BP poll reveals industry views on readiness for digital revolution

Oil and gas professionals were asked to assess the industry's state of readiness for advances in digital technology in a poll conducted on the first day of the SPE Intelligent Energy International exhibition and conference in Utrecht.

The question posed by BP was: how many of the world’s plants, rigs and production platforms are ready to take advantage of the advances in digital technologies without the need for major upgrades? The majority of respondents (53%) said less than 25% of assets were ready.

IE2014 is expected to attract more than 2000 business leaders and senior engineering professionals from across the world.

At the event, under the theme empowered by real time® integrated data, BP is drawing on experiences from its Field of the Future® programme to review the progress of oilfield digitalisation to date and encourage debate on future aspirations and how the industry will develop going forward.

It is now more than 12 years since the Field of the Future® concept was established by BP to improve decision-making through real-time data-to-decision capabilities in production, operations and reservoir management. Over that time, the Field of the Future® flagship has developed expertise in a range of disciplines including advanced remote surveillance, the handling and analysis of real-time data, remote well operations and downhole and subsea sensors.

Steve Roberts, Vice President of the Field of the Future® technology flagship, BP, said: “The BP daily poll has become a regular feature of our activity at Intelligent Energy and, once again, has provided extremely interesting and thought-provoking results.

“A key benefit of the Field of the Future® programme has been the delivery of real-time information to assist in the making of better and faster decisions. Huge advances have been made in the development of digital technologies, even since our programme started, and the response to our question indicates that the ability of current assets to adopt these changes is very much front of mind for the industry.”

BP is conducting three delegate polls this week, one for each full day of IE2014. Delegates are also being asked to vote on when the industry will see widespread closed-loop control in completions technology and when digital oilfield technologies will deliver optimised "flight path" type guidance.

Adapted from press release by Hannah Priestley-Eaton

Read the article online at: https://www.oilfieldtechnology.com/exploration/01042014/bp_poll_reveals_industry_views_on_readiness_for_digital_revolution/