Achieving Fast-Track Oil Production Using a Digitalized Early Production Facility (XEPF)

Abstract Setting up a permanent production facility or flow station for crude oil production and processing can pose to be both cost-demanding and risky, especially for a field where the economic viability is not certain. These uncertainties in reservoir productivity and high capital expenditure (CapEx) have led operators to opt for temporary production facilities, allowing them to determine the production capabilities of their field before the design and installation of permanent production facilities. The early production facility (EPF) has become a major mechanism for oil operators to generate early cash flow while appraising their hydrocarbon assets before committing to a permanent facility. It has been referred to as the bridge between exploration and full development, providing operators with flexibility, speed for first oil and lower capital expenditure (CapEx), especially in marginal, remote or newly discovered fields. While traditional EPF provides operators with a cost-effective strategy to fast-track oil production, it faces limitations. Traditional EPFs rely on manual, human-driven process control and monitoring to fast-track production, making it vulnerable to operational downtime as a result of unanticipated failure. However, with the emergence of modern Technology, the XEPF, combining modularity with AI-driven digitalization; offers a transformative approach by integrating cloud-based software, data gathering and analytics with integrated SCADA and satellite data transmission capabilities. This advancement eliminates all limitations associated with the traditional EPF and offers a reliable and safe process control and monitoring system. This paper presents a successful utilization of containerized Digitalized EPF (XEPF) at a swamp location in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. The deployment resulted in increased operational efficiency by 50%, improved safety assurance and the ability to make timely data-driven decisions.