EXPLORATION & EXPLOITATION

Large data volumes can be handled cost-effectively

A digital asset management solution to the handling of large data volumes was developed over the last several years by an alliance of service companies. An initial installation of the system at Conoco’s GOM Deepwater Exploration Business Unit has proven its worth and given explorationists new capabilities

James M. Johnson, Product Development Manager, Ovation Data Services, Houston

ver the past several decades, the technology that has supported the acquisition, processing and interpretation of seismic data has improved dramatically. Along with these advancements have come economic incentives to acquire and process ever-increasing data volumes. However, the technology to manage these larger volumes did not parallel the rapid advancement experienced in other fields. This resulted in the use of data management technology that fell short of delivering the operational and cost performances needed to support the continued advancement of E&P activities.

A cost-effective solution to the storage, retrieval and management of very large data volumes has been developed over the past several years through an alliance of Large Storage Configurations (now part of SUN Microsystems), Ovation Data Services (ODS), SONY Electronics / Data Systems Division, and SUN Microsystems. This project was first discussed in an article published in the June 1999 issue of World Oil.¹

Members of this group felt strongly that the alliance approach would allow them to target the industry’s specific needs and deliver a solution that would address those needs. A Conoco business unit accepted the first installation of that solution. The remainder of this article is a brief overview of results produced for that facility since the original article was published. Input from Conoco is based on an interview with Holt Ardrey.

Background

In early 1999, Conoco’s Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Exploration Business Unit selected ODS and its alliance partners to provide a digital asset management capability in support of Gulf of Mexico (GOM) exploration activities. ODS has served as the integrator of the joint technology that was provided by the alliance, and the firm developed, tested and delivered the initial system. This system met all of the goals set by Conoco. It is now in full operation, serving the seismic data needs of the Deepwater Exploration staff.

Conoco’s Holt Ardrey recently commented on his firm’s use of the digital asset management solution and provided insight into extensions that are being considered for the future. "This project, more than any of the projects over the past 10 or 15 years, has really proven the value of having a long-term relationship with a system integrator, where we operate with a staff that primarily take care of day-to-day operations," said Ardrey. "In these days of outsourcing, as well as in the long run, you cannot rely on any one individual’s knowledge as much as you could in the past. This has driven Conoco to look at (its) relationships with partners as (being) much more of an alliance."

Added Ardrey, "Without the role that Ovation played as integrator, the project would not have been successful. It is not just that (they) integrated the system and turned the keys over to Conoco. Rather, the relationship that has developed is one of ongoing support – as technology evolves – and adapting new technology to the system through a continuing effort. This is very valuable to us."

Management Of Seismic Data

Currently, Conoco uses the data management solution to handle seismic data utilized by the exploration staff in Lafayette, Louisiana. However, during the past three or four years, the volumes of seismic data – and the demands on that data – have grown exponentially. By implementing this solution, Conoco has taken advantage of the linearly-declining storage cost (hardware and media). This has resulted in the IT budget remaining fairly flat while meeting the ever-growing data demands of technologies employed by the exploration staff, Fig. 1. Meanwhile, the return on investment for the system has been impressive, Fig. 2.

Fig. 1. The cost-effectiveness generated by the near-line storage solution has been considerably better than what would have occurred otherwise.

Fig. 2. With each year that the digital asset management solution is used, the oil company’s return on investment is growing exponentially.

As part of its exploration operations, Conoco prepares different volumes of the same data with different formats. These data feed:

• Advanced seismic processing systems that give operators a competitive advantage for interpretation
• Enhanced interpretation applications
• Visualization theaters, etc.

This has resulted in still-larger data volumes that are effectively managed by the system.

Better Results From Exploration

In the not-too-distant past, the upstream industry experienced a 10 – 15% success rate for wildcat wells that were drilled. However, Conoco reported a 50% success rate for wells drilled in 1999. Thus, the success rate basically tripled, while finding costs were cut in half. This was accomplished because:

• Reducing risk through use of advanced interpretation technology provided a better handle on a prospect before it was drilled.
• Management had the ability to look at more opportunities in a shorter amount of time through advanced interpretation and viewing technology.

The Digital Asset Server provides the data handling and storage foundation required to enable these two accomplishments. It does this by trading tape storage cost (tenths of a cent per megabyte) for disk storage cost (tens of cents per megabyte) with near-line architecture. All of the data are available and visible to the applications, all of the time through a virtual file system.

These experiences translate into the following basic benefits:

• Seismic data are directly managed, from acquisition and placement in the system, through (and including) archiving.
• Information Technology and data management costs are kept flat or, in some cases, reduced.
• Information is delivered to other functions in a more timely manner.
• The exploration staff’s productivity has been improved.
• Exploration projects’ success ratios have been improved.

The basis for the speed provided by the digital asset management capability has been SONY tape technology. The initial tape drive was the DTF 1 that moved data at 12.0 MB/sec. Recently, the DTF 1 drives were replaced with new DTF 2 drives that provide 24.0-MB/sec throughput. Conoco felt that outsourcing this procedure enabled the upgrade to go smoothly.

Conoco is currently relocating its Lafayette facility to Houston. This has resulted in the running of two interpretation centers (as opposed to one) for the next year. When this project was studied initially, it was thought that synchronizing the movement of large data volumes would result in at least a week of system down times. However, data managers have found that with the added tape speed provided by the DTF 2 drives, they can carry out full system backups in a matter of hours and copy data over to the new site with less than 8 hr of interruption.

Future System Usage

Concerning the future, Conoco plans to manage data with a "total life cycle process" approach for recently discovered fields. These fields have the advantage of allowing users to employ the most advanced technology while using the data "from cradle to grave." This generates the following benefits:

• Seismic data volumes that supported initial discoveries can be used to build reservoir models that support the technology used in development and production phases.
• Help is provided in planning wells, to optimize production over time and then support moves into secondary and tertiary activities.
• Models that are developed at all levels are able to build on top of each other, enhancing the ongoing analysis of data and giving continuing direction to the project
• Many of the parameters that were gathered through logging and core analysis are captured and integrated into the reservoir model.
• Standard formats that will be arrived at in the future can be used to support data movement from one application to another. This facilitates the integration of new applications as they evolve.

Storage requirements for these simulation models, which are data volume-intensive, require managing all of the additional volumes while maintaining all historical data volumes for a given field. The digital asset management solution will fully support this approach.

As mentioned earlier in this article, the alliance wanted to target the E&P industry’s specific needs and deliver a solution that would address those needs. As the problems facing E&P management were analyzed, it became apparent that the solution needed to focus on the data, not on a vendor and not on specific applications. Keeping the data foremost in mind throughout the development has resulted in the delivery of an open system that supports multiple vendors and applications.

The alliance has provided the support needed to integrate its capabilities and deliver solutions to various companies in the U.S., as well as globally. The comments received from these firms are similar to the results experienced by Conoco’s GOM Deepwater Exploration Business Unit.

As this effort to gain control of data has evolved, it appears that the industry may finally be able to meet the long-term goal of many E&P managers – "to have all of my data available all of the time."

Literature Cited

¹Ardrey, R. H. and B. Sketchley, "Conoco cuts spiraling data storage / back-up costs," World Oil, June 1999, pp. 61 – 64.

The author
	James M. Johnson is product development manager for Ovation Data Services in Houston, Texas. His experience includes 25 years in the petroleum and computer technology industries. He can be reached at jimjohnson@ovationdata.com.