WITSML™ Drilling Standards

Pemex 21 August 2008Ciudad de México

Alan Doniger, Energistics

Outline

• Background– Data Transfer Standards, XML, Web Services,

WITS

• Overview• Evolution [2000 – the present]• Use

– Energy companies, service/software companies

• Discussion

2

Background

3

4

Wellsite Information Transfer Standard Markup Language

WITSML™ – WWW.WITSML.ORG

“The ‘right-time’ seamless flow of well-site data between operators and service companies to speed and enhance decision-making”

An Open Information Transfer Standard for the Oilfield

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What is WITSML ?

• WITSML is a framework for moving drilling data between rig and office-based computer systems.

• Context:– Internet – XML Schema– Web Services

• Openly available to all to implement. – www.energistics.org– www.witsml.org

• Hosted by Energistics– User community is the WITSML Special Interest

Group

Pre-WITSML Situation (up to year 2000)

• Industry Real-time Data Centers operated in 1980s– Amoco – Chevron – Mobil

• WITS (Wellsite Information Transfer Standard)– Before the Internet, though it stood the test of time, it became

dated. Differing approaches to WITS implementations fragmented interoperability.

– Level 0 [Other levels rarely used]– 25 Record Types

• Statoil (late 1990s)– DART (Drilling Automation Real Time) Project

• Proprietary Systems

Slide 7

The Origin of WITSML

• DART evolved into a multi company effort – Statoil, BP, BakerHughes, Halliburton, Schlumberger

• to create a new standard, replacing WITS,– based on evolving internet technology, – with much improved functionality

• Improves “Plug and play” approach to moving data between systems

• For Operators, reduces costs for moving data, and improves competitiveness (Selecting vendors not driven by impact of IT changes, but on the service provided)

• For Contractors, reduces need to support different systems for different operators

• WITSML covers not only real-time data, but also contextual data

WITSML’s original goal

• The “right time” seamless flow of well site data between operators and service companies to speed and enhance decision-making.

Domain:Drilling (from 2000), then Completions (from 2004), and then Well Services and Maintenance (from 2008)

Pre-WITSML Drilling Standards

• WITS– Designed, implemented, and established as an

industry standard in the mid 1980s– A binary file format for transferring wellsite

drilling data– No standard programming interface– Limited data objects– It was great for it’s time, but times have

changed

WITS: Well Identification Record Type #23

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WITS: Well Identification Record Type #23

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WITS Compared With WITSML

A WITSML Data Stream <nameWell>TEST</nameWell>   <nameWellbore>1</nameWellbore>   <indexType>Depth</indexType>   <startIndex>7051.0</startIndex>   <endIndex>7851.0</endIndex>   <indexCurve>DMEA</indexCurve>   <stepIncrement>1.5</stepIncrement>   <indexUnits>FT</indexUnits>   <logCurveInfo> <curveDescription>Measured Depth</curveDescription>   <mnemonic>TIME</mnemonic>   <unit>S</unit>   <nullValue>-999.2500</nullValue>   </logCurveInfo> <logCurveInfo> <curveDescription>Time</curveDescription  <mnemonic>ACTC</mnemonic>   <unit />   <nullValue>-999.2500</nullValue> </logCurveInfo>

A WITS 0 Data Stream

&&0201Operator Name 1-5a0202102031520204169902270.973022888710229484!!&&1401 Operator Name 1-5a14021140888711419-9.25142026614211484!!

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WITSML: Original Use Scenario

WITSML: Early History

• October 2000 – Initiation by BP and Statoil• May 2001 - Data Objects defined• July 2001 – Working prototype• August 2001 - Wider industry awareness at

SPE Forum + Austin workshop• October 2001 - Data standard design

freeze• January 2002 – Early commercial offering

by the three major service companies and at least one other company [Baker Hughes, Halliburton, Schlumberger, Kongsberg]

WITSML: Early Architecture

• Web Based & W3C Standards– Wide area networking– Cross-platform

• XML data formats– Platform and language independent

• (Web Services) SOAP for Programming Interface– Web server based– Platform and language independent

• API Prototype in MS Visual BASIC

WITSML: Intended Early Deliverables

• Definition of Data Objects & Catalogs• Example WITSML files• Validation tool for WITSML files• Example code to read and write simple

WITSML data files• Documentation

WITSML: Original Data Objects

Well Wellbore Rig

Rig Equipment Pump

Location Units Trajectory Target Bit Record

Bottom Hole Assembly Wellbore Geometry

Casing Scheme Open Hole

Daily Operations Fluids Report Cement Job Log Real Time Mud Logging