Our software and IIoT platform enables operators to improve processes, enhance investments and maximize returns on their assets as they lean into an autonomous operation. A recent example of this includes how our experts have developed one solution to assist your operations in optimizing rod pumps using AI (artificial intelligence): Emerson's Zedi Autonomous Rod Pump Management.

Companies can now measure almost every single aspect of business activity due to various analytic tools and management software. Often, they have advanced datasets to explore their performance because there are so many metrics to measure.

While navigating various datasets, anything outside the norm would be considered an anomaly. Different anomalies can have an enormous impact on business decisions, operational results, and management’s ability to respond rapidly and accurately.

Efficiency and profitability are the top reasons for so many operators to take advantage of Emerson’s Zedi Autonomous Rod Pump Management. Using autonomous operations to solve pump issues, boost oil and gas production and reduce operational and work-over costs give you tens of thousands of reasons ($$$$) to join the rush. It’s a key part of any well planned digital transformation strategy.

But just as important on the investor side can be its safety benefits—and those gains take a little more digging to find, but once you see them and the positive impact it makes on ESG factors you'll wish you had them years ago.

With technology supported by our experts, we offer comprehensive solutions to our customers' challenges. We have developed rod pump monitoring and control for an advanced solution using artificial intelligence with machine learning capabilities for Autonomous Rod Pump management.

What is an Autonomous Rod Pump? 

Autonomous Rod Pump is an Artificial Intelligence application (analytics engine) that identifies anomalies on rod pump applications. 

Autonomous refers to a state of equipment where it can perform the programmed operations under defined conditions without human input or guidance. When we talk about this type of equipment, we use the adjective, autonomous. 

The basic formula for increasing oil well production is pretty clear to me: the more the pump runs, the more oil it pumps. The real issue is how to reduce downtime, so that it runs more, and pumps more.

What wasn't clear to me is why on earth about 100,000 pumpjacks in the US alone are not monitored—other than by someone driving all the way out to the well site every couple of days. With that method, a pump may have been down, or even worse leaking for a day or so before it’s noticed by anyone. That’s several hours of production time that can never be recovered.

Things used to be so much simpler. Every home had one phone line. Every store took cash or checks, and almost every well had a rod pump over its whole life span.

Complexity though, can be really great for your bottom line.

With cell phones, we can call for help from just about anywhere. Debit cards are way faster than check writing. And using a series of unconventional lifting methods on unconventional wells is unlocking much stronger potential for oil and gas production—and profitability that we could only dream of a few short years ago.

If you like to grow plants, you know that there are three main things they require for growth: water, sunshine and good soil. If you supply all these, your plants will grow healthy and strong, putting out new leaves and colorful blossoms in their season.

I feel exactly that way about our Zedi IIoT platform growth. We’ve expanded organically by identifying and supplying the top three things our customers need for better production. Much like water, sunshine and good soil without any one of these the chances of growth drops quickly.

In World Oil's article, "What's New in Artificial Lift?", I outlined key features and benefits of the TCB Manufacturing SilverJack system. The SilverJack artificial lift system is a unique combination of a surface hydraulic lift solution with a powerful integrated controller combined with Emerson's Zedi web-based, cloud-native IIoT platform data collection, management, and control system that provides the capability to remotely detect and resolve many common problems encountered with conventional downhole rod pumping equipment.