PRESS RELEASE:
WellAware, the oil and gas industry’s only full-stack IoT (Internet of Things) solution for oilfield monitoring and optimization, today announced a collaboration with Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS) at AWS re:Invent 2017 in Las Vegas. The joint effort provides oil and gas operators and service providers with superior data security and reliability on WellAware’s industrial IoT platform, which helps them significantly reduce operating costs and asset downtime by automating and optimizing oilfield production.
“We’re excited to work with Amazon Web Services to offer our solutions with an even higher level of security and scalability,” said David Milam, Chief Product Officer for WellAware. “Together, we’re able to provide operators with a secure IoT solution that can be deployed within days – immediately helping to decrease operating expenses and downtime.”
Data security is a key business requirement for oil and gas. According to Deloitte, energy was the second-most prone industry to cyber attacks in 2016, with nearly three in four U.S. oil and gas companies reporting at least one cyber incident last year in their annual filings. At the same time, growing merger and acquisition (M&A) activity throughout the energy sector has increased the necessity for solutions that can be deployed rapidly and integrate with existing operational technologies to extend the value of previous IT investments.
WellAware’s full-stack IoT solution, which includes all the required hardware, network and software, provides reliable data collection, exception-based monitoring and actionable analytics. Built using AWS’ global cloud infrastructure, the platform keeps data safe, meets compliance requirements and scales quickly.
Rick Stember, Vice President of Development for WellAware, commented: “The oil and gas industry has entered an unprecedented era of consolidation and it’s critical that operators are able to respond quickly to changing business environments. Through our collaboration with Amazon Web Services, oil and gas companies can operate with more agility and rapidly scale their business to achieve an advantage in the marketplace.”
Additionally, WellAware and CheckPoint Pumps & Systems (CheckPoint), a leading provider of chemical injection solutions, announced today a product partnership to offer complete pump rate monitoring and control for CheckPoint’s full line of pumps.
“Production chemical costs are among the top three operating expenses for oil and gas operators, yet are often one of the most difficult to control due to the remote nature of the assets and the lack of transparency between operators and chemical service providers,” said Dave Milam, Chief Product Officer for WellAware. “Through this new partnership between WellAware and CheckPoint Pumps & Systems, CheckPoint customers can significantly reduce operating costs and downtime by remotely monitoring and controlling pump rates.”
In the oil and gas industry, chemical injection pump rates are frequently inaccurate due to unreliable power systems, inconsistent field calibrations, and changes in well production. Monitoring chemical tank levels and pump calibration often involves driving routes and significant “windshield time” – physically visiting the well site and manually adjusting pump rates – resulting in increased labor and transportation expenses. These adjustments are static, preventing the identification of discrepancies on a real-time, continual basis.
CheckPoint now offers remote pump rate monitoring and control, powered by WellAware, for its complete line of pumps. Through this Industrial Internet of Things solution, CheckPoint customers can remotely monitor tank levels and pump rates from their web browser or WellAware’s native iOS and Android application. Configurable alarms identify issues that occur, enabling technicians to manage by exception and prioritize their time where it is needed most. Role-based dashboards and custom reports allow users to monitor usage and correlate chemical injection rates with production rates, and all data can be integrated into the operators’ SCADA and historian systems for future analysis.
Pump rates can be controlled via three different modes: target volume, proportional control (based on inputs such as pipeline flow meters or H2S analyzers), and closed loop control, which utilizes a chemical flow meter to directly measure injection volume.
CheckPoint’s variable speed pumps help to reduce operating costs and improve production levels with continuous injection. Unlike single-speed or timed pump solutions, variable speed pumps run continuously at an even rate of speed to achieve a target flow rate and offer infinite adjustment throughout the full range of the pump. More precise chemical injection results in significant reductions in production fluctuation and an increase in average production.
Scott Fairley, President of CheckPoint Pump Systems, emphasized the significance of the partnership: “As the oil and gas industry begins to recover from the recent downturn, operators need reliable, technology-driven solutions, which drive leaner operations and leverage resources more intelligently. We’re proud to partner with WellAware to offer an even greater degree of cost reduction and asset optimization to CheckPoint Pumps & Systems customers.”