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Remote monitoring provides several distinct efficiencies for field management. These efficiencies benefit both the pumper individually and the operator collectively.

The number of wells continues to rise and those needing artificial lift now stand at 95%–virtually all wells must be monitored as a result. The need for efficiency is paramount.

Tablets are one of the hottest tech gadgets on the market and for good reason. They are lightweight, easy to use, fast and have multiple ways to connect to the Internet. In 2013 tablet shipments were up 52%, and tablets account for 25% of the total web usage, according to ‘Internet Trends 2014 report’ by Mary Meeker of KPCB. Mobile data traffic as a whole rose 81% year over year, according to the same report.

Data security is a real concern for consumers and industry alike. Data breaches at major retailers have exposed the risks of data theft. For oilfield operators, the other risk is loss of equipment control. In December news came out about a data breach at German steel mill. The illegal entry caused an unscheduled shutdown of a blast furnace, resulting in significant damage.

So the question is, how secure is your well?

Operators are now commonly making their well data available for remote access by pumpers, engineers and others for maintenance monitoring and production analysis. The data is available to mobile devices, enabling field personnel to identify potential problems without having to physically visit each well.  This is a great efficiency gain, and can be quite secure when proactive steps are taken.

The advantages of remote monitoring are many, and operators are increasingly deploying drive systems complete with SCADA. But what about the pumping systems already in the field? There is a solution for that too.

If you have a drive system—any drive system—you can add remote monitoring simply and easily. Here’s what it takes:

• MyBus conformance—SCADA remote monitoring can be connected to any system that conforms to MyBus.
• Weatherproof communications box—this unit mounts near the system.
• Private cellular network—the network is used to provide secure access to your data.

While the concept of the digital oilfield is not new, several trends are converging that should accelerate technology adoption. These trends are:

• Increasing production variability
• Increasing recovery costs
• Mobile technology adoption

Combined, these trends are pushing operators to move faster toward fully automating their fields and connecting them to the rest of the company through remote monitoring and control.

Trend #1: Increasing production variability

Unconventional resource plays have opened up great new opportunities for oil and gas companies. The potential volume of hydrocarbons now accessible in the US is staggering and there has been a rush to grab the opportunity.

More and more, operators are gathering field data digitally using SCADA systems. Assets are tracked. Production is tracked. Increasingly, equipment performance is tracked and managed remotely.

There are many advantages to using remote monitoring in conjunction with pumping equipment.