The right pressure transmitter can enhance production. The key to maximizing the return on oil and gas development projects rests with the maintenance and safety of your—sometimes—aging equipment.

1. Are All of Your Sensors
Oil Field Tough?
How the Right Pressure Transmitter
Can Enhance Production
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2. The Product Must Flow...
But at Minimal Cost
Your job is to bring new supplies on line, on time,
and at acceptable cost. All while dealing with
increased regulatory activity and environmental
concerns, skilled worker shortages, remote
locations, and geological complexity.
And today the industry is no longer operating
“factory” business model. That means dealing with
tighter margins and less room for error. Also, the
expansion of gas supply may mean that the price
of natural gas will be in the low-to-modest range for
years to come. That makes shaving costs of drilling
and well completion operations even more critical.
Top Two Business Drivers For Power and Energy Companies
Need to reduce OpEx
53%
Constrained Capex
50%
Aging assets (plant and equipment)
40%
Heightened regulatory compliance
22%
Corporate sustainability initiatives
17%
0
10
All Respondents
20
30
40
50
60
Percentage of Respondents, n=83
Source: Aberdeen Group, October 2010
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3. Are You In Control?
The key to maximizing the return on oil and gas
development projects rests with the maintenance
and safety of your—sometimes—aging equipment.
While most upstream organizations today use
traditional maintenance models (see Fig 1.),
companies using condition-based monitoring
have experienced:
• Production increases in the range of 5% overall
• Increased reservoir life
• Lowered cost of production
maintenance and decision making.1
Fig 1.
Approach
Technique Needed
Human Body Parallel
Reactive
Maintenance
Large budget
Unplanned loss of
production
Stroke or heart attack
Preventive
Maintenance
Periodic component
replacement
Bypass or transplant
Condition-Based
Monitoring
Monitoring of pressure
and other indicators
Detection with regular
check-ups, EKG or
other monitoring
1. http://www.epmag.com/EP-Magazine/archive/Monitoring-upstream-assets_4225
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4. Why Condition-Based Monitoring?
Condition-based monitoring means detecting equipment
problems before they lead to lost production. Companies
employing this approach use “alarms” such as pressure
transmitters to identify faults and spot patterns—and correct
them before they affect production.
The next section will discuss how to select a pressure
transmitter that can help ensure productive, cost-effective
operations.
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5. extraction equipment. They monitor a variety of functions, from well performance to vapor recovery.
OIL WELL / GAS WELL
Pressure
TANK
Pressure and
Vapor Recovery
SEPARATORS
Pressure
FIELD DEHYDRATION
Areas in oil and gas extraction that need electronic transmitters.
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6. Identifying Issues Quickly
Monitoring allows you and your team to identify
and resolve issues quickly—while also performing
regular maintenance to keep small issues from
Percent of wells affected by SCP
Many wells have issues that lead to gas migration
and sustained casing pressure, even newer wells.
Monitoring tubing and casing pressure can not only
help you maintain a constant production output, it
can also help:
• Assure stability and integrity of the wellbore
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0
4
8
migrating into fresh water zones or other
unintended strata
Why Monitor?
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12
16
20
Well age, years
24
28
Source: Schlumberger, Oilfield Review
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7. Well Performance Monitoring
Well performance monitoring allows you to focus
on the problem wells that may be showing signs of
performance issues such as:
• Scaling and water breakthrough
• Compression plant constraints
• Unplanned shutdowns
• Hydrate formation and gas lift equipment faults
With the right information, you can analyze and
manner.
Similarly, level and pressure measurement in
storage tanks can help maximize productivity
and avoid clean up costs for a collapsed tank or
emissions.
Hear how monitoring can help
maximize output.
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8. More than
Monitoring helps boost reservoir recovery. With
shale gas wells, production can decline 70%
1
As
production falls, liquid collects in the well bore,
90%
2
the reservoir and encourage product to the surface.
as a plunger lift receive:
• Revenue from increased production
• Revenue from avoided emissions
• Avoided costs—well treatment costs, reduced
electricity costs, workover costs
• Salvage value
1 http://www.epmag.com/Production-Drilling/Plunger-lift-technology-improves-shale-gasproduction_62594
2 http://hfoptimiser.com/FAQ.php#
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9. Need an extra
an estimated
$127,750
2
reduces the cost of operating a well compared to
pressure supplies the energy used to lift the liquids.
