provide proven reliability and accuracy. All of eP's sensors are manufactured under controlled environments where assembly techniques are scrutinized to assure stability and longevity in the harsh downhole environment. Calibration and verification testing of the sensors are performed in our environmentally controlled labs where oil operated fundamental pressure standards are used.

eP's designs incorporate primary metal to metal seals to assure long term reliability with elastomeric backups. Compact packaging allows use of the sensors in most applications including slim hole. Wide operating ranges for both temperature and pressure are a standard.

The eP sensors can be packaged with simple surface monitoring devices for data storage, or complete well pad management systems which offer data storage, I/O configurability and communication means. In addition, a complete Sensor Solution offers data storage for variable speed drive / vector flux drive parameters and signal compatibility for closed loop control of your wells.

The gauges are used with controllers and the vector flux drives (VFDs) to provide more accurate control on the well based on the changing downhole conditions. In addition, these gauges are used to evaluate reservoir conditions.

eP provides the analog sensor which is ideal for single point monitoring such as pump intake pressure and temperature. With pressure accuracy's up to five times better than an analog 4-20mA type sensor, the eP analog sensor is unsurpassed in the industry. The digital sensor, a valuable asset when pump intake and discharge parameters are required, allows for addressable communications on a single conductor I-Line. The digital sensors give you the ability to multi-drop additional sensors on a single conductor I-Line where multi-zone monitoring applications are required.

eP has the solution whether it's one sensor per well or ten sensors per well, all on a single conductor I-Line.

Vector Flux Drives (VFD)

eP's VFD provides infinite speed control with constant torque control throughout the speed range. The VFD can be used by itself or coupled with downhole gauges for more defined control. An intelligent RTU can be added for data logging capability for finer resolution in data capture. Our VFDs are available in three drive package sizes based on needed horse power.

By using the VFD crews no longer have to travel to the wellsite to change sheaves and belts. The VFDs gain improved efficiencies by using Nema B instead of Nema D motors. eP's VFDs reduced failures by controlling the total torque to the rod string for both PCPs and pump jacks. Additionally, the VFD protects the PCP and rod pump from damaging well pump off. Reduced cost are gained by minimizing rod string failures. In most cases one or two rod string failures in the life time of the well pays for the installation. eP's VFD can increase production, if there is more oil to be pumped.

Since eP solutions can support different controllers on a single communication channel, migration from old proprietary RTUs and systems is manageable. Old and new RTUs and controllers can coexist on the same system with just one radio communication channel.

Rod Pump Controllers (RPC)

Historically RPCs have been installed in the secondary recovery phase of operation (i.e. water flood, steam injection or other well stimulation). However, today it is more common to install RPCs immediately after well completion.

eP's RPCs offer continuous rod pump well monitoring and provide data that allow operators to calculate pump performance. By using remote radio communications operators can centralize data collection and maximize system use. With the RPC, operators can tune their wells using operating set points in the system and can detect well failures immediately. All of eP's RPCs are microprocessor based using a Nema 4X enclosure to withstand the harsh external environment.

eP's RPCs modular design provides plug and play I/O. The multiple control methods available in our RPCs adapt to any well condition. By using the RPC, operators can infer daily fluid production to provide daily well test information. The graphical interface offers an easy way to navigate and trend well performance at the well head.

Communication

eProduction Solutions' software works with several different communication methods. eP has partnership agreements in place with radio, cellular, and satellite companies to assure that the appropriate communication methods are available for each project's specifications. Radio is the most popular method, using both spread spectrum and licensed channels. By using radio networks, efficient communication is available to and from the end devices.

The software will communicate over hardwired systems, but those systems are generally economically unfeasible. Satellite communication is becoming more popular and provides a workable solution for reaching extremely remote wells. Cellular-phone communication (CDPD) provides an alternative to radio when frequencies are difficult to procure.

Software

Through a partnership with Case Services, eProduction Solutions is able to provide the industries most comprehensive real-time software systems for optimizing production operations. The software communicates with the hardware devices through the chosen communication type. The users can then monitor, analyze, and control the wells and facilities. Using eP's software solutions allows users to fine-tune operations to increase production or decrease operational expenses. Early detection of production-robbing problems helps increase runtime and decrease downtime from advanced analysis such as:

• Comparison of well tests to theoretical displacement and target values.
• More effective dynamometer card collection.
• More effective fluid level determination.
• Notification of wells operating out of preset operating parameters.
• Expert reports to propose fixes for detected problems.
• Abnormal compressor activity.

