Rapid and convenient access to formation evaluation data improves internal efficiencies and enhances decision-making processes by enabling real-time collaboration between the customer and the service providers. The delivery of static well data through secure Web sites initially resulted in a significant improvement in efficiency. As this technology matured, the capability to deliver this same data in real time further increased time savings. Applications which enabled the customer to manipulate and analyze the data in real time and which integrated quickly with the customer and data workflow processes created an immediate and positive impact.

Extensive research by Baker Atlas resulted in the development and implementation of a service consisting of a system hosting real-time wireline data along with a “toolbox” of additional processing applications to achieve the next stage of evolution for real-time data delivery. This article describes how the system and the associated suite of real-time applications and interpretation services deliver workflow efficiencies to well stakeholders.

Service overview

This efficient wireline data hosting and transmission service allows field engineers to stream, in real time, a secondary copy of the acquisition data file to the processing server. This file contains the data frames by depth or time with the actual curve values, not a picture file. Provisioning the digital data values in combination with real-time applications allows the customer or a geoscientist to manipulate and interpret this data instantly.

To access the service, a customer launches a Web browser, connects to the data processing server, and remotely emulates the processing and plotting of the real-time data through a “Thin Client” (a remote access and control of a computer system over wide-area network or the Internet, Figure 1). This Thin Client solution requires only an Internet connection and a Java-enabled Web browser. As there is no installation of special software, the system is a platform-independent solution currently supporting Windows, Linux, and Solaris operating systems.

Thin Client implementation is a solution where only the pixels of the data display are ported to the customer’s Web browser. This lightweight display dynamically adapts to the customer’s available bandwidth and supports a wide transmission rate range from a 28 Kbit/sec analog modem to a high-speed broadband connection. This environment creates a very dynamic and scalable solution that can be accessed via any type of Internet connection. Each customer can perform customized configurations of the required data that impact the decision-making process and can have great flexibility in connecting to the service. Further workflow efficiencies are achieved by providing online applications to analyze the data.

Real-time geoscience interpretation

Legacy techniques to deliver geoscience analysis to customers have involved transmitting the acquired data via an electronic copy or delivering it by courier to the processing center for analysis. These techniques delay the geoscience processing and decrease the time window during which the well stakeholders can collaborate on the analysis. Decisions based on these analyses can impact subsequent wireline runs, casing set points, whipstocks, and estimations of producible hydrocarbons.

The service transmits the digital data for geoscience processing in real time, enabling geoscience experts anywhere in the world to process the data remotely using powerful applications through a Thin Client. The geoscientist collaborates in real time with the acquisition field engineer during the logging operation, leading to optimized data quality that improves reservoir analysis and definition.

After the geoscience processing is completed, the interpreted deliverables are copied to the Data Services database for immediate download by the customer. This rapid response saves valuable rig time and creates an environment for increased collaboration between the customer and the service company personnel for additional formation evaluation opportunities. It is even possible to remotely shadow another user’s interpretation session for the ultimate in real-time collaboration.

There are many valuable uses for the applications. One typical use involves real-time processing of the very large data volumes acquired during resistivity and/or acoustic borehole imaging. Interpretations of these detailed borehole images are then used to optimize the subsequent wireline formation fluid sampling and testing programs (Figure 2).

Conclusion

In summary, the solution provides:
• A Thin Client solution;
• Bandwidth-independent access;
• Platform-independent access;
• Commercial Web browsers with industry-supported plug-in;
• No local software installation and less CPU demand;
• The ability to shadow a user’s session for immediate remote collaboration;
• Multi-threaded access to real-time data;
• The ability to transmit the acquired data once in real time;
• In situ interpretation applications from the service provider that acquired the data;
• Multiple customers that can operate applications independently;
• Adjustable parameters for customized output;
• Segregated data access;
• The ability to manage customers’ expectations on data quality; and
• The ability to watermark volatile data to alert the users to any potential quality issues.

Comments