An average plunger lift installation will cost
approximately $3,500 compared to $28,000 for a
pumping unit or $32,000 for a small compressor.1
In this system, users monitor casing and tubing
pressures via pressure transmitters to optimize the
plunger lift cycle—minimizing back pressure and
work without pressure transmitters.
1 http://www.fergusonbeauregard.com/downloads/introduction-to-plunger-lift.pdf
2 EPA
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10. True Cost of Failure:
Unplanned downtime is a constant, costly menace
For a single 350
mcf/d (thousand
cubic feet per day)
well, lost revenue
equates to $25,200
per year at $3/mcf.
A well down for
2 days a month
reduces production
by 6.5% annually.
wells, lost revenue
is more than $2.5
million per year.
Source: http://www.shaletec.com/faq/troubleshooting-plunger-lift-wells/
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11. The cost of failure may be more than loss
You also have to think about the “soft” cost of
having your e-tech spending the day at the well
to check on a performance issue.
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12. You From Producing
production. You could have a problem down hole.
Without that transmitter and continuous monitoring,
you have almost lost control of the well.
The same could be said of a storage tank—without
a pressure transmitter you risk a collapsed tank.
Availability
Is the transmitter you need
available as soon as you
need it?
Durability and
Longevity
Will it handle the heat in Texas?
Will it handle the cold in
North Dakota?
Can you install the transmitter
and then forget about it
for years?
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Our expert explains the cost of
failure for a failed pressure sensor.
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13. From Sun to Snow
The environment can be a durability killer. Whether
you have wells installed in North Dakota with
that will handle the most extreme cold and the
extreme heat.
Your pressure transmitter must also handle:
• Rain
• Snow and icing
• Dust and dirt
• Corona discharge from lightning
• Electromagnetic interference (EMI)
Pressure transmitters face many challenges under
these operating conditions. You must carefully
select the right pressure transmitter to operate
successfully while providing long-term, precise
measurements.
Pressure transmitters are
not all the same.
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14. How did WIKA become the standard in stick
transmitters? Because we listened to our
customers.
10 years.
tough.” To do so, we asked them about the
insights, we designed long-term environmental
testing to establish when, how and which electrical
and mechanical components would break under
severe, adverse conditions. Then, we used the
best materials and welds to withstand the various
Our pressure transmitter has an all-welded steel
case that is built to last. The steel case keeps
elements such as rain, snow, wind, and dust away
from electrical components.
application, so you can focus on cost-effective,
non-stop performance.
Hear how WIKA ensures it has a
product that it is “Oil Field Tough.”
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15. Case Study:
Challenge
• A large E&P company needed to
Solution
• The company tested three competing
pressure transmitters and chose WIKA
due to its durability.
Results
• “Real-world” results have mirrored the
test results—the customer now has
standardized to WIKA because our
conditions for years.
*Source: Actual WIKA customer and case study
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16. But Starts with Measurement
monitoring in shallow tanks, and proper pressure measurement for venting and monitoring systems for salt
Installation and
Capital Cost1
Internal Rate of
Return
(Mcf/day)
($)
Operating and
Maintenance
($/year)
25
35,738
7,367
39,000
14
84%
50
46,073
8,419
79,000
8
152%
100
55,524
10,103
158,000
5
200
74,425
11,787
317,000
3
266%
500
103,959
16,839
793,000
2
Value of Gas2
($/year)
Payback (Months)
(%)
410%
747%
1: Unit cost of the entire recovery unit plus estimated installation at 75% of unit cost
2: $9.15/Mcf x 1/2 capacity x 365 x 95% Mcf = thousand cubic feet
“Reducing Methane Emission with Vapor Recovery on Storage Tanks,” March 23, 2010, epa.gov/ga
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17. A storage tank battery can vent 5,000 to 500,000 Mcf of natural gas and light hydrocarbons to the atmosphere
system. The EPA is now employing infrared detection from helicopters to try and identify potential areas of
high hydrocarbon emissions, such as what can occur with venting.
