Collaborative and Multidiscipline Field Development Planning – A Caspian Case Study

The process of creating, maturing and ultimately submitting a field development plan for a given resource is often complex, time consuming, and inefficient; perhaps inextricably linked to its multi-disciplinary nature. The workflow(s) traditionally used in today's industry are domain-centric, involve many discrete software programs resulting in a linear process which limits optimization and prevents cross-domain collaboration. The paper describes an innovative field development planning (FDP) methodology, utilizing deep domain expertise supported by leading-edge software technology and illustrates the benefits through a study case in the Caspian Sea. Although well-established software tools exist for isolated parts of field layout, no existing platform integrates the equipment selection, systems knowledge, field layout, economics, and software simulations required for the entire planning process from feasibility studies to detail design and optimization. The paper describes an innovative field development planning methodology that combines lean project execution and uses the industry's first cloud-based collaborative subsea FDP software environment, providing efficiency and optimization. This is achieved by combining full-field economics with petroleum engineering disciplines, subsea systems engineering, subsea technology selection and installation knowledge spanning the entire planning process and visualized through a single working environment. This paper demonstrates how the core value of multi-discipline domain knowledge can be truly integrated through the use of collaborative workflows based upon cloud-based platforms and how it transforms concept development and selection in the upstream industry. In the early stages of exploitation planning, from the feasibility and concept selection phases, operators plan for the development of a field that will produce for 20 years or more. It is at this early phase that key Tier 1 level decisions are taken often with limited reservoir information and a significant range of uncertainty. The short duration of these initial stages inevitable means that operators rarely have the time or resources necessary to evaluate all possible development scenarios, and decisions are taken with less conviction or assurance than is desirable. As a result of this sub-optimal way of working, exploration and production companies are constantly seeking tools, methods and processes to enable the multi-scenario evaluation and option screening that will improve decision quality in field development planning. This paper demonstrates this novel approach through a practical example of such an FDP study, focusing on a case study relevant to the Caspian region. The discussion seeks to illustrate how the single working environment improves collaboration between disciplines whilst identifying cost savings and opportunity gains of the recommended development scenario.