The eP solution works with most all popular RTUs, PLCs, and controllers. This allows operators to use existing hardware systems when migrating to new systems. Because it can talk to multiple protocols over a single radio frequency, the system can avoid licensing multiple frequencies for a field. It can monitor virtually any controller, RTU, or PLC with a native protocol or through OPC standards.

Daily Use

The software has advanced field control to reduce fluid spills and loss prevention. If a tank level is nearing its overflow limit, the software can automatically shut down the wells feeding that particular tank. That concept can also be used in creating a comprehensive power management system to reduce electrical costs in situations when the electric supply company alerts the oil field of a spiking condition in general electrical usage. During those times, the software shuts down a certain number of wells to lower the actual electrical requirements of the affected area. These steps can all be automated using eProduction Solutions' software.

Daily and monthly production reporting is done quickly and easily. Moreover, daily well management is done by exception. "Operating by exception" occurs when the user can choose to display those wells and compressors where an operating parameter has exceeded a predetermined limit.

The administration requirements for the software solution are minimal. The software provides an easy configuration interface that allows the user of the system to add and modify wells, facilities, and monitoring points into the system without the need for programming or help from eProduction Solutions or system administrators. Since it is a single system solution, support costs are reduced. In addition, the web capabilities allow data access to everyone, everywhere with no additional cost.

Real-time Applications

eP provides a complete system including hardware, software, communication systems, consulting, and training . While we have our preferred hardware and software systems the solutions are open to use a variety of RTUs, PLCs, controllers, and any popular HMI software system that best fits your particular situation.

eProduction Solutions provides the software for remote monitoring and controlling. Collecting data from the controllers and sending control commands back to them is something that any SCADA package can do. eProduction Solutions software goes beyond a simple SCADA system to provide an advanced real-time system including:

• Multiple-controller type communications on a single frequency.
• OPC client and server support.
• Data historian.
• Sophisticated alarms.
• Fault-tolerance.

eP's solutions are proven real-time systems used in over fifty installations for many different customers around the world. It is a scalable system whose historical database has a dynamic sizing feature that eliminates an additional database for long-term storage of real-time data. It can be used with very large systems of greater than 5,000 controllers. The system uses sophisticated alarms for call out including voice, pager, and radio. This allows after-hours alerts for user-defined problems.

Manual Entry Applications

Along with real-time connections to the wells and facilities in the field, eProduction Solutions' software also provides the user with an interface to manually enter pertinent data. Extremely remote wells and compressors or others that do not merit real-time access can still be entered into the operations management systems so that they can benefit from the analytical benefits of eProduction Solutions' software.

Data from the pump shop, the field, and the chemical treatment vendor can be entered easily into a stand-alone computer such as a laptop. When the data is entered into the server database, it is immediately synchronized with the current data and made available for analysis. The data synchronization works with other manually collected data and real-time data.

Rod Pump software

Each software module has specific screens to enter the data pertinent to that type of well or facility. In addition, historical data from other applications can be entered through a batch process. The graphic above shows some of the ways data can be entered manually.

Artificial Lift Applications

Going beyond merely monitoring the status of wells, eP's solutions provide software and hardware for optimizing artificial lift operations through automation and analysis. Each type of artificial lift has particular hardware and software tools that have specific analytical features to optimize the production of that type of well.

Intelligence is built-in at both the wellsite and the desktop. At the wellsite the controllers use real-time information from the well to turn the pump on and off or change its speed. These actions are based on fluid level, rod torque, speed of the pump, and downhole pressure. The RTU collects and stores data so that the host base system can gather the data to use for analysis. At the desktop, the user is provided the collected data which can be used in analytical applications to further optimize the performance of the pump. The desk top system also allows the operators to remotely change the parameters of the wellsite controller.

