Is your company still sending a pumper out to visually inspect every well? If so, I’m sure you’ve counted the miles and hours, not to mention the costs for fuel, tires and oil changes.
There are also safety issues involved with thousands of monthly miles driven just in case something might need attention. All of this is costing you more than you probably realize. That’s not to mention lost production from issues that occur long between trips.
Maybe you’ve thought about adding or switching to a software as a service (SaaS) platform to get alarms in place, but had heard some stories of how early alarm systems were unreliable, reacting to slight, transient spikes so often that they were soon ignored. That could lead to missing a real alarm.
Effective alarm management
In our SaaS cloud based platform we’ve taken alarms to a new level and built-in procedures that prevent false alarms, meaning that any alarm you receive is probably real. Here’s one way our system makes sure an anomaly it sees is alarm-worthy: When a wellhead sensor detects, for example, a pressure spike, it starts an alarm sequence. Instead of sending the alarm immediately, it rechecks the pressure level at user-programmable intervals—say, three times in three minutes. If the next two readings are normal, it cancels the alarm sequence.
Only if the levels are still outside the parameter settings does it send the alarm. When your people get an alert, they know it’s real and can react accordingly.
You can specify recipients based on geography, expertise, authority level, or any other criteria. That’s another way to make sure each alarm is taken seriously.
The best thing about this is that it’s immediate. When there’s an issue that needs attention, you know it within minutes. Under the “drive to the location” version, a problem could happen minutes after your pumper left, leaving a pump down for 24-72 hours depending on your schedule. Lost production can be the biggest cost of not getting the right data at the right time (including the right alarms of course).
With clear alarms, your people will also have a good picture of the problem, so they can bring the right parts and tools in one trip.
Emerson's Zedi Go mobile app alarm capabilities
Using our mobile app Zedi Go you can make your alarms a two-way conversation. Acknowledge receipt, comment on repairs made and further action needed, if any, or anything else, right from your mobile device.
Zedi Go saves all that onto the cloud for current reference by your authorized people and for a future time when someone needs to review a site’s history.
In today’s crazy world, it may be true that no one can predict the price of oil, but you can use technology to improve your cash flow, reduce expenses, and increase production by significant margins whatever the price. The right data, at the right time with accurate alarms is a huge leap forward on your journey.
