Importance of Real-Time Data to Improve Operational Efficiency for Unconventional Drilling in Argentina

YPF is the most active drilling operator in Argentina, and in the last few years, its drilling and workover activities have been growing significantly. In 2018, as part of the digitalisation journey of the company, a Monitoring and Control Centre was established with a long-term vision to standardise and change the way unconventional wells are drilled in Argentina. This paper describes an initiative to build infrastructure that manages real-time data across multiple unconventional assets, by using a real-time monitoring platform which follows the WITSML 1.4.1.1 industry standard. This project was divided into three strategic stages: implementation of a tool to acquire real-time data through WITSML, implementation of the tool and new workflows to improve data quality, by working closer with data providers, and improvements in drilling performance with the help of real-time data. Implementing the above strategies improved operational efficiencies and provided lessons learnt for each stage of implementation.