$93 million
1
EPA infrared video of hydrocarbons venting from storage tank
1: http://www.epa.gov/enforcement/air/oil.html
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18. $10,000 to $35,000
Protecting the life your assets can be a daunting task, especially when something as simple as a drop in
pressure can cause such chaos. In the case of storage tanks, under-pressure needs to be combatted by
a storage tank to collapse.
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19. From Managed Chaos...
The oil & gas industry engages in what some have
called: “Managed chaos.” Managing leaseholds and
optimizing rigs across multiple basins is a major
challenge. Changes in rig availability, rig rates,
permit approvals, site access, and availability of
consumables and services can happen overnight.
Sometimes you have to wait, wait, wait... GO!
You may want to use the best—most durable—
a well on a $300 transmitter, so you need a supplier
that can meet your demands in a timely manner.
“Your company needs to drill a thousand or more
want to wait for equipment.”
Chris Smith,
WIKA Electronic Solutions Expert
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20. To What You Need When
You Need It
WIKA employs a 21st Century just-in-time supply
chain. We have stock in Atlanta in our main
warehouse. We have several distributors located in
the local shale plays that also have stock. In short,
we have what you need.
We sit down with our customers on an annual or
need for their production. We also keep emergency
stock on hand for short-notice orders.
We understand that if you have a lease that is just
need to supply transmitters immediately.
Our expert explains how WIKA can
help manage the chaos of short
lead times.
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21. Designed for Your Industry
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22. E-10
Pressure Transmitter
These pressure transmitters are designed to contain, control and vent any possible ignition, without igniting
maintain the explosion proof rating.
Piezoresistive sensor and
NACE MR-01-75 compliant, which
provides additional protection against
Available with 4 ... 20 mA, 2-wire
or 1 ... 5 V, 3-wire low power
output signals
FM-approved explosion-proof
for Class I Division 1 hazardous
locations
to media containing sulphur
Temperature compensated to assure
accuracy and long-term stability
when exposed to severe ambient
temperature variations
Engineered to withstand harsh
environments
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23. N-10
Pressure Transmitter
Non-incendive explosion-proof pressure transmitters are preferred when potential hazards are only
occasionally present. They are designed to work in Class 1, Division II hazardous areas and require less
stringent installation procedures than explosion-proof pressure transmitters.
Piezoresistive sensor and
NACE MR-01-75 compliant
Engineered to meet the harsh
demands of gas compressor
applications
4-20 mA or low power 1-5 V
output signals available
FM approved Non-incendive
for Class I Division 2
hazardous locations
Does not require the use of
intrinsically safe barriers
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24. IS-20
Pressure Transmitter
Intrinsically safe explosion-proof pressure transmitters are designed to limit the thermal and electrical
energy to a point where ignition is not possible. Intrinsically safe pressure transmitters require the use of an
intrinsically safe barrier installed in the safe area. They do not require the use of conduit and conduit seals or
need a “hot permit” if servicing of the instrument loop is required.
Compact stainless steel case that is
available with environmental protection
ratings up to NEMA 6 (IP 68)
Industry standard electrical connections
including DIN 175301-803A Lconnector, cables, housings and
many others
Non-linearity of up to 0.125 % B.F.S.L.
No internal soft-sealing materials
that may react with the media or
deteriorate over time
Available output signals include
4 ... 20 mA, 0 ... 10 VDC, 1 ... 5 VDC
and many others
IP 69K high pressure steam wash-down
protection available
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26. For a company in a mature, industrial environment,
WIKA is very progressive. We embrace change, and
we love a good challenge. We like to say, “Give us
your worst.”
our expertise, we can tap into a worldwide network
of engineers to help. Someone in our network has
probably already seen a problem that is new to you.
we stand behind our products and services.
we are the largest, most experienced company in
the world for pressure measurement instruments.
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employs more than 7,000 people. When you need
WIKA® is a registered trademark of WIKA Alexander Wiegand SE & Co. KG., used under license by WIKA Instrument Corporation. Copyright 2013 WIKA Instrument Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
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