Oil & gas majors target software savings

London -- A group of major energy companies has launched a 12-month project to help producers independently optimise their oil and gas production.

The PRODML work group aims to develop commercial software to improve data exchange and work process efficiency in production optimisation, project partner Invensys, announced 3 March.

The PRODML work group includes: BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell, Statoil, Halliburton, Invensys, OSIsoft, Petroleum Experts, Schlumberger, Sense Intellifield, TietoEnator, Weatherford and POSC (the Petrotechnical Open Standards Consortium).

PRODML will significantly reduce industry costs by eliminating the need to convert common data for in-house custom-built systems, said Invensys. The project team will use real-time measurements and network models to optimise free flowing wells and field-wide applications.

PRODML will extend the results of the ongoing WITSML (Wellsite Information Transfer Standard Markup Language) development efforts to include data needed for field production optimisation.WITSML is an XML-based standard for drilling information, which is now an open industry standard maintained by the POSC.