TEHRAN (PEDC) - Pasargad Energy Development Company (PEDC), in collaboration with Sharif University of Technology, hosted a conference titled "Digital Transformation Technology and Artificial Intelligence in Simultaneous Management of Wells, Reservoirs, and Surface Facilities" at the Tehran International Oil Show.
The conference, which was well-attended by experts and students, focused on the application of artificial intelligence and digital transformation in oil and gas field management, digital oil field infrastructure and systems, and the implementation of WRFM to improve the development and production of oil and gas fields. It was a shining example of the fruitful collaboration between industry and academia and a clear sign of PEDC's trust in universities.
This conference was held at a time when the WRFM Center, as the first and only center in Iran to use the technology to design and implement a comprehensive well, reservoir, and surface facility management system, has recently been completed at PEDC.
The center is designed for online monitoring and integration of data and processes to expedite decision-making on various energy projects. It was designed and implemented by a team of PEDC engineers and the Research Institute of Energy, Water, and Environmental Sciences at Sharif University of Technology, turning the idea of a research project into a modern and well-equipped center.
PEDC Develops New Roadmap for AI Infrastructure Development
At the beginning of the "Digital Transformation Technology and Industry 4.0 Artificial Intelligence in Simultaneous Management of Wells, Reservoirs, and Surface Facilities" conference, Dr. Arash Sheikhi, a faculty member at Sharif University of Technology and Head of the Industry 4.0 Laboratory, said: "Pasargad Energy Development Company has been working with Sharif University of Technology for the past two years to develop a new roadmap for the development of artificial intelligence infrastructure through the signing of various memoranda of understanding."
He continued: "Both innovation and creativity are on the agenda in this company, and the relationship with universities can be seen as an example of this approach. This shows that the path is moving towards new ideas."
Dr. Sheikhi explained: "Today, the Pasargad Group is ahead of other groups because it started its journey two years ago and is now seeing the results of its successful actions."
He added: "Pasargad Energy Development Company has outsourced part of its work to universities, and Sharif University is not the only university that PEDC collaborates with. Amir Kabir University, Shahed University, and others also help this company in various ways."
He continued, referring to the fact that artificial intelligence cannot be implemented overnight, saying: "The development of artificial intelligence requires the provision of a suitable platform, and the Pasargad Group trusted and created a platform in the form of the WRFM Center to collect data so that in a structured and multi-stage program, the role of artificial intelligence in different parts of this company can be increased."
He said: "To develop artificial intelligence in any organization, we need a sea of different data that must be collected with proper engineering. We are in the data collection stage, and various algorithms are also under development. With the completion of the second stage, different models will be designed, and after various tests, they will be implemented."
Dr. Sheikhi concluded by referring to the fact that PEDC has also taken good steps in the field of developing knowledge of university activists, saying: "A workshop will be held for those interested in the actions taken in Pasargad Energy in the field of machine learning and artificial intelligence to transfer knowledge, with the presence of the best professors in this field in the country and sponsored by PEDC. Sharif University of Technology will issue a valid certificate in this regard to the participants."
Building a Virtual Model for Industries and Predicting Events
Dr. Mohammad Bagher Ghazavi, a faculty member of Shahid University and a researcher in the field of artificial intelligence, also said at the "Digital Transformation Technology and Industry 4.0 Artificial Intelligence in Simultaneous Management of Wells, Reservoirs, and Surface Facilities" conference: "Machine learning will play an important role in the value chain of the oil and gas industry and related industries, and therefore the management of machine learning in the oil and gas industry should be seriously considered."
He continued: "The logical sequence of the first, second, and third generation industries has reached the fourth-type industries that follow the cyber-physical process. The transition from type 3 to type 4 industries may be gradual or stepwise."
He said: "What we expect to happen is that type 3 industry computer systems will be developed to reach cyber-physical systems, and cyber-physical systems mean that the components of a system are created both physically and virtually."
Dr. Ghazavi added: "Based on this, a virtual set similar to the original set is created that can predict various events. In other words, if something is going to happen in the physical units, it will happen first in the virtual set, and in this way, damaging events can be prevented."
He continued: "Fourth-generation industries can be equipped with the Internet of Things, which will use artificial intelligence. This process will also improve the communication between internal components of systems and units, allowing for analysis and rapid responses."
Dr. Ghazavi stated that such rapid responses were not possible with third-generation industries, saying: "Fourth-generation industries are both flexible and intelligent, and they offer advantages such as reduced costs and better customer service."
WRFM Center: An Opportunity for Smart Oil and Gas Fields
Saeed Dehghani, Managing Director of Sepher Pasargad Oil and Gas Development Company, also said at the conference: "With the start of development activities and the start of operation and production from any oil or gas field, a significant amount of data is generated daily. Proper management of this information for making timely decisions led us to establish the WRFM Center and prioritize the development of the necessary infrastructure to achieve our goals."
He added: "Fast and timely decision-making for development and production operations, ensuring achievement of performance indicators, management of the company's assets in any geographical location, and continuous optimization of asset value were the items we tried to achieve in WRFM."
Dehghani added: "In WRFM, we focus on three areas: online monitoring of daily operations in the field (including drilling, production, etc.), online supervision and guidance, which currently allows the system to compare daily operational information with the plan and provide necessary warnings in case of deviations. He emphasized that this system has the ability to analyze equipment failures or breakdowns and also has the capability of real-time and accurate management of operational and safety process conditions in the field to improve efficiency and reduce and control operational risks."
Dehghani added: "Our data indicated that in the Sepher and Jofeir fields, we can have a system with automatic optimization and update capabilities for the operational information plan based on past reviews and data trends using machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques."
The Need to Develop a WRFM Culture Among Professionals
Seyyed Mehdi Seyed Sar, WRFM Technical Manager and Head of Portfolio Management of the PEDC Upstream Deputy, also said at the conference: "In this center, the flow of information is monitored and analyzed online in the production and drilling sections, and this creates the data foundation for the company."
He said: "The high quality of data increases the ability to make correct decisions, and it has been decided to improve the quality of our data by using intelligent existing systems."
Seyyed Sar continued: "For example, in one of the reservoirs, we were dealing with different pressure levels at different depths. By learning the processes in the system, we were able to manage the pressure levels and ultimately recover the oil."
He added: "The experience of recent months regarding the Sepher and Jofeir reservoirs shows that with the implementation of correct processes and timely decision-making, the amount of oil recovery can be increased."
He said: "There are challenges on the way to achieving full maturity in WRFM that need to be addressed. Our specialists have grown with a culture different from WRFM, and the most important challenge is to change this culture and develop the WRFM mindset among our specialists."