| dc.description.abstract | Decisions in the oil and gas industry determine the direction and course of millions of actions every year. Informally, decision-making can be defined as choosing the alternative that best fits a set of goals. Simple as it is, in the context of oil and gas operations, this statement requires complex analysis and structural methods to comply with. Good decision-making is a skill which, like any other skill, can be improved by learning and practice.
This thesis aims to explore the framework of the decision-making process related to production optimization on aging gas-lifted brownfields. As these fields have reached the end of their primary recovery phase, decisions are required to implement efficient strategies to further optimize their operations. One of the challenges is the lack of quality subsurface and production data that can improve the decision-making process. In addition, different operational and organizational realities make the decision-making and implementation of those complex and demanding.
Decisions with respect to production optimization are heavily dependent on company goals, financial and operational strategies, and facility constraints. This thesis will apply a multi-objective decision analysis theory to this decision-making process, and will provide a framework, trying to help engineers to navigate through this inherent multi-layer analytical and organizational structure.
The key contribution of this study is to provide a basic understanding of the possibilities and limitations of utilizing different gaslift surveillance techniques. Additionally, the study will provide a decision-oriented methodology for implementing gaslift surveillance practices. Finally, the goal of this research is to provide a framework to inform process to any decision related to operation of oil and gas fields considering multiple objectives and stakeholders. | |
