American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2016 - 94

Production Technology
itarized zone" that operates between the
critical control (process) network and the
corporate business network.
The SAG's virtual environment consists
of a set of virtual servers configured to give
authorized users secure access after being
authenticated using a two-factor authentication system. All device and file sharing between the terminal server in the SAG
and the user's workstation is disabled, and
strict controls are placed on which applications and tools the user can access. This
results in a system and communications
method that is highly secure and virtually impenetrable by outsiders.
The high levels of security and authentication are important not only for preventing access by outsiders, but also for providing physical isolation between the
data and the actual control functions.
The combined efforts of application security, network segregation, and historical
data replication to off-site servers provide
three layers of defense between the user
and the control function for a given application. With this security defense wall, an
unauthorized user such as a junior-level engineer cannot change a control parameter
or setting.

prise operations platform typically follows
the architecture shown in Figure 2. For example, at Denbury's Cedar Creek Anticline
assets in Montana-a 126-mile-long geological structure consisting of 10 operating units-the platform is installed at each
field, where production servers collect,
manage and distribute production data
(flow rates, well temperatures and pressures, and the status of artificial lift systems).
The data, which are stored at a local
level and in a secure environment, are
replicated to the company's business network for access at Denbury's corporate office in Plano, Tx., and to an off-site data
recovery facility. In the event of a data interruption between the field and corporate
office, data can be accessed from the recovery center, which provides a mirror image of the field system to keep operations
running.
A similar platform layout is installed
at Denbury's Lost Cabin facility in
Wyoming. This unmanned asset is controlled and monitored from the company's
Plano offices through the operations platform, allowing for around-the-clock operation of the field in a way that saves manpower and operational costs.
The platform allows the same data
recording, cataloging and replication

System Architecture
At the individual asset level, the enter-

FIGURE 3
Enterprise Operating Platform Linked to Multiple Assets
Across Entire Enterprise

process to be repeated at every production,
pipeline and processing facility across
Denbury's entire enterprise (Figure 3). All
operational set points, historian logs, production data, and other parameters are
moved from each asset to the central office and data recovery facility within 30
seconds.
By having servers at each asset location,
the operator maintains autonomy in the
field. For example, if the link between the
Montana field and the Plano office goes
down, the field operations team still is able
to continue with the ultimate job of continuously producing oil and gas. Once the
link has been re-established, local data can
be transmitted and archived at the central
office.
Enterprisewide Optimization
The EOP plays a critical role in optimizing the operation of each asset. For upstream assets, real-time field optimization
begins with advanced surveillance and data
recording (Figure 4). Whether the assets
are on- or offshore, conventional or unconventional, the EOP collects and normalizes real-time data from meters and advanced applications in the field.
The data then are used in well modeling and field planning (gray box on the left
side) to help ensure that each well is designed and constructed with suitable completions, artificial lift, and wellhead architectures. The EOP-supplied data also can
assist in production forecasting, reservoir
performance analysis, and surface facili-

District 2
District 1

District 3

RON HANNA is manager of information systems field technology at
Denbury Resources Inc. in Plano, Tx.

Data Replication

Corporate
Network
WEB Server

Report Server

Gas
Control
Center

District 4

Clients

Disaster Recovery

Enterprise Integrated
Solution

EIS

Data Replication

District 5
District 6

94 THE AMERICAN OIL & GAS REPORTER

Corporate
Applications
P2
PA
etc.

STEVEN SEALE is global director
of automation hardware and software
at Weatherford in Houston. He joined
the company in 2006 as global software
manager for production optimization
solutions. Seale previously served as
vice president of development and operations at SAT Corporation, and prior to that, served seven years as strategic development director and business
unit/product manager at Landmark
Graphics, and 11 years as a research
programmer at ARCO. He holds a B.S.
in computer systems design from the
University of Houston.

American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2016

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