Use of Historical Data to Drive Present Drilling Rig Performance

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With tight budgets and growing opportunities in the industry, the challenge of driving efficient and successful drilling campaigns is at the top of the agenda for operators. The energy industry relies heavily on equipment and asset performance to generate revenue, highlighting the importance of having a consistent asset assurance process. The potential impact of downtime is significant, both financially and in terms of safety and reputation.  

Maximizing the potential of data allows ADC Energy to conduct vessel inspections more intelligently and efficiently, and anticipate potential issues for its customers before they become problems. 

The company’s Technical Reporting Audit Management System (TRAMS) uses data gathered from the company’s extensive experience in rig and vessel inspection, which is then analyzed and interpreted to identify areas most likely to cause issues.

The system securely pools anonymized data gathered over the last decade from 195 operators and 900 assets of all rig types, as well as from BOP well control equipment surveys, into a single repository to compare, contrast and benchmark rigs. When it comes to helping operators make informed decisions about the selection and reactivation of rigs, data are of utmost importance.

By reporting identified threats in real time, TRAMS allows operators to address them promptly without the need for unplanned downtime. This proactive approach ensures the asset remains operable during the inspection and any major non-conformances can be closed out while the audit team is still on board. 

Almost 1,200 inspections were conducted since 2011, on 92 drillship projects and 130 high-specification, dynamically positioned semisubmersible assets in key hubs such as the U.K. Continental Shelf, Africa, the Gulf of Mexico and deepwater Asia-Pacific. 

Vessel operators can attend each inspection "virtually" without ever having to set foot on a helideck, accessing information including the audit scope, non-conformances and corrective action requests, all underpinned by photos and video. 

By having all the information, operators can select and deploy the best performing rig with the right equipment for their specific well operations and conditions, potentially accelerating programs and saving millions by minimizing nonproductive time (NPT).

The data can be used to understand and identify common equipment failure trends within specific equipment types. It is also the starting point for focused inspections, targeting problematic equipment groups to mitigate common recurrent faults. 

Post-inspection, the system is used as a hub to monitor audit outcomes, to track corrective action close-outs, to access insights on rigs and equipment across regions, and to identify improvement opportunities.

Case study

During a recent project, the system helped identify and resolve an issue that had the potential to cost the operator an estimated $ 4.5 million in NPT.

ADC Energy inspected the condition and operation of the remotely operated BOP intervention system as well as a third party’s remotely operated pumping skid equipment for an end-of-well inspection. According to the findings, the porting of the Type A receptacle and the hosing fitted to the BOP would have restricted fluid flow from the Type C stab, ultimately preventing critical functions of the BOP and delaying the shut-in procedures in a well control situation with potentially catastrophic results.

Based on the company’s extensive experience with rig inspections, it was assessed that the issue was likely to occur in three more rigs on contract—all built in the same shipyard to similar design. The data-based inspection allowed preventative actions to be taken quickly and communicated clearly, leading to a quick resolution of the issue on all three assets.

“Across an increasingly competitive industry, the advantages and benefits of interrogating and analyzing data to reduce risk and maximize return on investment for well operations in every geography are becoming clearer," said Austin Hay, director at ADC Energy. “We are perfectly placed to use data analysis to conduct inspections to match operator requirements and the magnitude of the competitive advantage operators can glean, and the opportunities they can exploit, from using historic data to make informed decisions about future programs is only now beginning to be understood.”