Examples of these applications include:

• Electric Submersible Pumping (ESP)
• Gas Lift
• Plunger Lift
• Progressing Cavity Pumping (PCP)
• Rod Pumping
  

Facilities Monitoring Applications

Along with providing optimization at the well level with artificial lift tools, eProduction Solutions also provides tools for operations optimization. By providing up to the minute information about your field coupled with advanced analysis capabilities, the tools assist in making sound decisions related to field operations.

eP's software offers operators tools for:

• Total field production analysis, daily and monthly reporting, facility monitoring, and alarming
• Well service reporting
• Chemical-treatment analysis
• Subsurface-pump analysis
• Manual, automatic, and semiautomatic well testing
• Maintain proper injection rates for water, CO₂, miscible fluids, or WAG
• Maintain proper injection rates and steam quality
  

Enterprise Information Management Systems

Pulling all the information together from multiple sources to make better-informed decisions is difficult because of the many different types of applications and databases that are used to store the data. eP uses web software to provide a comprehensive application that displays and combines real-time and static data from multiple data sources as well as mini-applications that go beyond simple data presentation to provide application logic. The information is displayed in color coded charts and informative graphs that enable decisions to be made with more information. By having access to different types of data such as real-time and financial data on a particular subject, the user can make better, more informed decisions.

eProduction Solutions' Software System vs. SCADA

SCADA

The major decisions involved in the selection of an oil industry SCADA system are as follows:

1. Selecting the HMI product. The most commonly used HMI products tend to be Wonderware or Intellution.
2. Specifying the functionality desired from the SCADA system from a software perspective (e.g. the operator display, required trends, data management functions, reports, etc.).
3. Selecting a system integration house to perform the necessary PLC programming, hardware additions to the field and building the SCADA displays.

Once the decisions listed above are made, the SCADA system delivers the functionality that was specified. SCADA system projects typically consist of low product content and a significantly higher customization content because the HMI product has to be customized to meet site-specific needs.

A typical SCADA system performs the following four primary functions:

1. Basic status: Displays status of devices, wells, and tanks.
2. Alarming: The SCADA system will display an alarm or page an operator when an alarm is detected.
3. Trending: The SCADA system provides a capability to trend a measured analog or discrete points.
4. Control: The system allows for control operations like shutting down of valves and wells.

The SCADA system also provides an HMI interface for a lease operator to see a basic diagram of the field and the current status of the wells and facilities.

eProduction Solutions' Software

eP's products offers a comprehensive, integrated solution for oil and gas production automation. The software consists of several separate-but-joined modules for optimizing the typical production components of the oil and gas field.

The software resides on a central NT server and polls various types of wells and facilities. It can poll many different brands of controllers, RTUs, and PLCs on those wells and facilities. The software brings all the needed data from the field devices into the NT server. From there, operators of the field can control well and facility activity, analyze production, and predict future results and failures using the various modules. Using existing LAN and WAN technology the entire enterprise can use the software simultaneously.

The major decisions involved in implementation of the system are as follows:

1. Analyzing with the functionality provided by the software and identifying site-specific issues: While the software has a large amount of functionality built into the products, every site has specific requirements. It is designed to easily accommodate site-specific changes, once they are identified.
2. Automation system installation and coordination: An installation is a very small component of the complete automation system installation. An automation system installation requires installation of end devices, wellhead equipment, communication infrastructure, and PLC programming in some cases. Companies often have to make a decision on whether company personnel will handle the central project coordination or whether to out source the project to a system integration house. eProduction Solutions works with either the company personnel or as a system integrator for part or all of the installation.

Our system can be installed and will coexist with existing SCADA systems. The primary issues to be resolved when two systems are going to coexist are the communications architecture and the data sharing. A more detailed description of the issues involved is discussed in a white paper from eProduction Solutions.

Analysis

eP includes analysis capabilities in its software. Rather than use one tool for gathering the data (SCADA) and a separate tool or tools for analyzing the data, eProduction Solutions combines the two functions into one integrated solution.

A nonintegrated operations system creates at least a two-step process. During the export, data or valuable time is lost. Generally, in a large field, frequency of analysis is limited to one time per month, several months, or even a year. With eP's solution, analysis takes place immediately and the results are always ready for use. In addition, personnel must be able to operate multiple systems with a nonintegrated system, but with eProduction Solutions' system, the analysis and data gathering functions are combined.

Operators have the right information presented in a way that allows decisions to be made quickly and accurately.

• Trends
• Charts
• Reports
• Graphs
• Sorted comparison lists

Field personnel have instant, high performance access to operations data and analysis. Our software transfers data to and from a corporate data warehouse -- No manual transfer is needed. Through its client/server interface, corporate workers have access to production data and operational tools.