Oil And Gas Technology And Humans

This book provides a multifaceted understanding of Integrated Operations (IO), which better informs risk assessment practices, as well as explaining new techniques and methods and providing state-of-the-art guidance to risk assessment practitioners working in the oil and gas industry.

The oil and gas industry is going through a major technological shift. This is particularly true of the Norwegian continental shelf where new work processes are being implemented based on digital infrastructure and information technology. The term Integrated Operations (IO) has been applied to this set of new processes. It is defined by the Centre for Integrated Operations in the Petroleum Industry as 'work processes and technology to make smarter decisions and better execution, enabled by ubiquitous real time data, collaborative techniques and access to multiple expertise'. It's claimed that IO is efficient, optimises exploration, reduces costs and improves safety performance. However, the picture is not as clear-cut as it may appear. On the one hand, the new work processes do not prevent major accidents: IO-related factors have been identified in recent events such as the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe. On the other hand, IO technology provides improved decision-making support (such as access to real-time data and expertise), which can reduce human and material losses and damage to the environment. Given these very different properties, it's vital that the industry has a detailed understanding of the benefits and drawbacks of IO, which this book sets out to do from a multidisciplinary point of view. It analyses Integrated Operations from the angles of statistics, management science, human factors and resilience engineering. These varied disciplines provide a multifaceted understanding of IO that better informs risk assessment practices, as well as explaining new techniques and methods and provides state-of-the-art guidance to risk assessment practitioners working in the oil and gas industry. Review: 'This book shows the Integrated Operations expertise developed in Norway's Integrated Operations Center, between science community, operators and service companies. It compares two methods to evaluate the safety impact of moving a control room from offshore to onshore. Quantitative Risk Analysis focuses on the physical facility and activities, Resilience Engineering on human factors and the ability to deal with unexpected situations. Real life decisions need to cover both aspects, to ensure safe operations in the short and long term.'Frans van den Berg, Shell Projects Technology, The Netherlands'This excellent collection of research articles provides both theoretical and practical insights to guide risk management for IO systems. Pointers to unresolved issues are given that provide inspiration for future research. My first reaction was to wish I had been part of this research project. I'll be referring to this book often in my ongoing investigation of human decision making in the IO environment.'Bill Nelson, Det Norske Veritas (USA), Inc., USA'This book is an important contribution to RD, helping to understand and manage risks that may occur in relation to the use of integrated operations (IO). We hope the book will prove of practical use for risk assessments and establishment of work processes in organizations using IO. We believe this book will stimulate discussions and increase knowledge of the subject.'Grete Loland, The Petroleum Safety Authority, Norway